Lotte Duty Free is set to cut more than 80% of its annual single-use plastic waste generated at the airport delivery area by replacing disposable plastics used for packaging duty free goods, such as bubble wrap, with reusable tarpaulin bags.

Tarpaulin, made of polypropylene, is free from environmental hormones (chemical substances that can enter the body and mimic hormones), can be recycled and is extremely durability. It’s mainly used for shopping carts and car covers.

For the switch over, Lotte Duty Free has produced five types of new packaging materials that cater to the type and size of the product bought, with an added cushioning material inside to increase safety.

“By introducing tarpaulin bags, it is expected that we will be able to reduce more than 80% of the disposable plastic waste generated at the airport delivery hall annually,” said a Lotte Duty Free official.

For fragile products such as cosmetics, perfume and alcohol, a small amount of bubble wrap and paper packaging will be used to prevent damage.

Further to this, Lotte Duty Free is ramping up its activities to reduce fossil fuel waste and secure carbon credits with a variety of sustainability activities under the banner of ‘Duty 4 Earth’.

Among the initiatives is the installation of additional solar power facilities, which is currently under construction at its second integrated logistics centre located in Yeongjongdo, Incheon.

One completed, this will have an annual power of 526MWh (megawatt hour).

Lotte Duty Free has been using eco-friendly electricity since November last year by operating outdoor solar power facilities at its first integrated logistics centre.

When the additional solar power facilities are completed, a total of 875 tons of carbon emissions can be reduced per year across the two centres.

“The increase in logistics efficiency will also bring about 41% cost savings,” commented the Lotte Duty Free official.

Added to this is the company’s introduction of a bonded transport electric vehicle to transport duty free goods between logistics centres, downtown stores and airport stores.

This has given rise to a number of eco-friendly benefits, such as reducing greenhouse gases by 27 tons per year and reducing fine dust by 13 kg.

The retailer’s no paper policy in the store has been expanded to other areas, with branches accelerating efforts to reduce any unnecessary wastage of resources, such as branch membership registration forms and parking tickets.

These latest announcements follow the establishment of the ESG Value Pursuit Committee for the domestic duty free industry in March last year and the declared ESG management vision to become “the most trusted travel partner”.

As Gap Lee, CEO of Lotte Duty Free, said, “Lotte Duty Free is working hard to incorporate eco-friendly elements into all business areas.”