Shinsegae Department Store Partners with Food Bank to Launch Food Donation Campaign

Signed a Business Agreement with Food Bank, a Material Donation Organization... Delivering Unsold Safe Food of the Day to Vulnerable Groups
29 Partner Companies Participated... Expected Effect of Planting 6,500 Trees through Annual Donations Worth 200 Million KRW

(From left) Park Jongseop, Head of ESG Promotion Team at Shinsegae Department Store; Lee Wonho, Officer of ESG Promotion Office; Heo Byeonghun, Head of Support Headquarters (Vice President); Seo Sangmok, President of Korea National Council on Social Welfare; Choi Ilseop, Vice President of Korea National Council on Social Welfare; Kang Hoon, Director of the National Food Bank Project Team, are taking a commemorative photo after the Shinsegae-National Food Bank business agreement on the 21st. Photo by Shinsegae Department Store.

[Asia Economy Reporter Yuri Kim] Shinsegae Department Store is partnering with the food donation organization Food Bank to launch a food donation initiative.

On the 23rd, Shinsegae announced that on the 21st, it signed a business agreement with the Korea National Council on Social Welfare’s nationwide Food Bank, a public institution under the Ministry of Health and Welfare, to help alleviate hunger among vulnerable groups.

Starting next month, Shinsegae and Food Bank will collect safe products discarded daily due to brand operation policies from food stores at 11 Shinsegae Department Store locations nationwide, including Seoul, Busan, and Daegu, every morning and deliver them to marginalized groups in the local communities. Twenty-nine partner companies, sharing the commitment to eco-friendly coexistence activities, have joined this food donation effort through over 80 stores. Donated items include convenient meal replacements such as cupcakes, pastries, bread, and cookies from popular bakery brands like Le Boulanger and Ari Kitchen. All products meet the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s food donation standards within their consumption period, and refrigerated trucks are used for product collection to maintain freshness.

Shinsegae plans to lead the creation of a food donation culture that helps reduce food waste and lowers waste disposal costs for partner companies by delivering safe food worth 200 million KRW annually, practicing eco-friendly management, and addressing hunger issues among vulnerable populations.

Through this business agreement and food donation, Shinsegae and Food Bank expect to reduce food waste by 21.5 tons annually. This reduction is equivalent to cutting approximately 70 tons of greenhouse gases generated from food waste disposal, which corresponds to planting 6,500 pine trees each year.

To support eco-friendly management activities, Shinsegae Department Store will also continue collaborative efforts with partner companies participating in Food Bank donations by creating 'Shinsegae Win-Win Points.' This system converts donated products into points for participating partners, which can later be used like cash, providing support for their business operations.

In addition to food donation activities with Food Bank, Shinsegae is actively engaged in reducing food waste through campaigns such as the Zero Leftover Campaign involving employees and sales events for imperfect fruits. Since July, the Zero Leftover Campaign, participated in by Shinsegae Department Store headquarters employees, encourages employees to take only as much food as they can eat to avoid waste. Employees certify their waste-free trays using the 'No Leftover Scanner' installed at the employee cafeteria’s tray return area. Those who achieve zero leftovers certification 10 times or more receive eco-friendly bathroom products and other rewards. Over three months since implementation, about 30% of all headquarters employees have actively participated by achieving zero leftovers certification 10 times or more.

Shinsegae is also leading efforts to foster a culture of conscientious consumption. In July, it held a 'Good Fruit Fair,' featuring fruits that are small or imperfect in appearance but excellent in taste, offered at special prices. Customer response was enthusiastic, with fresh produce sales increasing by 22.1% year-on-year during July.

Going forward, Shinsegae plans to further strengthen its eco-friendly management activities by expanding the number of companies participating in Food Bank and continuously introducing events to establish a culture of conscientious consumption. Lee Won-ho, head of the ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) Promotion Office at Shinsegae Department Store, said, "To add meaning to our eco-friendly social contribution activities, we are introducing collaborations with Food Bank and eco-friendly consumption events that involve partner companies, employees, and customers together. We will continue to carry out various ESG activities to take the lead in environmental and social contribution efforts."

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