Lotte Duty Free Introduces Tarpaulin Bags... Reduces Plastic Waste by 80%

Additional Construction of Solar Power Facilities at 2nd Integrated Logistics Center, Expansion of Electric Vehicles for Bonded Transport
'NO PAPER' Policy in Stores... Digital Conversion of Membership Forms and Parking Tickets

A Lotte Duty Free employee is working with a reusable tarpaulin bag. Lotte Duty Free plans to replace packaging materials such as air caps with tarpaulin bags to reduce more than 80% of single-use plastic waste generated at airport delivery counters.

[Asia Economy Reporter Yuri Kim] Lotte Duty Free announced that starting from the 14th, it will replace single-use vinyl such as air-inflated bubble wrap (commonly known as 'bbokbbok-i') used for duty-free product packaging with reusable 'tarpaulin bags.'

Tarpaulin, made from polypropylene (PP), is a recyclable material free of environmental hormones and is highly durable, commonly used for shopping bags, car covers, and more. Lotte Duty Free has produced five types of packaging materials according to the product type and size, enhancing safety by attaching cushioning materials inside.

A Lotte Duty Free official stated, "Through the introduction of tarpaulin bags, we expect to reduce over 80% of single-use vinyl waste generated annually at airport delivery counters. Additionally, as the bulky bubble wrap used during product transportation decreases, logistics efficiency will improve, resulting in approximately 41% cost savings." However, a small amount of bubble wrap and paper packaging will still be used for fragile items such as cosmetics, perfumes, and alcoholic beverages to prevent damage.

Besides introducing tarpaulin bag packaging, Lotte Duty Free is expanding eco-friendly management infrastructure and implementing various activities under the slogan 'Duty 4 Earth' to create a sustainable planet.

Lotte Duty Free is also accelerating efforts to reduce fossil fuel waste and secure carbon emission rights. Last month, construction began on a solar power facility with an annual output of 526 MWh (megawatt-hours) at the 2nd Integrated Logistics Center in Yeongjongdo, Incheon. Since November last year, Lotte Duty Free has been using eco-friendly electricity through the outdoor solar power facility at the 1st Integrated Logistics Center. Once the additional solar power facility is completed, the 1st and 2nd Integrated Logistics Centers will achieve a total annual carbon emission reduction of 875 tons.

The introduction of bonded transport electric vehicles that carry duty-free goods between logistics centers, downtown stores, and airport locations is also contributing to environmental protection by reducing 27 tons of greenhouse gases and 13 kg of fine dust annually.

At retail stores, efforts are being made to reduce unnecessary resource waste such as paper membership applications and parking tickets. The paper membership applications, which occur about 210,000 times annually, have been replaced with easy registration using tablets. The 4.8 million paper parking tickets issued annually have also been largely reduced by switching to system-based settlement.

Lee Gap, CEO of Lotte Duty Free, said, "Lotte Duty Free is striving to incorporate eco-friendly elements across all business areas. We will continue to create social value through sustainable ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) management activities."

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