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| AmorePacific's refill station opened in Pangyo in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province / Courtesy of AmorePacific |
By Kim Jae-heun
The country's cosmetics giant AmorePacific said it will participate in the global environmental movement to reduce plastics used for its containers and choose recyclable materials instead. It will also encourage customers to bring their containers to get refills instead of buying new products.
The cosmetics firm has decided to join the Korea Cosmetic Association's initiative last month to recycle and reuse plastic materials in order to reduce waste.
To easily recycle plastic containers, AmorePacific took out the metal spring in the pumps of its packaging. Its Happy Bath Grapefruit Essence Body Wash is one such product.
It is also expanding its use of materials. AmorePacific is actively using containers made from plant-derived raw materials such as corn, sugarcane and waste plastic. Its sub-label brand Innisfree has released a Paper Bottle Green Tea Seed Serum using containers made of paper, not plastic.
AmorePacific is the first company to operate a "Refill Station" here where customers can purchase shampoo and body wash of any amount they want and fill up their own refillable containers. The cosmetics firm opened the store last October in Pangyo in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, and over 1,000 people have purchased liquid products there. AmorePacific plans to offer more products there soon.
The cosmetic giant will not incinerate empty bottles collected and instead reuse them. Every year, about 200 tons of plastic containers are collected through the GREENCYCLE campaign. AmorePacific has signed a memorandum of understanding with global eco-friendly firm TerraCycle and GS Caltex Corporation to recycle at least 100 tons of plastic bottles.
Recently, AmorePacific introduced a gift-set box made of paper. Sugarcane is the main material that has been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council to reduce the use of plastics. It used colorless PET containers and paper sleeves instead of glued-on labels.
The product comes with an eco-bag made of recycled materials as a gift for customers.
