Hankyoreh/ Maeil Dairy
Maeil Dairy has released a straw-free milk product. While reinforcing the identity of an eco-friendly brand, it also means responding to the demands of consumers to “get rid of the straw”.
Maeil Dairy announced on the 13th that it will sell ‘190ml of organic sterilized milk from Sangha Farm’ with the straw removed. Sangha Farm Organic Milk, launched in 2008, is being evaluated as pioneering the domestic organic milk market. Maeil Dairy plans to improve its product package in the future, as Sangha Farm is a brand with eco-friendly motto.
Earlier in February of last year, a consumer who collected disposable straws and sent them to Maeil Dairy received a reply from the company, which attracted attention. This was one of the’straw attack’ projects by consumers who were concentrating on eco-friendly consumption at the time, and was a joint action with the intent to reduce the use of straws to food companies that used a lot of straws. Maeil Dairy’s Chief Customer Officer Kim Jin-gi said, “We are researching packaging materials that are convenient to drink even without using straws. I wrote a handwritten reply with the content of “Please understand that I am.”
As consumers’ awareness of the environment increases, there is a growing voice asking companies to reduce plastic use directly. At the end of last year, students at Yeongok Elementary School in Gangneung sent a handwritten letter to Lotte Chilsung Beverage with the intent to “use an eco-friendly product”, and Lotte Chilsung visited the school and sent a reply to the letter.
Sangha Ranch organic sterilized milk with the straw removed is currently available for purchase through Maeil Dairy’s Naver Smart Store. In commemoration of the release, a purchase review event is also held through the Sangha Farm Instagram for two weeks. Maeil Dairy plans to grasp consumer reactions and sales trends through online sales, and to gradually expand sales of sterile milk without straws.