Reducing 10 Million Disposable Cups... SKT Promotes Reusable Cup Circulation System

President Yoo Young-sang (right) and Minister of Environment Han Hwa-jin (center) are experiencing the reusable cup return machine.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-seon] SK Telecom, the Ministry of Environment, Seoul City, and 10 major coffee chains including Starbucks will start using reusable cups at 800 stores across Seoul.

The disposable cups expected to be reduced annually through the use of reusable cups in Seoul amount to approximately 10 million, which, if stacked, would be 5,907 times the height of Namsan Tower.

On the 24th, SK Telecom announced that it will participate in the 'Zero Seoul' project promoted by Seoul City to achieve zero waste and zero environmental issues such as climate change, together with the Ministry of Environment and major caf? chains.

The 'Zero Seoul' project consists of Zero Caf? (zero disposable cups at coffee shops), Zero Restaurant (zero disposable plastic delivery containers at restaurants), and Zero Campus (efficient waste separation and zero disposable items). SKT will take the lead in distributing a reusable cup circulation system to achieve Zero Caf?.

At the launch ceremony of the youth group 'Zero Seoul Friends' and the opening of the experience center for the 'Zero Seoul' activities, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, Minister of Environment Han Hwa-jin, SKT President Yoo Young-sang, Starbucks CEO Song Ho-seop, and representatives of participating coffee brands and youth friends attended.

SKT, together with Seoul City and cafes participating in the reusable cup pilot project, has been conducting a pilot project using reusable cups at 19 stores in the Jung-gu area of Seoul from November last year to the end of February this year. Marking the launch ceremony, the project will expand from about 70 stores currently to 800 stores throughout Seoul by the end of the year.

Additionally, the coffee brands participating in the reusable cup initiative have expanded to 10 major domestic beverage coffee chains including Starbucks, Twosome Place, Angel-in-us, Paul Bassett, Dalkom, The Venti, Paris Baguette, Tous Les Jours, Cafe Il Maggio, and Cantin Coffee. In addition, small business cafes such as Yooahier, corporate in-house cafes like Daishin Securities, and universities are also joining.

Seoul City, together with SKT, will open a permanent 'Zero Seoul' experience center at Seoul Plaza and operate it until the end of this year. The permanent experience center will introduce Zero Seoul projects such as Zero Caf?, Zero Restaurant, and Zero Market, and install reusable cups and return machines to provide actual experience opportunities.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon (front row left), CEO Yoo Sang-young (front row center), and Environment Minister Han Hwa-jin (front row right) are clapping while listening to an explanation about the Zero Seoul project.

Along with the expansion of the main project in Seoul, SKT is conducting the Jeju 'Clean Udo Project' and the Incheon 'e-eum Cafe' pilot project, with plans to expand nationwide in the future.

The 'Reusable Cup Project' started in Jeju Island in July last year, followed by the Seoul pilot project in November and the Incheon pilot project in July this year, reducing about 4.1 million disposable cups to date. SKT plans to implement a campaign with Seoul City to reduce 10 million disposable cups.

In particular, the operation of the cup washing facility, one of the AI-based reusable cup resource circulation systems, will be carried out in cooperation with local self-support centers supporting the independence and self-sufficiency of basic livelihood security recipients, contributing to job creation in the local community and support for low-income residents' independence.

Furthermore, to enhance customer convenience in returning deposits, refund methods will be expanded to include T-money, Hana Bank accounts (using the Hana One Q app), Lotte L.Point, Coffee Con, and others. Especially, an eco-friendly campaign is being prepared with the government and companies to encourage customer participation by providing points or additional rewards when customers return reusable cups.

Yoo Young-sang, CEO of SK Telecom, said, "The launch ceremony of 'Zero Seoul' signifies the full-scale start of the reusable cup project, which had remained at the pilot project level until now," adding, "If active participation from coffee shops, administrative support, and eco-friendly consumption by consumers are combined, we can achieve tangible effects in reducing disposable plastics."

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