BAT Rothmans transforms littered Seoul street into flower garden

Employees of BAT Rothmans and members of the Seoul chapter of the Korean National Council for Conservation of Nature clean up a littered public space in central Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of BAT Rothmans

BAT Rothmans has carried out a community service project to fulfill its social responsibility by cleaning up a littered street in central Seoul together with an environmentalist group, according to the tobacco manufacturer, Thursday.

The Korean subsidiary of global tobacco company BAT Group on Tuesday tended to a street in downtown Seoul's Sindang-dong neighborhood, where litter including cigarette butts has been causing inconvenience to local residents. The company partnered with the Seoul chapter of the Korean National Council for Conservation of Nature for the campaign.

Some 20 people including officials of BAT Rothmans and volunteers from the environmentalist group swept the street clean and planted flowers along the alley. The flowers were azaleas, which are strong enough to naturally withstand cold temperatures in winter, according to the company.

The community service was part of the company's environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) campaign to expand clean spaces in Seoul by planting flowers in neglected areas. Since last June when the company and the environmentalists launched their first campaign, the two sides have been seeking out spots with heavy foot traffic for the cleanup.

The campaign is part of the company's sustainable steps to fulfill its self-declared social responsibility. Other campaign activities included reducing carbon emissions, cleaning up natural bodies of water, using eco-friendly packaging for its products and encouraging consumers to return the company's used products for recycling.

Operating in 175 countries, BAT Group previously announced its 2030 goals of selling its electronic cigarettes to 50 million consumers and neutralizing carbon emissions. In 2002 the group built a manufacturing plant in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, which now manufactures products for export to 15 different countries.