Seoul City Teams Up with Yogiyo to Launch 'Single-Use Plastics Phase-Out' Pilot Project at 100 Gangnam Restaurants

Delivery Platforms and Franchise Industry Association Sign MOU to Promote Use of Reusable Delivery Containers
Order and Delivery with 'Reusable Containers' → Empty Container Return Request → Collection and Cleaning by Specialized Companies → Resupply to Restaurants

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] As the use of disposable products has surged due to the increase in food delivery during the COVID-19 era, leading to waste becoming a social issue, the Seoul Metropolitan Government is partnering with the private delivery platform ‘Yogiyo’ to eliminate disposable products.

On the 6th, Seoul announced that to address the problem of increased food delivery and the resulting rise in disposable food delivery waste due to the normalization of non-face-to-face consumption, it will promote a reusable container activation project and plans to continuously expand the project with the goal of 100% reusable container use during food delivery.

Seoul intends to create and spread an eco-friendly consumption culture where reusable products are prioritized over indiscriminately used disposable products, establishing a foundation for the private sector to continuously use reusable containers. Accordingly, a business agreement will be signed in October with Delivery Hero Korea, the Korea Franchise Industry Association, and Itgreen Co., Ltd.

Through the business agreement, Seoul plans to promote restaurants using reusable containers linked with delivery platforms, activate the use of reusable containers, conduct publicity and education for restaurants on reusable container use, and analyze the environmental and economic effects of using reusable containers.

According to the agreement, Seoul will oversee and provide administrative support for the reusable delivery container activation project. Delivery Hero Korea will actively promote reusable container use by displaying participating restaurants on the Yogiyo delivery app, creating a reusable container category, and adding top banners. The Korea Franchise Industry Association will encourage restaurant participation within the project area. Itgreen will quantitatively analyze the environmental and economic effects, such as carbon emission reduction from using reusable containers, to establish a foundation for the continuous promotion of reusable container use.

Based on cooperation among the agreement organizations, Seoul will conduct a pilot project to activate the use of reusable containers when ordering and delivering food through the Yogiyo app. This project provides a full-service process?rental, collection, washing, and resupply of reusable containers?to restaurants through specialized companies, making it convenient for delivery restaurants to use reusable containers. ‘Yogiyo’ will create a ‘Reusable Container’ category on the main screen of the delivery app and display ‘Reusable Container’ next to restaurant names so consumers can easily find restaurants using reusable containers.

Seoul plans to implement the pilot project for about 100 restaurants in the Gangnam-gu area from the 12th of this month to January 14th next year, lasting three months. Participating restaurants confirmed include the premium handmade lunchbox specialty restaurant ‘Simplehan Sik,’ Lotte GRS delivery specialty store ‘Sky31,’ and Korean food delivery specialty restaurant ‘Honbap Daewang.’ The project aims to encourage delivery-only restaurants that want to use reusable containers instead of disposable ones but face difficulties with container collection and washing to participate.

Consumers can select restaurants using reusable containers and place orders through the Yogiyo app. When ordered, food is delivered in reusable containers inside bags. After eating, consumers place the empty reusable containers back into the bag, leave it in front of their home, and request collection via the QR code attached to the bag. Specialized companies collect the reusable containers, hygienically wash them through a nine-step cleaning system, and resupply them to restaurants. The reusable containers used in the pilot project are 17 types of stainless steel containers capable of holding various menu items.

Seoul plans to explore various measures to activate reusable containers with the agreement organizations and carefully analyze the pilot project results to continuously expand the project with the goal of 100% reusable container use during food delivery.

Yoo Yeon-sik, Head of Seoul’s Climate and Environment Headquarters, said, “Considering the current situation where ‘non-face-to-face consumption’ has become a culture due to increased home life caused by the spread of COVID-19, cooperation among various organizations to reduce the increasing disposable food delivery waste is essential,” adding, “Seoul will continuously strive to promote the use of reusable delivery containers together with various organizations through this agreement.”