Baedal Minjok Promotes Reusable Containers Amid Rising Disposable Product Prices

Impact of Rising Oil Prices
Eco-Friendly Initiatives Expected to Ease the Cost Burden of Delivery Supplies

Starting in April, Baedal Minjok will launch a plastic reduction campaign that includes “promoting the use of reusable containers” and “not receiving disposable spoons and forks.” The campaign aims to help ease the burden on restaurant owners in line with government policies amid the recent surge in oil prices.

Woowa Brothers, the operator of Baedal Minjok, announced on March 31 that the company would carry out eco-friendly delivery initiatives throughout the year. This comes as concerns rise about rising unit costs and supply shortages of single-use plastic delivery products due to instability in the Middle East.

Baedal Minjok Reusable Containers

Following government policies, Baedal Minjok will run year-round campaigns to promote eco-friendly activities such as “using reusable containers” and “not receiving disposable forks and spoons,” while also expanding the service area.

First, in April, the company will launch a campaign encouraging participation in the “not receiving disposable spoons and forks” feature. Customers can join the campaign by clicking the participation button on the event page within the app and maintaining the setting during the event period; those who do so will be entered into a lottery to receive coupons.

The “not receiving disposable spoons and forks” option is one of Baedal Minjok’s leading eco-friendly initiatives, launched in 2019, and has since spread throughout the industry. In 2025 alone, this feature on Baedal Minjok reduced the use of disposable spoons and forks by an estimated 38.3 billion won. Cumulatively, from April 2019 to December 2025, it is estimated that approximately 10.2 billion disposable spoons and forks have been saved.

Another flagship eco-friendly initiative is the “reusable container service,” which will also expand to new regions and encourage customer participation. The reusable container project, which began in August 2022 in Seoul, is now available in 20 districts in Seoul, 9 municipalities in Gyeonggi Province, as well as in parts of Incheon and Jeju. Baedal Minjok plans to work with the eco-friendly startup EatGreen to expand the service throughout Seoul and to Seogwipo in Jeju during the first half of the year, in line with local government plans. The company will also encourage participation by offering discount coupons for using reusable containers, especially in newly launched areas and on environmental awareness days such as Earth Day.

In addition, Baedal Minjok plans to establish the first non-capital region smart packaging infrastructure as part of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Cheonan City’s hub-type smart city development project. By joining the consortium, Baedal Minjok will set up a reusable container washing center in Cheonan using AI cameras, and expand the reusable container service to the Chungcheong region in the first half of the year.

Kim Junghyun, Head of Sustainability Management at Woowa Brothers, said, “We hope that our eco-friendly programs will help reduce the burden on our restaurant partners, who are struggling with high oil prices and rising costs of delivery supplies. Baedal Minjok will continue to strive to fulfill its social responsibilities as a company.”

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