Oh Ha-na At Amorepacific, we have a dedicated ESG¹⁾ manager for each brand focusing on sustainability. I am involved in sustainability and product development with the Brand & Product Innovation (BPI) team at Sulwhasoo.
Jeong Ji-eun I am a HERA brand manager (BM), handling product development and sustainability. HERA covers everything from makeup and skincare to fragrances and body care, so we discuss with the development and design teams how to achieve sustainable product development for each category.
Park Da-som At HANYUL, I oversee branding and product development. Like my colleagues, I share and propose sustainability initiatives aligned with Amorepacific's vision.

1) ESG: Environmental, Social, Governance – three crucial elements in corporate management to achieve sustainability.

Ha-na My role involves conveying the ESG-related activities embraced by the larger group to our specific brand. As brand operation consists of the collaboration of various teams, my job is to gather their insights and consider how we can enhance sustainability in line with our philosophy.

Da-som HANYUL is a brand that conveys the 'Korean women’s skincare ritual for radiant, healthy skin.' Our commitment to sharing the beneficial effects of Korean nature while respecting its vitality drives our activities in plastic reduction and sustainable initiatives like contract farming of natural ingredients in Korea. We strive to maintain a balance with nature by reducing plastic and promoting regional co-prosperity.
Ji-eun HERA’s brand philosophy is to encapsulate an autonomous, proactive lifestyle into beauty. We have quickly implemented plastic reduction initiatives based on the belief that companies' current duty is to enable natural conservation through individual lifestyles. During product renewals, we adopt principles such as slimming down the packaging and using vitrification²⁾ and PCR plastic³⁾, and even without renewals, we apply PCR plastic where possible. By 2023, we applied PCR plastic in 56% of our product packaging.
Ha-na The core ingredients of Sulwhasoo's products, such as ginseng and numerous medicinal plants, are rooted in nature. A sense of gratitude and respect for the natural world is a value intrinsic to our brand, and indeed, it resonates with the spirit of our times. As a global brand operating in 13 countries, Sulwhasoo is acutely aware of its significant impact on the environment and society. Consequently, we are committed to minimizing carbon emissions and actively reducing plastic use throughout the entire process—from product design and production to delivery to our customers. The '2023 Sulwhasoo Sustainability Report,' published in early April, encapsulates the brand’s direction and determination.

2) Vitrification: The conversion to glass and porcelain.
3) PCR Plastic: Post-Consumer Recycled Polycarbonate made from plastics recycled after consumer use.

Ha-na One of the core values that runs through the Sulwhasoo brand is the 'pioneer spirit.' We feel a sense of mission as pioneers in the beauty industry to address the global challenge and zeitgeist of sustainability. Furthermore, declaring ourselves a sustainable brand in the worldwide market adds a competitive edge. These two perspectives motivated us to publish the report.

Ha-na The Sulwhasoo Sustainability Report comprises ginseng science, environment, and culture. It continuously addresses the values we hope to pass down through generations. Publishing the report is indeed a declaration of our intent to the world, bringing substantial responsibility and burden. It’s also crucial to ensure the accuracy of the content, as it involves our sustainability performance. There was a process of continuous questioning and sorting out whether the values aligned with Sulwhasoo’s identity and whether we could sustain these initiatives. As the report also serves as an archive encompassing the brand’s history and future, handling detailed and extensive content requires assistance from numerous related departments. Teams within the Sulwhasoo unit, the Sustainability Center, research labs, the communications team, and even the real estate strategy team were all involved in discovering and reviewing content for the report. Without the help of these departments, writing the report would have been challenging.

4) ESG Sustainability Management Report: This report is typically used by corporations and investment bodies to assess and compare a company’s sustainability, and is a crucial factor in communicating how a company creates financial, social, and environmental value through sustainable management.

Ha-na From the design and production to disposal, Sulwhasoo wanted to cover our brand’s efforts to minimize the environmental footprint. From the product planning stage, we focus on reducing new plastic by using glass or applying PCR plastic, and our products are manufactured at Osan Beauty Park5)⁵⁾, which uses 100% renewable energy. We also strive to realize the value of recycling by collecting empty containers. Reducing carbon emissions has been possible due to group-wide efforts at various stages, including production and disposal. It’s truly gratifying and fills me with pride to be part of a brand that fulfills its environmental responsibilities.

