Herbalife Korea spurs ESG campaign by supporting local communities

Herbalife Korea is boldly driving its environmental, sustainable and governance campaigns that center on products, people and the planet to promote nutritional benefits from its products, volunteer activities and eco-friendly policies, according to the functional food maker, Monday.

The meal replacement product developer purports to expand public accessibility to nutrition through its high-quality products such as "Formula 1 Healthy Meal," one of the company's most popular products which contain protein, vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber.

The company said its products' nutritional facts are based on scientific recipes developed by more than 300 doctors, dietitians and scientists with expertise in nutritional health.

Last year, the company introduced new products that reflected rising consumer lifestyles and trends. My Immune Plus, which supports normal immune function, was launched to cater to consumers' increasing interest in immune system management following the COVID-19 pandemic. Probiotic Complex Plus, an orange-flavored stick-type powder product, was greeted by senior consumers concerned with intestinal health.

As another axis of its ESG campaign, volunteer activities that support local communities were part of the company's achievements last year.

Herbalife Nutrition Foundation (HNF) supports partners of Casa Herbalife, which supports delivering good nutrition to socially vulnerable communities. Starting with Sangrok Daycare Center in 2007, HNF has been supporting local charity organizers including the Children's Foundation, Daegu Child Welfare Center, Hyesimwon, Solbarm Welfare Center, and Yang Jun-hyuk Baseball Foundation for 17 years. An objective behind those activities was to help local children get balanced nutrition and healthy physical activities.

The company also promoted healthy lifestyles by sponsoring various sport events and nutrition-related organizations such as the Daegu Marathon, Holiday Wrestling Competitions, the Korean Nutrition Society and the Korean Diabetes Association.

"With its robust welfare policies for employees, Herbalife earned certifications from Great Place to Work in Korea for two consecutive years," said an official from the company. "We also earned titles like 'Best Company for Working Moms' and 'Best Company for Millennials'."

Herbalife also designates every April as a "global month of purpose" and encourages its employees to engage in voluntary service activities such as “plogging,” or cleaning up areas around Han River and the office surroundings.

To reduce carbon emissions, Herbalife used recycled plastic for 25 percent of its packaging materials for Formula 1 Healthy Meal. The company said it reduced 322 tons of plastic usage and globally recycled 5,475 tons of plastic and materials in sales and distribution centers.

“We will continue to actively pursue ESG management while ensuring access to quality products, fostering the health and well-being of people and our communities, and supporting a thriving planet,” said Chung Seung-wook, general manager of Herbalife Korea.