Hyundai Motor Group Establishes and Supports Social Cooperative 'Green Move Workshop'
Repair, Disinfection, and Recycling of Broken Toys for Child Centers in Seoul and Gyeonggi Areas
Hyundai Motor Group held the opening ceremony of the social cooperative "Green Move Workshop" on the 4th floor of the Hyundai Motor Anyang Building in Anyang, Gyeonggi-do, on the 14th. At the opening ceremony, (from left) Lee Byung-hoon, Executive Director of Hyundai Motor Group, Kim Kyung-hee, Head of Social Contribution at the Community Chest of Korea, Yoo Hee-jung, President of the Korea Childcare Promotion Institute, and Lee Chae-jin, CEO of Green Move Workshop, are posing for a commemorative photo. (Photo by Hyundai Motor Group)
[Asia Economy Reporter Jihee Kim] Hyundai Motor Group is recently taking action to reduce plastic waste, which has become a social issue.
On the 14th, Hyundai Motor Group held an opening ceremony for the social cooperative 'Green Move Workshop' on the 4th floor of Hyundai Motor's headquarters in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, and announced the launch of a project to support the circulation of waste plastic toys. About 20 people attended the ceremony, including Lee Chae-jin, CEO of Green Move Workshop, Kim Kyung-hee, Head of Social Contribution at the Community Chest of Korea, Yoo Hee-jung, President of the Korea Childcare Promotion Institute, Lee Byung-hoon, Executive Director of Hyundai Motor Group, as well as other officials and invited families from the local community.
Green Move Workshop, established with support from Hyundai Motor Group and the Community Chest of Korea, is a social cooperative aimed at collecting waste plastic toy waste, repairing, disinfecting, and recycling them to donate or resell through upcycling to welfare facilities such as local children's centers in need of toys.
This project was planned to contribute to environmental protection while supporting child welfare facilities and further creating social value through the development of eco-friendly upcycling products. According to surveys by major environmental organizations, approximately 8 million tons of plastic waste are generated annually worldwide, of which about 30% consists of plastic toy waste.
Green Move Workshop plans to collect, repair, and disinfect waste plastic toys from about 500 locations including local children's centers and orphanages in the Seoul and Gyeonggi metropolitan areas, and then donate them again to necessary welfare institutions. Additionally, it plans to develop upcycling products using waste plastic parts for donation and resale, presenting a new model for plastic waste management. Green Move Workshop will also publish environmental education storybooks and conduct 'visiting environmental education' for about 100 child welfare institutions, daycare centers, and kindergartens.
Hyundai Motor Group, together with the Community Chest of Korea, will be responsible for building rental for the Green Move Workshop's metropolitan office, supporting repair and disinfection equipment, jointly developing business programs, and providing operating funds.
A Hyundai Motor Group official stated, "Through this project, we expect to start reducing about 10 tons of plastic waste in the first year, gradually increasing the reduction amount, and significantly reducing waste disposal and quarantine costs for child care institutions. Children and parents participating in the recycling and upcycling process of waste plastic will also help spread awareness of the environmental value of toy circulation."
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