This Chuseok, gift packaging gets much greener

Models show CJ CheilJedang’s gift sets for this Chuseok, which falls on Sept. 10. The company’s gift set packaging is made from paper, not plastic. [CJ CHEILJEDANG]

Holidays mean gifts, gift wrapping and plenty of waste at the end.

For the upcoming Chuseok harvest festival, companies are using greener materials for gift sets to appeal to the environmentally conscious.

CJ CheilJedang is selling six gift sets that use only paper packaging for this Chuseok, which falls on Sept. 10.

The company used to put products such as cooking oil or sauces in plastic liners inside cardboard boxes. This year, all the inner trays will be made of paper.

For Spam gift sets, the company used to have a plastic label wrapped around each can, which it will stop doing.

CJ CheilJedang says it will be able to cut plastic use by 300 tons this Chuseok compared to last year.

Shinsegae Department Store is using only paper packaging for its fruit gift sets. The fruits used to be put into small plastic compartments to hold them in place in a box and prevent them from being bruised. Paper compartments will be used this year.

Cardboard gift set boxes will not longer be coated with polyethylene. Although coated paper can be recycled, the polyethylene film has to be separated at recycling centers. The company is also using soy ink to print words and images on boxes, which makes the recycling process faster because soy ink is more easily removed than petroleum-based ink.

Ice packs, which are required for gift sets with beef and fish, will also become more green.

For last year's Lunar New Year, 75 percent of Shinsegae Department Store’s gift sets used ice packs made of plastic recycled from water bottles and polyester clothes. For Chuseok, all ice packs will be made from recycled plastic.

Galleria Department Store also promises that its fruit and rice gift sets will use paper packaging. Instead of the styrofoam mesh covers used to protect fruits, the company will using shredded kraft paper as cushioning material.

Chungjeongwon will put its gift sets in paper bags instead of bags made of synthetic felt, which can’t be recycled. The company has been using more paper packaging since last year, cutting plastic use by 473 tons in 2021 compared to the previous year.

“It's the first major national holiday since Korea transitioned from the pandemic, so we are seeing a lot more demand for gift sets,” said a spokesperson for a retail company. “There are a lot of specific demands, and a lot of companies will try their best to offer gift sets that are sustainable and green.”

BY BAEK IL-HYUN,LEE TAE-HEE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]