Kolon Group to Conduct 'Zero Waste Campaign' Until the End of This Month

UN-designated Blue Sky Day Celebration
Zero Waste Practice Activity Sharing Event
Saved Over 50,000 Disposable Paper Cups in 100 Days
Reduced Carbon Dioxide Emissions by 520 kg

Employees are holding reusable containers donated by staff members as part of the paper cup zero campaign. Photo by Kolon Group

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seoyoon] Kolon Group is conducting a campaign to support employees' practice of zero waste in celebration of the UN-designated 'Blue Sky Day' on the 7th, running until the end of this month.

Zero waste is a movement to minimize waste generated in daily life by reducing packaging or using recyclable materials. During the event period, Kolon plans to give small prizes by lottery to employees who share their eco-friendly activity practices in daily life through SNS, including explanations, photos, and videos.

This campaign was prepared to analyze the results of Kolon's company-wide decision not to use disposable paper cups for 100 days since early May and to take more active eco-friendly actions.

Kolon saved a total of 52,620 disposable paper cups over 100 days by using reusable containers instead of disposable paper cups within the company. This is equivalent to reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 520 kg, and just by all Kolon employees participating in the 'Paper Cup Zero' movement, an annual carbon dioxide emission reduction effect close to 2 tons can be expected.

At the beginning of the campaign, employees voluntarily donated new mugs or tumblers to encourage participation so that employees who needed reusable containers could use them. This shared the purpose that true eco-friendly practice starts with not producing unnecessary products.

Kolon has actively practiced ESG management to participate in solving newly emerging social issues as a major company participating in the Entrepreneurship Round Table (ERT) led by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

After COVID-19, as the use of disposable masks surged and disposal became a new environmental issue, Kolon succeeded in recycling disposable masks for the first time in Korea by collecting large quantities of disposable masks and remaking them into clothes hangers. Kolon Industries developed and commercialized polyester film using Post Consumer Recycled (PCR) raw materials for the first time and also developed PBAT (Polybuthylene Adipate-co-Terephthalate), a biodegradable plastic product that naturally decomposes within six months after landfill. Kolon Industries FnC division operates the upcycling brand 'RE;CODE' and 'weDO,' a category that gathers sustainable products on its own online mall.

Shin Eunju, Director of the CSR Office at Kolon Corporation, said, “Although practicing paper cup zero is inconvenient, employees responded well to the purpose of environmental protection,” adding, “We will continue to refrain from using disposable products at workplaces and actively address environmental issues such as recycling disposable masks.”

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