Gwangju Shinsegae's Rebirth of Discarded Banners: The Eye-Catching 'Hwansaeng Umbrella'

Nation's First Children's Safety Umbrella Produced... Distributed to Elementary Schools

Gwangju Shinsegae Co., Ltd. (CEO Lee Dong-hoon) has attracted attention by becoming the first in the nation to create the ‘Environmentally Friendly Safety Umbrella’ (hereinafter referred to as HwanSaengUmbrella) in collaboration with local governments using discarded banners.

On the morning of the 12th, Gwangju Shinsegae held a handover ceremony for the HwanSaengUmbrella at Sangmu Elementary School in Seo-gu, Gwangju, attended by Seo-gu Mayor Kim Yi-gang, CEO Lee Dong-hoon, Principal Jo Myung-sook of Sangmu Elementary School, Director Kim Jae-chun of the Green Umbrella Gwangju Foster Care Support Center, and company employees.

The HwanSaengUmbrella is an abbreviation of ‘Environmentally Friendly Safety Umbrella’ and signifies the rebirth of waste materials into umbrellas, made by repurposing discarded banners.

In line with the environmental theme of the event, no new banners were produced for the ceremony; instead, students personally engraved the phrase ‘Environmentally Friendly Safety Umbrella’ on used cardboard boxes and presented a card section along with the umbrellas, adding deeper meaning to the occasion.

The 250 HwanSaengUmbrellas donated through the ceremony will be placed in six elementary schools within the district and will be available free of charge to any students at the target schools in the form of shared umbrellas.

The HwanSaengUmbrella project has drawn attention as an ESG case where local governments and companies have jointly addressed the environmental issue of disposing of thousands of street banners discarded after elections.

Notably, this is the first case nationwide of producing umbrellas for children using discarded banners, making it even more remarkable.

The production of the HwanSaengUmbrella was carried out in collaboration with the upcycling specialist manufacturer ‘SALIDA,’ with Seo-gu Office collecting local banners and Gwangju Shinsegae employees selecting suitable banners from the collected waste to be used as umbrella materials, thus giving them a new life as umbrellas.

The HwanSaengUmbrella was made by selecting discarded banners and features the number 30 to indicate the speed limit in school zones, transparent fabric for visibility, and reflective luminous strips, combining safety with a neat design.

During production, Gwangju Shinsegae conducted suitability tests on the materials to ensure that children can use the umbrellas safely, securing strong durability and safety.

Furthermore, Gwangju Shinsegae plans to put effort into continuous management to ensure that the HwanSaengUmbrella does not become a one-time project.

To this end, Gwangju Shinsegae will collaborate with the Seo-gu Regional Self-Support Center to visit the schools quarterly to repair umbrellas, preventing the HwanSaengUmbrellas from becoming another source of waste in the future.

Lee Dong-hoon, CEO of Gwangju Shinsegae, said, “As ESG, which values the environment and the planet, becomes increasingly important, I hope the HwanSaengUmbrella will leave a positive experience of protecting the environment for children,” adding, “We will continue to strive to engage in various activities that promote environmental awareness.”

Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Shin Dong-ho yjm3070@asiae.co.kr