Hyundai Department Store announced on September 10 that it has sold out of its 10,000 eco-friendly fruit gift sets ahead of the Chuseok holiday. (Image courtesy of Hyundai Department Store)
SEOUL, Sept. 11 (Korea Bizwire) – In a sign of growing environmental consciousness among South Korean consumers, Hyundai Department Store announced on September 10 that it has sold out of its 10,000 eco-friendly fruit gift sets ahead of the Chuseok holiday.
These sets, notably free of plastic packaging, mark a significant shift in the company’s approach to traditional gift-giving customs.
For this year’s Chuseok, one of Korea’s most important holidays, Hyundai Department Store prioritized environmentally friendly packaging in its fruit and vegetable gift selections.
The retailer replaced conventional plastic cushioning materials with a paper-based alternative dubbed “Honey Cushion.”
This innovative packaging solution features a tightly woven honeycomb pattern. The air pockets between the patterns serve to absorb external shocks, protecting the delicate fruits during transit.
This approach contrasts sharply with the previous method, which involved individually wrapping fruits in plastic packaging to prevent bruising during shipment.
Kim Dong-jin, a fruit and vegetable buyer for Hyundai Department Store, emphasized the effort behind this initiative.
“Our buyers went as far as attending packaging expos to find eco-friendly materials suitable for fruit protection,” Kim said.
“After six months of extensive sample testing and vendor meetings, we finally introduced the Honey Cushion eco-friendly package for this Chuseok.”
The department store plans to monitor any incidents during the delivery process and customer feedback to further improve packaging quality. Looking ahead, Hyundai aims to expand the use of eco-friendly packaging for holiday gift sets.
In addition to the new packaging, Hyundai Department Store is running other environmentally conscious promotions. Customers who bring back the cooler bags from Hyundai’s meat gift sets will receive “Green Friends” mileage points, encouraging the reuse of these containers.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
