Shinsegae Department Store's Zero Waste Lunar New Year Gifts... "Leading Eco-Friendly Initiatives"

Introduction of Hamper Boxes and Paper Baskets

Seollal gift set with eco-friendly packaging. (Photo by Shinsegae Department Store)

Shinsegae Department Store announced on the 3rd that it will take the lead in practicing zero waste by introducing hamper boxes made from 100% naturally biodegradable sugarcane this Lunar New Year.

The hamper boxes allow customers to package all products in Shinsegae Department Store’s food hall, from wine to fresh and processed foods, according to their preferences. The plan is to introduce these not only for holidays but also for regular packaging to promote resource circulation in everyday life.

Previously, Shinsegae Department Store was the first in the industry to introduce its own eco-friendly packaging standards to reduce plastic usage and facilitate recycling. In particular, the underground food halls at the main and Gangnam stores have adopted eco-friendly paper made from sugarcane fiber, a non-wood pulp, achieving an annual plastic reduction of 25 tons.

They have planned 85% of gift sets, including Korean beef and fruit, as reusable eco-friendly gift sets. The paper fruit baskets introduced last Chuseok are now available at all stores. Noting that previous fruit baskets were made of rattan and difficult to recycle, they were redesigned using paper and hemp materials. The introduction of eco-friendly insulated bags for meat and seafood gift sets will also be expanded.

A Shinsegae Department Store official said, “We have expanded the introduction of eco-friendly packaging to inform customers about sustainable consumption culture during periods of high gift demand,” adding, “We will lead an eco-friendly holiday culture by creating consumption spaces that consider the environment.”

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