5) Since 2022, all production has been powered by 100% renewable energy. In September 2023, it achieved the beauty industry's first zero-waste-to-landfill international verification at the platinum level.

Ji-eun Satisfying customers' aesthetic desires is crucial for a luxury brand. Makeup brands need to formulate products delicately to achieve the desired looks, meaning the performance and precision of the packaging are paramount. Therefore, significant deliberation is required from the outset of product development between the brand's creative and packaging development teams to balance plastic reduction with maintaining aesthetic beauty.

Ji-eun We proactively use PCR plastic wherever feasible and focus on slimming down containers, transitioning to glass, and introducing refillable structures. Recently, we developed the Rouge Classy Lipstick as a refillable product to reduce plastic usage. We've also removed the nameplates from cushions and decorative plastics from foundations.
Honestly, it's challenging to change makeup products. Even a small lipstick involves over ten parts to function correctly—each part needs to fit perfectly to ensure the product performs well and prevents evaporation or degradation. Material safety is paramount since these products touch the body, making it difficult to switch to recycled plastics or alternative materials quickly. That's why we are continually discussing and researching new materials for future product development, considering the next five to ten years.

Ji-eun Moving forward, HERA's products will continue to embody sustainability. This started from our contemplation of the environmental issues we all face. The 'Comfy Line' was created using various sustainable practices, including RE.D FLAVONOID using the remains of camellia oil extraction and incorporating some recycled plastics into the packaging. We wanted to showcase the direction HERA is heading and we believe it's a scalable initiative.

Da-som HANYUL believes that to achieve a healthy balance in body and mind, our surrounding environment and nature must also be healthy. We strive to improve the environmental impact at every stage, from sourcing ingredients to manufacturing and disposal. We use only clearly traceable natural ingredients, such as artemisia from Ganghwa Miru Artemisia Farm managed by Seo Young-im and rice from grower Lee Jeong-mo in Yeoju. We deliver the natural benefits of these ingredients through potent and gentle formulations. All our products adhere to 100% vegan formulas, and even our packaging and cartons are developed considering environmental impact.

Da-som As consumer awareness of clean beauty increases, so do the definitions and standards of what constitutes clean beauty. HANYUL proactively addresses the clean beauty trend by setting our ingredients, packaging, and sourcing standards. We are focused on formulating clean contents free from harmful substances, using lightweight ceramic containers to reduce plastic use, changing packaging to include PCR plastic, and upcycling ingredients, among other considerations.

Ha-na As the pinnacle of our brand heritage and a high-end product, balancing the luxury expected from premium beauty with sustainability was crucial. The ‘moon jar’ motif, a symbol of the brand’s aesthetic, was adopted for the The Ultimate S Cream design. We enhanced the emotional quality while reducing plastic by switching from plastic containers to glass. Another significant change was introducing a refill system, which allows up to a 55% reduction in plastic use when purchasing a 30ml The Ultimate S Cream compared to buying a new container. This choice also compensated for any potential inconvenience due to the moon jar shape of the container. Given the high cost of the product, the refill option was also a strategic decision to lower the barrier to repurchase.

Ha-na One of the most outstanding values a brand can provide customers is the opportunity for sustainable consumption. In this regard, instead of simply using and discarding paper, we have developed the ‘JIHAMBO service,’ inspired by Korean Bojagi wrapping. This service offers a cloth Bojagi that is compact and easily repackaged. It’s a method that considers the environment and sustainably reinterprets Korean traditional culture. Even our paper shopping bags are designed for recyclability, with paper handles to ensure the material is uniform.
Ji-eun We face similar challenges at HERA, and even the choice of paper packaging must consider the customer's convenience. For example, the uncoated paper could transfer ink to the customer’s hands. It might seem unrelated to the product, but ensuring the packaging is user-friendly and environmentally considerate requires extensive testing.

