- 'Companion Beach’, a public-private partnership project for marine environment protection hosted by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries SK rent-a-car being the first in the industry to protect the environment
- About 40 SK rent-a-car members started their first cleaning activity on July 8th More than three regular activities in a year to be carried out
- Holding social media events for two months from the 26th to induce customer attention and participation in environmental protection activities Sending ‘Jeju Beach Candle’ and ‘Hallabong Soap’ produced by social enterprises as a gift
- “We will make beaches clean by committing to cleaning activities together with various stakeholders”

Putting eco-friendliness at the forefront of ESG management, SK rent-a-car (CEO: Hwang Il-moon) adopted Jeju beach as a family to make the sea clean for tourists and local residents on the island.

SK rent-a-car operates the largest number of car rentals in the biggest getaway destination in Korea, Jeju Island, and the company has recently decided to adopt ‘Hyeopjae Beach (location: 2397-1 Hyeopjae-ri, Hallim-eup, Jeju-si)’ in Jeju-si as a so-called ‘Companion Beach’ as part of the marine protection campaign. On the 9th of July, the company announced that its members had their first cleanup activity on the previous day.

“We could become No.1 rental car operator in Jeju thanks to the support and cooperation of Jeju local government and local residents, as well as the affectionate interest and encouragement of our customers,” an SK rent-a-car official said. “While we were constantly looking for ways to conserve the pristine nature of Jeju, we came across this activity organized by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and joined the effort.”

‘Companion Beach' is a public-private partnership project hosted by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, with the meaning of adopting the beach like a companion animal to take care of it like a family. It started its first pilot project in Jeju last September. SK rent-a-car was the fourth among the participating companies in Jeju yet the first among the car rental companies.

Hyeopjae Beach, located on the west coast of Jeju, is not only famous for its clean and beautiful scenery but its reputation as one of the three main beaches representing pristine Jeju. In particular, Hyeopjae Beach is popular with tourists who enjoy swimming in the sea and camping for its shallow water with a gentle slope. In addition, the pine forest and grass come in harmony around the beach.

SK rent-a-car plans to continuously carry out environmental protection activities such as garbage collection at Hyeopjae Beach at least three times a year following the clean-up activity in which about 40 members participated on the 8th. On top of that, the company will contribute to the domestic marine waste reduction policy of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries by inputting the type and quantity of collected garbage into the smartphone application called 'Clean Swell*'.
(* a garbage collection record application developed by a non-profit organization in the United States)

In order to induce customers’ attention and participation in environmental protection activities including the Companion Beach, SK rent-a-car plans to hold an event capitalizing on social media channels for two months, from the 26th of this month to the end of September, targeting customers using the Jeju branch and Billy Car.

Participants, who upload a photo of their faces with the sign installed at 'Parking Lot 2’ of Hyeopjae Beach on social media with a hashtag, will be gifted a ‘Jeju Beach Candle’ purchased from a Jeju social enterprise if they show it to the staff when returning the vehicle. Besides, uploading an additional picture of a participant throwing garbage at the 'Clean House', a separate collection site shown in a banner and leaflet of the rental car branch will get you a 'Hallabong Soap'.

An SK rent-a-car official said, "the small act that disposes of waste in a designated place can reduce half of the domestic beach waste. That’s why we plan to gradually expand the place, starting with our customers so that they can actively utilize the 'Clean House'." He explained, “we will create a clean beach for tourists as well as residents by faithfully implementing beach cleanup activities together with various stakeholders, including Hyeopjae-ri local residents.”

Meanwhile, SK rent-a-car purchased about 160,000 bottles of 'Samdasoo', bottled water made by the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Development Corporation, aiming to help the economic development of the Jeju region and to raise the satisfaction of car rental customers. They are provided free of charge for customers using the Jeju branch and billycar for two months, from July through August. The company has been doing it since last year. This year, in particular, it promoted with ‘Samdasoo Green Edition’ that did not use a vinyl label and put no color for cap and bottle, thereby adding an eco-friendly meaning.

[Picture 1] SK rent-a-car members cleaning on Hyeopjae Beach ①

[Picture 2] SK rent-a-car members cleaning on Hyeopjae Beach ②

[Picture 3] A group photo of SK rent-a-car members participating in the cleaning of Hyeopjae Beach

[Picture 4] Companion Beach project participated by SK rent-a-car, a poster image about Hyeopjae Beach cleaning activities

[Picture 5] ‘Companion Beach’ public advertisement hosted by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries