12 low-carbon certifications, most in the industry

Chilsung Cider MR-PET bottle becomes first recycled-material product to earn designation

Lotte Chilsung Beverage's low-carbon certified products [Lotte Chilsung Beverage]
Lotte Chilsung Beverage's low-carbon certified products [Lotte Chilsung Beverage]

Lotte Chilsung Beverage announced Wednesday that it has been expanding its lineup of environmentally certified products through a certification program run by the Korea Environmental Industry and Technology Institute (KEITI).

KEITI operates an environmental product declaration system that quantifies a product's environmental impact. Products whose carbon emissions are lower than others in the same category receive a "low-carbon product" designation under the program.

As of August 2026, Lotte Chilsung Beverage holds environmental product declarations for 19 products. Twelve of those — including Icis water and Cantata coffee — have earned the low-carbon product certification, giving the company more low-carbon certified products than any other in the industry.

In August, the company's Chilsung Cider 500ml MR-PET (Mechanical Recycled PET) bottle, made from 100 percent recycled materials, received the low-carbon product certification — the first time a product using mechanically recycled PET has earned the designation. The bottle is projected to cut carbon emissions by about 17 percent across its full lifecycle — from raw material extraction through production, distribution, use and disposal — compared with conventional virgin plastic PET. Among alcoholic beverages, Cheoeum Cheoreom & Saero 640ml PET is currently the only low-carbon certified product in the liquor industry.

KEITI designates 10 representative low-carbon certified products as "climate products," offering special Green Card reward points for purchases. Lotte Chilsung Beverage's Chilsung Cider 500ml PET and Cantata Contrabass Black and Sweet Black 500ml PET are among the designated products. When paying with a Green Card, customers earn Ecomoney points at a rate of 5 percent for environmental product declaration items and 15 percent for low-carbon certified products. Through Oct. 31, purchases of climate products at affiliated convenience stores, hypermarkets and other participating stores nationwide will earn a special 40 percent bonus.

Lotte Chilsung Beverage has declared a goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2040 and is pursuing renewable energy expansion, fuel switching and electric vehicle adoption as part of that effort. The company reduced greenhouse gas emissions by about 6,400 tons last year and is targeting a reduction of more than 10,000 tons this year. "We will continue to expand environmental certifications across a wider range of products and pursue innovations that reduce environmental impact throughout our entire value chain — from raw material production to distribution," a company official said.


andy@heraldcorp.com