Ji-eun Looking at trends among foreign brands, creating refill products is often highlighted as a significant selling point. However, we have been operating refill types for cushion foundations for a long time, which has become a Korean lifestyle. We are making efforts at the group level to change lifestyles, and it is considered a given internally, so there is no need to promote it overtly.

Ji-eun It’s a cleaner and sleeker design that has become more characteristic of HERA and well-received, mainly since it has been applied to our flagship ‘Silky Stay Foundation.’ Notably, by removing the plastic decorations, we have reduced plastic use and changed the recyclability grade to standard. Additionally, the 'Comfy Spreader’ product is vegan-certified and utilizes the remains of camellia oil extraction. The outer case uses 50% PCR material, and the brush is made from synthetic fibers.

Ji-eun Since launching our first cushion in 2012, HERA has continuously offered refills. We consider the essence of our cushions to be their quality, and the recent Black Cushion renewal was seen as an evolution of the existing product. After much deliberation, we made it compatible with previous containers. The renewal has attracted many new customers. Those purchasing the new product can use containers that reduce plastic use by eliminating the nameplate.

Da-som We felt it necessary to change our flagship products, which constitute the most significant portion of our plastic use and have the highest customer demand. We selected three products: Pure Artemisia Calming Water Cream, Yuja Vitamin Sleeping Mask, and Red Rice Moisture Firming Cream. We've switched the existing plastic containers to lightweight glass ones and improved them to ‘dedicated refill capsules’ for reusable packaging to minimize single-use container consumption. Sets primarily use paper packaging.

Da-som We wanted to extend the concept of recycling beyond just the products to include the raw materials themselves. We aimed to achieve zero waste by utilizing the discarded raw materials and their by-products. For instance, the yuzu used in HANYUL’s Yuja Vitamin line is harvested in Goheung, Jeollanam-do. Not just the yuzu used in our products, but over 3,000 tons of yuzu seeds—a by-product from yuzu juice and syrup processing in Jeollanam-do—are generated annually. Most of these yuzu seeds are typically incinerated. After continual deliberation on how to recycle these materials, we developed an upcycled item. This ‘Gua Sha’ uses these waste materials and enhances the final product's functional value.

Da-som HANYUL has been diligently working through countless design drafts to reduce plastic in our packaging while capturing the aesthetic of Korean nature. Initially, some customers inquired about the smaller size of our new lightweight glass containers. Still, they seemed to appreciate our intentions once we explained our efforts to reduce plastic on the detail pages.
Ji-eun For the recent 'Black Cushion Foundation' renewal at HERA, we applied a content container with plastic pins instead of metal for the first time to facilitate recycling. We tried using 85% PCR plastic in the external containers, which was a first for us, but we faced challenges maintaining quality in mass production. Thus, we settled on using 50% PCR plastic just in the lower part of the external containers. Although we are still in the early stages of creating a sustainable future, continuing such varied attempts will open up new possibilities.
Ha-na Since the design phase, Sulwhasoo has been deeply contemplating how to maintain the emotional quality expected of luxury beauty while producing sustainable products. Even though we desire to apply more sustainability elements, we sometimes have to compromise due to luxury and quality standards. We are hopeful for further advancements in high-quality recycled materials and materials that are better for natural cycles.

Ha-na Sulwhasoo published a sustainability report in April. By doing so, we've publicly committed to our philosophy and efforts toward sustainability. Sulwhasoo holds a profound respect for nature and a deep responsibility. We sincerely consider how to provide our customers with a sustainable value experience, and we hope you enjoy our products and store services that reflect these results.
Ji-eun It is our duty to consider the environment while creating our products; through this process, we want our customers to enjoy the results with us naturally. We hope that this enables sustainable consumption that seamlessly integrates into your lifestyle. This year, our makeup products have undergone significant changes, like the Rouge Classy and cushions, and similar changes are planned for our skincare line, so we look forward to your interest.
Da-som We deeply consider how using HANYUL’s products can contribute to a sustainable lifestyle. We hope you will resonate with these activities. Additionally, the new item involving the upcycling of ingredient by-products, which I introduced earlier, will be launched in May alongside a new Artemisia product, so we are excited about your anticipation!