Brands go green for World Environment Day

Local retailers are going green to celebrate World Environment Day today.

BGF Retail, which operates convenience store chain CU, announced Tuesday that CU will switch the source of the coffee beans used in its Cafe Get coffees to Rain Forest Alliance certified beans. The certification means that ingredients are sourced from farms that follow standards to promote sustainability in farming and protect farmers and nature.

Cafe Get, which annually sells around 200 million cups of coffee, will use the new beans starting Thursday.

CU will also replace the plastic straws provided with its iced coffee with paper straws.

“BGF Retail will continue adopting sustainable and environmentally-friendly policies to become a company that is like a good friend to local communities,” said a spokesperson.

Shinsegae Department Store has kicked off an eco-friendly campaign that will last through June 23. An eco-market that sells products made of eco-friendly materials will open at its Gangnam branch in southern Seoul. Hyundai Department Store is also holding an eco-fair, with 20 brands selling environmentally friendly products at its branch in Pangyo, Gyeonggi.

Oriental Brewery, brewer of Cass and OB beer, plans to upgrade some of its delivery trucks to environmentally-friendly vehicles by 2025.

The company announced Monday that it will change 30 percent of its beer delivery trucks to eco-friendly vehicles like electric trucks by 2025. It said it will use Calmato, an electric 1-ton cargo truck designed by Daeil.

To achieve its Green Logistics plan, the company plans to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 25 percent by 2025, compared to 2017.

“Environment issues are a serious matter we encounter that is also largely affecting the beer industry,” said a spokesperson for Oriental Brewery. “We will strive to tackle the social issue and become a sustainable company.”

BY JIN MIN-JI [jin.minji@joongang.co.kr]