SKT Joins Seoul Pilot Project to Reduce 'Disposable Plastic Cups' Using AI Technology

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgi Na Cho] SK Telecom is joining efforts to reduce the use of 'disposable plastic cups' in downtown Seoul through its artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

On the 4th, SK Telecom announced that it will participate in the ‘Seoul Reusable Cup Pilot Project,’ jointly promoted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Happiness Connect Foundation. Accordingly, starting from the 6th, reusable cup services will begin at about 20 coffee shops in Jung-gu and Jongno-gu near Seoul City Hall, areas with heavy foot traffic.

The pilot project involves coffee shops near City Hall Station, Gwanghwamun Station, Jonggak Station, and Euljiro 1-ga Station. In addition to major coffee chains like Starbucks and Dalkom Coffee, small business cafes will also participate to contribute to environmental efforts.

Customers purchasing beverages at pilot stores can pay a 1,000 won deposit to choose a reusable cup, receive their drink, freely use the cup inside and outside the store, and then return it through an unmanned reusable cup return machine to get their deposit refunded.

The unmanned reusable cup return machines will be installed not only at participating coffee shops but also in the lobby of Seoul City Hall and the Euljiro SKT Tower. The AI analyzes whether the returned cup is the designated reusable cup, and then refunds the deposit in cash or points.

Returned cups undergo disinfection, high-pressure washing, and sterilization drying before being supplied back to coffee shops for reuse. Searching for stores that accept reusable cups, return machine locations, and point accumulation is available through the eco-friendly app ‘Happy Habit.’

SK Telecom and Happiness Connect expect that if the number of participating stores steadily increases during the three-month project period, about 1.2 million disposable cups can be replaced with reusable cups. After the pilot project, the Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to expand the project citywide based on effectiveness verification.

This collaboration was initiated when the reusable cup provision model, already serviced by Happiness Connect, was selected for Seoul’s ‘Reusable Cup Usage System Establishment Pilot Project.’ Happiness Connect has previously established a reusable cup provision model through the eco-friendly consortium ‘Habit Eco Alliance,’ formed with SK Telecom, Starbucks Korea, Danal F&B (Dalkom Coffee), and others, enabling cooperation among local governments, ICT companies, coffee shops, and logistics firms.

SK Telecom and Happiness Connect have established a cooperative system with partners specializing in AI, cleaning, and resource circulation to set up the return, collection, and cleaning processes, which are considered challenges in popularizing reusable cup use.

SK Telecom is responsible for data loading, training, and deployment based on Vision AI to ensure that the unmanned reusable cup return machines accurately recognize designated cups. Accordingly, the unmanned return machines can identify reusable cups eligible for deposit refunds and also detect foreign substances, leftover beverages, and lids to minimize factors that interfere with cup stacking.

SK Telecom is also continuously strengthening its co-growth with ‘Oyster Able,’ an eco-friendly ICT startup responsible for manufacturing and operating the unmanned reusable cup return machines.

Cleaning of used cups is carried out by Ppodeuk Co., Ltd., which has long specialized in dish rental and cleaning, and the preliminary social enterprise Happiness Bridge. Considering the need to provide beverages at various temperatures and the requirements for high-temperature cleaning and repeated use, cup production is handled by Taepax, a company with specialized capabilities.

Logistics and collection are managed by comprehensive logistics company Logisall, while SK Geocentric is responsible for resource circulation management throughout the process, including disposal of cups.

Park Dae-ho, Executive Director of the Happiness Connect Foundation, said, “The effectiveness of the reusable cup system, proven through the ‘Eco Jeju Project’ launched last July, led to our selection as a pilot project operator in Seoul. By combining the capabilities of various partners, including SK Telecom’s ICT technology, we will continue to address the habitual overuse of disposable plastic cups.”

Lee Junho, Head of ESG Promotion at SK Telecom, stated, “We plan to continuously improve various ICT solutions, including AI analysis technology applied in the process of using and collecting reusable cups, to develop a service that all Seoul citizens can use safely and conveniently.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.