Employees are introducing paper packaging materials at Hyundai Department Store Duty Free Incheon Airport branch.
From the 1st of next month, all vinyl cushioning caps and tapes for duty-free goods will be replaced with recyclable paper
Duty-free exchange vouchers will also be converted to smart receipts starting next month
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Yuri] Hyundai Department Store Duty Free announced on the 26th that it will be the first in the duty-free industry to replace all vinyl packaging materials used for duty-free goods with paper materials. Following the discontinuation of vinyl bag usage in the process of delivering duty-free goods from bonded logistics warehouses to airport delivery counters in May, the company has decided to replace all vinyl cushioning caps (bubble wrap) and vinyl tapes with paper packaging materials.
Hyundai Department Store Duty Free stated that starting from the 1st of next month, it will stop using vinyl packaging materials for duty-free goods and replace them all with recyclable paper materials.
The packaging materials being replaced with paper this time are vinyl cushioning caps and vinyl tapes used when packaging duty-free goods. The vinyl cushioning caps will be replaced with paper cushioning materials, and the vinyl tapes will be replaced with paper tapes using starch as an adhesive. All are recyclable paper materials that can be separated for disposal.
However, for products larger than the paper cushioning material standard size (width and height over 50cm) or products containing glass such as perfumes, vinyl cushioning caps will still be partially used for safety reasons. Hyundai Department Store Duty Free plans to gradually introduce eco-friendly packaging materials for these products as well.
In addition, Hyundai Department Store Duty Free plans to replace the exchange vouchers, which customers use to pick up duty-free goods and check purchase details, with "100% mobile smart exchange vouchers" by mid-next month. This is to reduce unnecessary waste generated from paper exchange vouchers coated with chemicals that make recycling difficult.
A Hyundai Department Store Duty Free official said, "With the introduction of recyclable paper packaging materials and smart exchange vouchers, we expect to reduce more than 50 tons of vinyl bag waste annually once overseas travel normalizes. We will continue to strive to become a global company that cares for customers and the environment through leading eco-friendly activities and efforts in the industry."
Hyundai Department Store Duty Free also stated that it has been leading the application of eco-friendly packaging materials in the duty-free industry, such as introducing the eco-friendly duty-free exclusive logistics box "H Green Box" for the first time in the industry in 2018. The "H Green Box," which combines an aluminum frame and reinforced plastic to be resistant to external shocks, replaced the fabric bags used when moving products from bonded logistics warehouses to airport delivery counters, reducing the use of vinyl cushioning caps used in logistics by more than 60%.
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