"Renewing the Earth Again" Lotte Department Store Strengthens ESG Campaign for World Environment Day

Major Overhaul of ESG Campaign
Unified Naming as 'RE:EARTH'... Expansion of Social Contribution Campaign 'RE:JOICE'
Donation Challenges, Beachcombing, and Environmental-Themed University Supporters Also Operated

Lotte Department Store employees are promoting the 'RE:EARTH' campaign in front of the Lotte Department Store main branch in Jung-gu, Seoul.

[Asia Economy Reporter Yuri Kim] Lotte Department Store announced on the 29th that it will strengthen its ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) activities by reorganizing its environmental campaign ahead of 'World Environment Day' in June. The existing ESG campaign brand 'RE:EARTH' will be newly launched as an environmental campaign brand, and the scope of the RE:JOICE campaign will also be expanded.

Over the past few years, Lotte Department Store has focused its ESG activities around its representative social contribution campaign, RE:JOICE. Launched in 2017, the RE:JOICE social contribution campaign began with the goal of raising awareness about women's depression, operating a total of four specialized psychological counseling facilities and providing over 2,000 counseling sessions.

Last year, Lotte Department Store launched the integrated ESG campaign brand RE:ALS announced by Lotte Shopping as an environmental campaign brand involving customer participation, and will begin full-scale activities starting in June. RE:ALS, themed 'Renewing the Earth,' plans to deliver eco-friendly messages through customer participation donation challenges, children's environmental art contests, and eco-friendly classes held at all branch cultural centers. It will also conduct the 'Beachcombing Project,' which involves visiting marine litter issue areas to carry out environmental cleanup activities.

From June 1 to 23, a donation challenge will be held through the Lotte Department Store application (app). Participation is available on the event page within the integrated app. For each customer click, 1,000 KRW will be accumulated and donated by Lotte Department Store. Through this donation challenge, Lotte Department Store plans to raise funds for environmental protection, donate them to environmental foundations, and carry out various environmental protection activities.

An 'Online Environmental Art Contest' for children will also be held. Registration is open from May 31 on the Lotte Department Store website for the first 5,000 applicants on a first-come, first-served basis, and all processes from registration to artwork submission will be conducted online. The theme of the art contest is 'Small Habits to Protect the Earth.' Winners will receive awards including the Minister of Environment Award (1 person, 2 million KRW) along with certificates and prize money, and all participants will be given colored pencils and a drawing book made with their own artwork.

Projects will also be conducted with university students interested in ESG and distribution. Lotte Department Store is recruiting the 8th generation of 'Sharotte Dreamers,' its university student supporters, with an environmental theme. They will plan environmental campaigns and create various content to act as ambassadors for RE:ALS promotion. The best program planned by the 8th generation Sharotte Dreamers will be launched as Lotte Department Store's environmental campaign in the second half of the year. Applications for the 8th generation Sharotte Dreamers will be accepted from June 8 to 6 PM on June 23 via the Environmental Foundation website. Thirty selected university students will participate in activities for three months starting July 15.

For environmental cleanup activities, visits to beaches are also planned. Among the MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z), activities such as 'plogging'?picking up trash while walking or jogging?have become a lifestyle culture. Accordingly, Lotte Department Store plans to operate a beachcombing booth called 'RE:EARTH MARKET' at Jeju Woljeong-ri Beach and Gangwon-do Yangyang Junggwangjeong Beach, where trash issues arise due to a surge in visitors in August. The booth will lend beach cleaning tools and exchange eco-friendly goods for the weight of trash collected by customers. Alongside the booth, an 'Eco Chilling Zone' will be set up to offer various programs that raise awareness of environmental importance, including upcycling and zero-waste classes.

Additionally, Lotte Department Store's cultural centers will offer courses tailored to the 'meaning out' trend of the MZ generation, who value eco-friendliness, health, and donation and enjoy related consumption. Representative courses include the 'Clean Hiking Class' with artist Kang-eun Kim, known as 'Clean Hiker,' and eco-friendly campaign courses aimed at reducing waste output.

The RE:JOICE social contribution campaign will expand its target from women to men and women of all ages, families, and pets, upgrading to a 'campaign supporting everyone's self-esteem, dreams, and challenges.' To lower barriers to psychological counseling, the operation of one-day classes within counseling centers will be expanded, and the existing flagship programs will be enhanced, including the 5th round of the 'Mind Care Program,' which provides psychological counseling visits to socially vulnerable groups. Contributions to the cultural and arts fields will be expanded through cultural content. From March to May, RE:JOICE held an exhibition at all Lotte Gallery branches commemorating 'International Women's Day,' showcasing works by female artists, and in July and August, an eco-friendly beauty exhibition supporting creative activities of artists with disabilities will be held in collaboration with the L'Or?al Group.

Kim Ji-hyun, Head of Marketing & Communication at Lotte Department Store, said, "We have prepared various activities carrying the ESG message aimed at sustainable living," adding, "Lotte Department Store will take the lead in creating a new Earth again and strengthen ESG activities that customers can participate in together."

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