Tell us about SREKKER, the youth club building a plogging culture.
SREKKER is a youth plogging club whose name blends sseuregi, the Korean word for trash, with ‘trekker’ to mean ‘trekkers who pick up trash.’ We have about 250 crew members, and we go plogging together on the second and fourth Saturdays of every month, mostly around Seoul.

SREKKER’s goal is to treat environmental protection as more than a duty handed to young people and to make it a culture anyone can enjoy being part of. We present picking up trash as a trendy lifestyle choice, and we want to create a space where young people participate in an eco-friendly culture of their own accord and share their experiences.

Q1. When did you first become interested in plastic reduction?
The trash we most often come across on our regular plogging outings is plastic, such as PET bottles, disposable cups, and plastic bags. No matter how hard we worked to clear it, similar trash would pile up in the same spots all over again. Seeing that made us realize we needed more than ‘picking up’; we also had to use less plastic and make sure it was properly recirculated. After that, alongside plogging, we naturally started working everyday plastic-reduction practices into our crew activities, such as cutting down on single-use items and using reusable containers.

Q2. Why did you decide to join FANTASTIC CREW with Amorepacific?
The campaign takes everyday plastic-reduction practices and extends them into direct action out in nature, which we felt was in line with what SREKKER had been aiming for. Amorepacific became the first Korean beauty company to declare the principle of unlimited responsibility for the environment in 1993 and has worked to reduce plastic ever since. We were also confident that by joining forces with the company, we could make a bigger difference than any single crew could on its own.

Q3. If there’s a moment from your time with FANTASTIC CREW that stands out most, tell us about it.
What stands out most is our first action outing in late July, from Yongma Falls Park up to Yongmabong Peak. Despite the sweltering heat, 17 crew members and others who joined us that day collected 2.3 kg of plastic and 7.85 kg of general waste over 4 hours. Along the way, hikers cheered us on with ‘What a great thing you’re doing!’ and even joined in picking up trash on the spot. That gave us a real sense of satisfaction. It felt special to watch people start taking part of their own accord, right there on the mountain.

Q4. Has FANTASTIC CREW brought about any changes within SREKKER?
The biggest change is that we understand what we do more deeply now. During the environmental education session after the launch ceremony, we learned about the global plastic problem and what companies are doing to reduce it, and our crew members began talking together about the structures behind social problems and ways to solve them. We’ve also seen more crew members post about their plastic-reduction habits on their personal social media after plogging, without being asked. Within the crew, it has become second nature to think about everything from collecting empty containers to how the resources we collect can re-enter circulation.

Q5. What are some ways to reduce plastic in everyday life?
At our regular crew meetups, the rule is to bring your own water bottle instead of using disposable cups. At FANTASTIC CREW outings, too, every crew member stuck to that rule and used their own bottle at the coffee truck.

Our crew’s habits carry over from meetups into each member’s everyday life. We clean out our empty cosmetic containers and return them through AMORE:CYCLE, Amorepacific’s container collection program, and we keep making choices that cut down on unnecessary single-use items. We bring reusable containers when we order food to go, use refill stations, and carry a shopping bag and a handkerchief whenever we head out.

Q6. And beyond individual action, what efforts are needed to bring about social change?
Why not turn environmental action into ‘play’ and enjoy it together? We’re trying out ways to make it feel like a game, such as a data challenge where we record and compare how much we collect on each outing, and a Reels challenge for posting proof of plogging. We believe that when it’s fun and playful rather than homework or an obligation, more people can take part, and for longer.

Q7. Were there areas where working with Amorepacific created extra synergy?
It gave us the chance to take SREKKER’s plogging beyond collecting trash on site and connect it all the way to resource circulation. Support such as the AMORE:CYCLE mobile container collection truck, the coffee truck, and action kits helped our outings run smoothly, and our crew members got to experience firsthand how the resources we collect go back into circulation.

Our reach has widened noticeably, too. As official channels, including AMOREPACIFIC STORIES, shared SREKKER’s activities with more people, our crew members’ sense of belonging grew. We also got to know the other crews at the launch ceremony, and those exchanges have shown us possibilities for new activities down the line.

Q8. Is there anything you’d like to leave us with as a member of FANTASTIC CREW?
At SREKKER, we’d like to spread the message that we should add ‘beautiful responsibility’ to ‘beautiful consumption.’ We want more young people to share in the experience of seeing empty containers and plastic collected and brought back into circulation as new resources. We’ll keep working so that, in everyday life, the hands that pick up trash are the coolest hands of all.

Q9. Finally, how would you sum up SREKKER’s journey with Amorepacific in a single phrase?
Stick Together: a journey of joining forces with young people and creating fantastic change in everyday life. Stick Together captures SREKKER’s commitment to act on plastic reduction together with other young people, rather than leave it as a solo effort, and to keep spreading change.

Next Crew
FANTASTIC CREW in NATURE. FANTASTIC CREW’s work for nature carries on. Seoul Forest and the city, the mountains and the waters off Jeju, and even beneath the sea’s surface. Follow the stories of all six crews in turn, each working at a different site and cutting down on plastic in its own way. Up next is the story of GOGODIVE, a group of people who dive right into the sea to collect plastic and protect the marine ecosystem.

Learn More
Curious about the other crews in FANTASTIC CREW Season 2?

#1 SEOMSUP, who have been heading out to islands and the sea to collect and record plastic (Click)