Donga Pharmaceutical is actively engaging in environmental management activities to respond to climate change as part of its ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) management.
Following its pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities in Dangjin, Cheonan, and Icheon in 2022, Donga Pharmaceutical obtained the international standard certification for environmental management systems (ISO 14001) for its headquarters area last year. Based on this, the company manages standard documents and preemptively checks for revisions to related laws and violations to report key statuses. To systematize the environmental management system, an ESG activity officer has been appointed at the Icheon plant, where monthly Safety & ESG meetings are held to improve the system.
Environmental-related investments have also continued. To manage water pollutants and prevention facilities, the company has equipped dewatering machines and water quality analysis equipment. To reduce carbon emissions, electric vehicle charging stations have been installed on-site, and electric vehicles and electric forklifts have been purchased for business use. To expand renewable energy and manage greenhouse gas emissions, a 200 kW solar power facility was installed at the Cheonan plant, producing 279,747 kWh of electricity annually last year, resulting in cost savings of approximately 36 million KRW.
The company has also moved toward eco-friendly packaging for products that directly meet consumers. In 2021, the vinyl bags used for Bacchus promotional purposes were replaced with eco-friendly recycled paper bags. Although the production cost was three times higher, the company bore the cost for environmental protection reasons. This year, the plastic handles applied to Bacchus gift boxes (20-bottle sets) were replaced with paper handles, contributing to reducing plastic usage.
The oral rinse product Garglin was switched to transparent containers that are easy to recycle and uses water-soluble adhesive labels. Additionally, the label design indicates the “tear here” spot so consumers can easily remove the labels for container recycling. For children’s Garglin products, in-mold labels that reduce the use of adhesive chemicals and allow easy label removal were introduced. The children’s Garglin also received an excellent recycling grade in the packaging material structure evaluation by the Korea Environment Corporation in 2022.
A Donga Pharmaceutical representative stated, “For over 90 years, we have conducted business with the purpose of promoting public health and practicing sharing with our neighbors. We will adopt environmental management as a key corporate motto to confront severe climate change and strive to become a company that creates healthy and happy values for a sustainable Earth.”
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