Upcycling trend sweeping across S. Korean retail

South Korean retailers are reusing old products to turn them into value-added merchandise.

Among the retailers is Hyundai Department Store Co., which used old advertisement and promotional banners it displayed on the outer walls of the store for upcycling bags, which are available at its online shopping portal.

The old banners undergo high-temperature washing, drying, and coating to be used as the bag’s outer fabric.

According to Hyundai Department Store, the process has so far reduced 2.3 tons of carbon emissions.

Another retailer involved in upcycling is Lotte Chilsung Beverages Co., which creates eco-friendly uniforms from used plastic water bottles that it supplies to some 3,000 of its employees working at 145 local sellers.

It requires 18 plastic bottles to create each uniform.

Lotte Chilsung has so far used 54,000 plastic bottles, thereby saving 707 kilograms of plastic.

The upcycling trend is also sweeping across the fashion and beauty industry, with LF opening L:Earth, an exclusive shop for selling bags made with truck covers and other upcycled products.

Meanwhile, Amorepacific Corp. is creating flooring materials and furniture made of crushed plastic cosmetic bottles and ultra-high-performance concrete.