Kakao Procures 100% Renewable Energy for Jeju Office Electricity Use

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Kakao's Jeju office announced on the 1st that it has achieved 'RE100' by signing a business agreement with energy IT social venture SixtyHertz and purchasing Renewable Energy Certificates (REC). RE100 is a voluntary commitment by companies to meet 100% of their electricity consumption with renewable energy to address climate change.

Through the business agreement with SixtyHertz signed last year, Kakao purchased RECs produced by citizen cooperatives nationwide affiliated with the National Federation of Citizens' Power Cooperatives. SixtyHertz is a social venture that contributes to carbon emission reduction by providing renewable energy generation forecasting solutions such as solar and wind power, and has also launched a renewable energy subscription service called 'Monthly Sunlight and Wind.' The federation is the largest energy cooperative federation in Korea, consisting of about 90 citizen cooperatives and approximately 10,000 members, who operate around 240 solar power plants producing solar energy.

Kakao purchased sustainable energy directly produced by citizens to widely promote the social value of renewable energy. Through this, all the electricity consumed during the operation of the Jeju office in 2022 was supplied by eco-friendly solar energy.

Starting with the Jeju office RE100, Kakao plans to gradually expand the scale of renewable energy procurement. The company aims to convert 60% of the total electricity used in business operations to eco-friendly energy by 2030 and 100% by 2040.

Park Hoon-young, head of Kakao's Environmental Management TF, said, "Achieving RE100 at the Jeju office holds significant meaning for reducing carbon emissions beyond the corporate level to a social dimension," adding, "Going forward, Kakao, users, partners, and all members of society will expand interest in eco-friendliness and promote various activities that foster shared understanding and practice through diverse impacts."