Hana Financial Group chief joins Zero Disposable Challenge

Hana Financial Group Chairman Ham Young-joo, center, poses with employees after joining the Zero Disposable Challenge at the group headquarters in Myeong-dong, Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of Hana Financial Group

Hana Financial Group Chairman Ham Young-joo participated in the Zero Disposable Challenge, which aims to reduce the use of disposable products in daily life by making the use of reusable products a daily habit.

The challenge is a national environmental protection campaign that the Ministry of Environment has been promoting since February. As environmental problems caused by the use of disposable products have recently arisen as a social issue, it was launched as a social media service relay campaign, whereby members of society are encouraged to reduce the use of disposable products and voluntarily participate in environmental protection.

After being recommended as the next participant by Dongwha Group Chairman Seung Myung-ho, who is also the chairman of The Korea Times and its sister paper, Hankook Ilbo, Ham shared with Hana employees the importance of environmental protection activities in their daily lives.

Ham then picked E1 Chairman Koo Ja-yong and CNCITY Energy CEO Hwang In-kyu as the next participants in the relay campaign.

Hana Financial Group noted that it will actively promote the campaign through its official social media to encourage not only group executives and employees but also all citizens to participate in eco-friendly activities.

“I hope that small daily practices for eco-friendliness will become a part of daily routine through this challenge. We will continue our efforts for the creation of social value through diverse ESG management practice activities,” Ham said.

Hana Financial Group has been engaged in diverse eco-friendly campaigns, including encouraging the use of tumblers instead of paper or plastic cups, maintaining an appropriate indoor temperature and turning off unused electronic devices, as well as donating used clothes.

It started using reusable cups at the in-house cafe located in the group's Myeong-dong office building in October, as a part of a collaboration with SK Telecom's eco-friendly activity, the Happy Habit Project.