Editor's note- ESG, which contains sustainable ideas through environmental and social responsibility and management, is taking a place as mandatory, not an option. Yet, quite a number of businesses are still ignoring this matter. ESG management is directly linked to consumption value. Thus, we are reporting on the steps of leading ESG management businesses this year, hoping to bring messages to both consumers and businesses that are not aware of their importance.

[Consumerwide - Jinil Kang Reporter / Yohan Bok Reporter]  Pulmuone is advancing in making a healthy tomorrow for both man and earth by continuing the spirit of Won Gyeongsun, the founder of Pulmuone Farm (the father of Korean organic), who valued loving neighbourhoods and respecting lives. Pulmuone began ESG management to complete the mission of making a healthy tomorrow for both man and earth through good food this year.

E: Environment... Green effort of Pulmuone

Pulmuone is including plant-forward and eco-caring in their four core strategies and acting to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by over 12% by 2025. Pulmuone began expanding the use of renewable energy, which can respond to the exhaustion of coal fuel and an increase in expenses while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, this year. Pulmuone has installed five additional solar stations that generate a total of 350 kW this year. (including Chuncheon Ice Factory) The total solar energy of the entire Pulmuone business area counts 1.4 MW, and the heat collection rate is 6.4 MWh a day. 1 MWh can supply electricity to 2000 households for an hour.

Lohas Academy and Pulmuone Institute of Technology applied geothermal heat pump A/C systems. Wood pellet boilers are applied to Uiryeong and Eumseong toef factories and the Eumseong noodles factory (2023). (UNFCCC carbon neutron energy source certified.) Earlier in November 2019, Pulmuone constructed the Pulmuone Institute of Technology (cutting edge R&D centre) at Osong Chungbuk and applied an environmental system to the building. (saving energy and use of water, managing indoor air, and improving environmental quality)

Pulmuone Institute of Technology earned LEED Gold (USGBC) for the first time among domestic R&D centres. This year, PIT has replaced the overall electricity of the building with solar energy (on the roof) by 65% and reduced 7~10% of carbon emissions by using a geothermal heat pump A/C system.

Pulmuone purchased two 11-tonne hydrogen trucks for two freight lines, including Eumseong-Sihwa and Eumseong-Yeoju, for ambient temperature delivery in September, which is the first case among industry. Pulmuone was able to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 163 metric tonnes per year by operating these trucks. This is equivalent to planting 63 thousand thirty-year-old pine trees or 68 automobiles' worth of greenhouse gas emissions over the course of a year. Pulmuone plans to expand the same type of truck to 76 by 2030 and add two more by next year.

Pulmuone has approached the 43 billion won sales record after one year of releasing the Jigusikdan product line, which is a vegetarian food brand of Pulmuone, in August 2022, and plans to grow them up to the 100 billion won scale. Also, Pulmuone plans to increase sustainable food products to 65% of the entire food revenue by 2026 while focusing on producing Jigusikdan. Jigusikdan released Vegetarian Luncheonmeat, Silky Soy Milk Noodles, Sotsot Rice Balls, and Light Burrito this year.

Pulmuone has replaced 30% of PET raw material with vegan material and used Bio-PET, which can be 100% recycled, for salad containers. It resulted in reducing 20% of carbon emissions during manufacturing to waste processes. For the packaging of four vegetarian Lactobacillus products, Pulmuone used no-colour single-material PET while minimising the use of thermal alkaline glue and changing to a band label. (Ministry of Environment recycling excellent level) Besides, Puluone applied to various product environmental packaging: Sammul ultra light lid (use of plastic 40%▼), ultra light container (use of plastic 15%▼), removing label band, no label to Greek yoghurt,paper tray for Kukmul Tteokbokki)

S: Making a sustainable tomorrow for humans and the earth

Pulmuone established the Pulmuone Fund in April 2012 to carry out social contributions and social activities thoroughly and professionally. This institute has been acting out in four sectors, including good food, environment, local society contribution, and seminar, along with good food campaign training regarding social contribution. The Pulmuone Fund has been promoting a good food training campaign since 2010 to grow good food habits, such as checking food information, taste, nutrient balance, and animal welfare-based food habits, among children.

As applicants exceed threefold the initial applicant plan (0.1 million people in 2020), they have already approached target trainees by 2018. This year, they targeted 0.22 million trainees. Currently, the training has been expanded to all metropolitan cities in domestic areas, including Busan, Gwangju, and the capital cities. Apart from that, Pulmuone is also facilitating adult good food training for parents, childcare teachers, nutritionists, and nutrition teachers, as well as senior good food training. Practice Training E-School, which is an online food training programme, has been facilitated as well.

Pulmuone has been facilitating the Museum Kimchigan programme, which offers kimchi and kimchi-making cuture through historical objects and digital contents, for the last 36 years. Pulmuone began opening the facility again on May 17th, after the COVID-19 break. Pulmuone has also been continuing "LAN Cable, Children's Kimchi School" online. This year, Pulmuone has provided free kimchi experiments to 7500 people through online and offline kimchi school programmes. The Museum Kimchigan is also facilitating the Children Kimchi School, where they can grow good food habits while experiencing Kimjang culture, and the Foreigner and Multicultural Family Kimchi School, along with training experts.

G: Human respecting management... open governance structure.

Pulmuone has passed (CEO) responsibility on remission approval and excutive special compensation policy, which used to be authorised by the CEO, to the compensation committee (shared holder meeting and outside director). Besides, they have reduced the compensation limit for internal and outside directors from 5 billion won (2022) to 3 billion won (2023), which can ease the investment environment. Pulmuone has also accepted the professional CEO policy along with an open shared-holder meeting (talk show type) and an electric voting system.

Pulmuone is facilitating a counselling centre and a gender equality centre affiliated with the human respect management team to strengthen the independence of the system. They are also applying the same reward and welfare system for both permanent workers and contract workers.

Pulmuone is also expanding female executive management positions and offering regular training to strengthen female leadership. Additionally, Pulmuone is facilitating compulsory training (prohibiting discrimination against sexual harassment and people with impairments), sending prevention letters to stop harassment and sexual harassment in the company, and organising an annual or weekly event for a healthy company culture regarding the issue. (celebrating the 3rd year after enforcement of preventing harassment in the company, the week of gender equality)