Achieves 100% waste diversion rate

[Provided by KGC]
[Provided by KGC]

KGC announced Wednesday that its Buyeo factory has become the first facility in South Korea's health functional food industry to earn the Platinum rating — the highest level — under the Zero Waste to Landfill (ZWTL) verification program.

The ZWTL program, operated by UL Solutions, evaluates companies' resource-circulation efforts by verifying the extent to which waste generated at a facility is diverted from incineration and landfill through recycling or energy recovery. Ratings are assigned based on the diversion rate: Platinum for 100%, Gold for 95 to 99%, and Silver for 90 to 94%.

By achieving the Platinum rating, the Buyeo factory has been recognized for diverting all of its waste from landfill, with 5 percent of that total processed through thermal treatment involving energy recovery. "This rating reflects our efforts to build a resource-circulation system aimed at zero waste to landfill — including finding disposal and recycling pathways even for waste that cannot be recycled through conventional means," KGC said.

The Buyeo factory recycles red ginseng marc — a byproduct of the red ginseng manufacturing process — as feed for livestock farms. The volume of circulated resources rose from 354 tons in 2024 to 1,765 tons in 2025. The factory also converts roughly 430 tons of wastewater sludge from ginseng washing into compost, contributing to soil improvement.

Since 2023, KGC has revised its energy and environmental management guidelines to strengthen oversight processes. All of its domestic facilities, including the Buyeo factory, are working to reduce waste and expand recycling as part of the company's push to build competitiveness in sustainable management.


spa@heraldcorp.com