Refusing Spoons and Forks... 11.6 Million Participants
Business Owners Save 24.2 Billion Won on Disposable Purchases
Positive Evaluation of Eco-friendly Packaging and Cooling Materials
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] Baedal Minjok's policy to reduce disposable items has received international recognition.
Woowa Brothers, the operator of Baemin, announced on the 24th that it was selected as an excellent case of international eco-friendly certification (GRP) by the UN SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) association, a UN special consultative status organization. This is the first case in the delivery app industry. In particular, Baemin received the highest grade (AAA) among the excellent cases.
GRP is a global climate response guideline for reducing plastic and creating a sustainable marine environment, and is an international eco-friendly certification system that selects excellent cases by the UN SDGs. The association announces it every May through 30 major fields and 39 global guidelines (indicators) regarding global environmental issues such as climate change response and plastic reduction.
The highest grade certification this time was highly evaluated for Baemin's eco-friendly activities, such as the introduction of the 'Do not receive disposable spoon and fork' function. Baemin took the lead in reducing disposable items by introducing the 'Do not receive disposable spoon and fork' function for the first time in the industry in April 2019. As of the end of March, a total of 11.6 million people participated. It saved restaurant owners 24.2 billion KRW in disposable item purchase costs and reduced waste collection costs by 6.9 billion KRW.
Starting from the 1st of next month, Baemin will apply an option function to each app so that disposable spoons and forks are provided only upon customer request, together with Yogiyo and Coupang Eats.
Baemin also received positive evaluations for using eco-friendly packaging materials during delivery. B Mart used recyclable PE film and 100% water ice packs as packaging and cooling materials. To raise consumer awareness about separate disposal, a new design was applied and barcodes were added to enable tracking of usage. The cooling bag was made with LDPE material instead of the existing aluminum foil to allow for separate disposal. Eco-friendly activities were strengthened throughout the service with biodegradable plastic bags made from corn starch and paper cushioning materials.
In addition, eco-friendly containers that reduced plastic usage by half sold at Baemin Sanghoe, recycled resin plastic bags, and eco-friendly packaging and stationery made from eco-friendly materials at Baemin Stationery also received high evaluations.
Kim Beom-jun, CEO of Woowa Brothers, said, "As an industry-leading company, we have continuously taken the lead in discovering and applying eco-friendly policies. We understand this GRP highest grade certification as a sign to expand these efforts, and we will actively communicate with customers to take the lead in environmental protection."
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