Lotte Duty Free is continuing its support for small partners to enhance their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) management capabilities for the fourth consecutive year.
On October 13, Lotte Duty Free announced that it has signed a business agreement with the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises and Agriculture and Fisheries to implement the '2026 Partner ESG Support Project.'
This year, the company will contribute 50 million won to operate customized programs for up to 10 small partners. Based on the ESG standard guidelines for small businesses, specific metrics will be selected for each company, and a professional consulting firm will provide online and offline training, management diagnostics, and improvement consulting. For existing partners who wish to participate, support will also be provided for the publication of sustainability management reports.
After the consulting period, companies that demonstrate excellent compliance with ESG metrics will receive an 'ESG Excellent Small Business Certificate.' These companies will benefit from preferential loan rates with major banks and additional points when applying for overseas expansion support programs from KOTRA and KOICA.
Last year, the cosmetics company Darum International, which participated in the support program, achieved an 85% compliance rate with ESG metrics and was recognized as an excellent company. This structure ensures that the ESG support for partners goes beyond mere training to actual evaluations and financial and overseas expansion benefits.
In addition to ESG support, Lotte Duty Free is also providing financial, human resources, and market access support for its partners. The company has established a 50 billion won win-win fund with IBK Industrial Bank and Shinhan Bank to reduce the interest burden on small partners, and it supports registration fees for online recruitment sites and vacation costs for long-term employees.
Lotte Duty Free is also working to expand market access and enhance brand awareness by offering free digital advertising at its Myeongdong flagship store and running promotional events on Lotte's online duty-free site and social media.
Lotte Duty Free has received the 'Excellent' rating for two consecutive years in the Fair Trade Commission's evaluation of fair trade agreement compliance and an 'Outstanding' rating in the 2024 Shared Growth Index evaluation.
Kim Dong-ha, CEO of Lotte Duty Free, stated, "Through the ESG support project for partners, now in its fourth year, we are committed to helping small partners enhance their ESG management capabilities and build self-sustainability. We will continue to expand win-win programs that strengthen our partners' competitiveness."
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.