Since 2018, Hyundai Steel has been conducting the Coffeebak Recycling Project in the Incheon region under the slogan “Coffeebak is a resource. Finding uses for coffeebak.” (※ “Coffeeback” is the Korean term for used coffee grounds which are leftover after making coffee.)
In Korea, 150,000 tons of used coffee grounds are produced each year. Classified as municipal waste, used coffee grounds are typically composted or burned. Hyundai Steel has expanded its environmentally-friendly circulatory business model, used to make new products out of discarded steel, and is using its resources to build a similar circulatory model for coffee grounds (which are often thrown away) to protect the environment and to contribute to the social and economical value of the local community.
The Coffeebak Recycling Project initially began as a pilot project, led by companies in the private sector, such as Hyundai Steel, the Korea Productivity Center, and the Korea Green Foundation. In September 2019, Hyundai Steel signed an MOU with ten organizations— including the Ministry of Environment and the governments of Incheon, Jung-gu, and Michuhol-gu—laying the foundations for the Coffeebak Public Collection System. As a result of these efforts, used coffee grounds are being directly collected by local officials in the Jung-gu and Michuhol-gu districts of Incheon. Also, in the first half of 2020, Hyundai Steel conducted a recycling contest to select four innovative recycling institutions. Hyundai Steel is also operating a business that upcycles collected coffee grounds into new products.
The Coffeebak Recycling Project initially began as a pilot project, led by companies in the private sector, such as Hyundai Steel, the Korea Productivity Center, and the Korea Green Foundation. In September 2019, Hyundai Steel signed an MOU with ten organizations— including the Ministry of Environment and the governments of Incheon, Jung-gu, and Michuhol-gu—laying the foundations for the Coffeebak Public Collection System. As a result of these efforts, used coffee grounds are being directly collected by local officials in the Jung-gu and Michuhol-gu districts of Incheon. Also, in the first half of 2020, Hyundai Steel conducted a recycling contest to select four innovative recycling institutions. Hyundai Steel is also operating a business that upcycles collected coffee grounds into new products.
At the conference, Hyundai Steel sought the opinions of each of the autonomous districts of Incheon and formed a social consensus. The company plans to further shape and develop the third year of the Coffeebak Recycling Project based on the insights gained at the conference.