Lotte Department Store

The plastic waste that enters the ocean not only causes physical harm and biodiversity destruction to marine life, but it also has harmful effects on our health as it travels through the food chain. With growing awareness and action on environmental issues in the post-COVID-19 era, zero-waste activities have become increasingly important as a way for individuals to make a difference in solving the plastic waste problem on a daily basis. In order to solve the garbage problem and provide a zero-waste life experience to more customers, we carried out a beachcombing project. We visited Jeju and Yangyang, the cities that saw a recent surge in visitors and collected a total of 18,700 liters of garbage with 2,291 customers over 4 days.

Thanks to the meaningful results of beachcombing, we have expanded our activity to city plogging to encourage more people to participate around the city. The RE:EARTH Market City Plogging Project took place at the Seoul City Hall Plaza on October 4th (Tue) and 5th (Wed) and Jjin Flea Market took place at the Jamsu Bridge on October 16th (Sun). About 1,000 participants of various nationalities and ages collected about 2,250 liters of non-recyclable garbage, 1,250 liters of plastic, and 1,000 liters of recyclables such as cans and bottles in the city center and along the Han River.

LOTTE Department Store has been exploring ways to repurpose the banners and insulated bags that are discarded at the end of each season. Together with the Spanish upcycling brand Nukak, LOTTE Department Store found an opportunity to give another chance to these discarded items through upcycling. We collected large banners hanging on the outer walls of the department store buildings and insulated bags from apartment complexes and gift event venues to recreate them into card wallets and pouches. The upcycled card holders and pouches were presented to customers as gifts at all LOTTE Department Store branches from December 2, 2022, to January 24, 2023. As these gifts represented the shared journey with customers, many branches distributed the entire quantity of the items prepared, reflecting the customers' enthusiastic response.

LOTTE Department Store uses various content and social media channels to conduct an environmental campaign that appeals to Millennials and Generation Z. In an effort to reach these goals, the 8th Eco-Dreamers, a group of 30 college students, partnered with us to create interactive content to promote RE:EARTH MARKET, highlight the Day of Resource Recirculation, and join the Eco-Dream Challenge at the Dongtan Store.

LOTTE Department Store has not only created an enjoyable area but has also achieved a 10% reduction in energy use for cooling and heating on the top floor by turning its rooftop into a green space. The rooftop area serves as a rest area in the city's heart, promoting environmental sustainability by reducing energy consumption and providing a peaceful retreat for both customers and locals. You can locate "CHARLOTTE Garden" on the LOTTE Department Store app.

LOTTE Department Store implemented the "ECO Flyer" service in 2009 to deliver shopping news online in order to reduce the environmental impact of printing 250 million paper flyers annually. Currently, the paper flyers have been completely replaced with shopping news published on the LOTTE Department app.

LOTTE Department Store is partnering with the Seoul Metropolitan Government to conduct a Public Transportation Use Campaign for environmental protection. Every month, each store provides gifts charged with Cashbee and presents gifts to purchasing customers who have transportation cards. Furthermore, we made public transportation cards with the official face of 2012 LOTTE Department Store, Girl’s Generation, to encourage young customers to use public transportation, and it was well received even among our foreign customers.

Beginning from the founding year of the LOTTE Department Store in 1979, Children's Environmental Art Contest is the largest children's art contest in the industry. Due to COVID-19, the contest was held virtually to have children participate at home with their families. The annual Children's Environmental Art Contest is organized with a theme focused on the environment to educate children, as future leaders, on the significance of a clean environment and the dangers of pollution. The contest also provides an outlet for children to showcase their creativity through art.

LOTTE Department Store operates the Children's Environmental School Program to educate students on the significance of the environment and demonstrate methods of harmonious coexistence. Children's Environmental School is LOTTE Department Store's main CSR program that combines our pro-environmental management and social contribution to education. Throughout eight years, from 2004 to 2012, 1,540 students completed the program. In the 8th Children's Environmental School Program conducted at eight Cultural Centers across Korea, the most outstanding students were given an opportunity to participate in the environmental education program in Germany. In 2016 and 2017, the Children’s School on Board Program was hosted. Children were invited to join the existing Peace & Green Boat activity to explore East Asia and learn about the environment and history.