Packaging gets friendly for Environment Day

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Packaging gets friendly for Environment Day

Pulmuone Waters’ bottle has a label that's easy to peel off. [PULMUONE WATERS]

Pulmuone Waters’ bottle has a label that's easy to peel off. [PULMUONE WATERS]

Retailers and food companies rolled out eco-friendly packaging for Friday's Environment Day and its emphasis on reducing waste.

 
Pulmuone Waters, an affiliate of Pulmuone, said Friday it used labels that are easy to peel off on Pulmuone Waters by Nature bottles to make recycling easier.  
 
Transparent PET bottles can be recycled into high quality products, said Pulmuone in a statement, a process known as "upcycling." Clothes and bags are made using fibers made from the plastics.  
 
Starting in July, the Ministry of the Environment will require transparent PET bottles to be thrown away separately from colored or other kinds of plastics by households living in apartments nationwide.  
 
Pulmuone Waters said it has continuously lowered the weight of water bottles. In 2009, a 500-milliliter (18-ounce) water bottle weighed 15 grams (0.53 ounces). As of 2018, the same bottle weighs 11.1 grams.  
 
“We hope Pulmuone Waters’ 'easy peel' label maximizes consumers’ recycling practices,” said Pulmuone in a statement.
 
Lotte Chilsung Beverage took a different path and announced it will expand the application of recyclable labels on its PET bottles.
 
The eco-friendly label is made from the same PET material and is applied with a special ink that doesn’t require it to be peeled off before recycling, which is more convenient for consumers, according to Lotte in a statement.  
 
So far the label has been used on six drinks since April, including Trevi Lemon, Milkis and Del Monte Juice.  
 
For the eco-friendly policy, Lotte partnered with chemical company SKC. They have been working on commercializing various materials that can be recycled.
 
“[We] plan to expand our effort to promote plastic recycling in Korea through eco-friendly labels in collaboration with SKC for a clean environment and sustainable growth,” said a spokesperson for Lotte.  
 
Models pose with plastic containers to promote Hyundai Department Store’s campaign of collecting plastic to celebrate Environment Day on June 5. [HYUNDAI DEPARTMENT STORE]

Models pose with plastic containers to promote Hyundai Department Store’s campaign of collecting plastic to celebrate Environment Day on June 5. [HYUNDAI DEPARTMENT STORE]

 
Hyundai Department Store is collecting plastics and giving away so-called eco bags to those who take part in the campaign.
 
Through June 11, the retailer will collect PET containers at 15 branches nationwide. The collected PET will be upcycled, according to Hyundai Department Store.
 
People who recycle more than five plastics containers are given an eco bag made from Tyvek, known to be an eco-friendly material.  
 
BY JIN MIN-JI   [jin.minji@joongang.co.kr]
 
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