[Instagram Walk] Almang Store - #No Packaging! #Say Goodbye to Wrappers #Only Selling Almangi

Opposition to Unnecessary Packaging... Pursuing 'Good Consumption'
Eco-friendly Products like Bamboo Toothbrushes and Ceramic Straws
Bring Your Own Container to 'Refill Station' for Shampoo
'Community Collection Center' Where Recyclables Are Reborn
15,000 Instagram Followers... Popular Among 20s and 30s

Zero Waste Shop 'Almaeng Sangjeom' located in Hapjeong-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul. The signboard shaped like a core attracts attention. Photo by Heo Midam damdam@asiae.co.kr

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Turtles struggling with plastic, seagulls wrapped in plastic bags, pigeons with legs tied by strings. The sight of animals suffering from human-discarded trash is not hard to find these days. Especially, single-use masks we use daily and disposable items that come naturally when purchasing goods are making their gasping struggles even more severe. Perhaps for this reason, a store was created to wipe away their tears. It is a place that opposes unnecessary packaging and emphasizes environmental responsibility. It is highly popular among Instagrammers pursuing 'ethical consumption.' Dreaming of a world without waste, the zero-waste shop 'Almaeng Store' located in Mapo-gu, Seoul, is that place.

About a five-minute walk from Exit 2 of Mangwon Station on Subway Line 6, a banner with the unique phrase "Throw away the shells, only the core comes" catches the eye. Curious, when you open the door, guestbooks left by customers attract attention. Messages expressing gratitude to the store fill the pages, ranging from pledges to reduce plastic use to thanks for giving new life to waste. Going up the stairs to the second floor, the space is decorated solely with eco-friendly items. In the center display stand, various products are exhibited, from bamboo toothbrushes to ceramic straws and washable cotton masks. Not a single plastic container or plastic bag can be found here.

'Almaeng Store' is a space run by three co-representatives: Geumja (Go Geumsuk), Eun (Lee Jueun), and Raegyo (Yang Raegyo). Introducing themselves as 'Aljja' (those who only want the core), they opened the zero-waste shop in Hapjeong-dong last June. It is a space born from their small wish to practice minimizing waste such as disposable products. Co-representative Lee Jueun (30) described the place as "a location where alternative products to reduce waste are sold and where various items can be refilled."

A banner introducing the 'Almaeng Community Collection Center' is displayed. Photo by Heo Midam damdam@asiae.co.kr

True to its name, the store sells only unpackaged 'cores.' Customers who visit bring their own glass containers or eco-bags from home to hold the cores. They accept minor inconveniences for the environment. Customers fill their brought containers with shampoo, detergent, etc., as much as needed and pay according to the amount. Since only the weight of the contents excluding the container is measured, customers literally purchase only the 'core.' The representative called this a 'refill station.' "Because only the core is purchased, the use of plastic containers naturally decreases," she said. "This system is familiar abroad, but it has just been introduced in Korea, so many customers find it interesting." Various items such as cosmetics, detergents, and different kinds of tea can be refilled.

The 'Community Collection Center' is also one of the store's prides. The store collects discarded resources like bottle caps from customers and transforms them into new products. Coffee grounds become flowerpots and pencils, bottle caps and straws turn into toothpaste squeezers. Items once considered trash gather to be reborn as daily necessities. Notably, some of these are returned to residents who donated recyclables, allowing customers to help the environment while receiving gifts?a win-win effect. The representative cited the 'Community Collection Center' as Almaeng Store's unique competitive advantage. She explained, "Customers can see their items being reborn and witness the process of resource circulation."

Various eco-friendly products, including reusable straws, are displayed. Photo by Heo Midam damdam@asiae.co.kr

However, not everyone welcomed their efforts. In the past, Almaeng Store distributed eco-bags to merchants in Mangwon Market to reduce plastic bag use. But the response was cold. The representative said, "It was not easy to persuade merchants about why protecting the environment is necessary," adding, "From the merchants' perspective, using plastic bags is more convenient." However, with their continued requests, the market began to change little by little. Some shops agreed with the environmental protection purpose and started lending shopping bags to customers instead of plastic bags. The representative said, "We regularly distribute eco-bags and glass containers donated by Almaeng Store customers to merchants," calling it "part of efforts to reduce waste."

The store's efforts to protect the environment have sparked a new trend among the 20s and 30s generations. The representative said, "When we opened the store, we thought the main consumers would be housewives in their 30s and 40s. But judging by Instagram reviews and trends, it is overwhelmingly popular among people in their 20s and 30s," adding, "Interest in our store has increased as the COVID-19 pandemic has prolonged." Almaeng Store's Instagram account currently boasts over 15,000 followers.

Their ultimate goal is to bring about significant change through shifts in public awareness. The representative said, "We want to continuously raise environmental issues and change people's perceptions. When awareness changes, environmental regulations will naturally follow." She advised those unsure where or how to start environmental protection, "There is no better attempt than starting small, slightly inconvenient, and effortful actions like using reusable items instead of single-use plastics."