Convenience stores go green in South Korea

Emart24 and 7-Eleven have ramped up their promotion of eco-friendly cups.

South Korean convenience stores have been taking various initiatives to promote eco-friendly consumption such as recycling, Korea Bizwire reported.

7-Eleven has announced it will replace all regular-sized plastic ice cups with paper cups, which they estimated will lead to a reduction in the use of some 50 million plastic cups every year.

Following the introduction of paper ice cups in January last year, the convenience store had been offering both plastic and paper cups. Now, it plans to abolish the use of plastic ice cups altogether, the company said.

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At the same time, Emart24 offered a 50% discount for purchasing black coffee when using personal tumblers or multi-use cups during the month of February.

The store has been offering a $0.08 (KRW100) discount for bringing tumblers since December 2021. Now, it is offering a better discount benefit for February, according to the company.