"Wheeled Seocho Umbrella and Sword" Wins Grand Prize
Jeon Seong-su: "Expanding Eco-friendly Policies in Everyday Life"
Seocho District in Seoul (District Mayor Jeon Seong-su) announced on the 19th that it had won three awards, including the Champion award, at the 2025 Green Apple Awards ceremony held at the Westminster Parliament in London, UK. The ceremony took place on the 17th local time.
Officials from Seocho District are posing for a commemorative photo after winning the Champion, Gold, and Silver awards at the Green Apple Awards held on the 17th local time at the Westminster Parliament in London, UK. Provided by Seocho District.
The Green Apple Awards are an international environmental prize organized by the UK-based non-profit environmental organization, The Green Organisation, which has been recognizing outstanding environmental policies and programs from public institutions, companies, and organizations around the world since 1994. With this latest achievement, Seocho District became the first in the nation to win the award for six consecutive years, raising its global profile as an "eco-friendly city."
This year, Seocho District's achievement stood out among more than 700 entries from around the world. Its locally-focused eco-friendly policies-such as the Wheeled Seocho Umbrella and Knife project (Champion), the Eco-friendly LED Signboard Improvement Project (Gold), and the Coffee Grounds and Paper Carton Recycling Project (Silver)-were officially recognized on the international stage.
The "Wheeled Seocho Umbrella and Knife" project is a mobile repair center that provides umbrella and knife repair services throughout the district. It is an eco-friendly public service that reuses broken umbrellas and restores dull knives to like-new condition. The project has achieved a cumulative total of 11,853 repairs, receiving a strong positive response from residents.
The "Eco-friendly LED Signboard Improvement Project," which won the Gold award, replaces illegal and outdated signboards with LED signboards, contributing to improved urban aesthetics, energy savings, and enhanced safety. Over 15 years, it is estimated to have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 4,925 tons.
The "Coffee Grounds and Paper Carton Recycling Project," which received the Silver award, is a resource-circulation policy that recycles coffee grounds from cafes into bioenergy and collects paper cartons from apartment complexes to exchange them for products such as toilet paper. By partnering with renewable energy companies, the district has digitalized the collection system to increase efficiency.
Along with winning three awards, Seocho District also earned the title of "Green World Ambassador," allowing it to share its outstanding environmental policies worldwide. Its best practices will be featured in the "Green Book."
Jeon Seong-su, Mayor of Seocho District, stated, "I am extremely proud that small innovations in daily life have been recognized as global best practices," adding, "We will continue to actively expand eco-friendly policies in everyday life."
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