KGC Ginseng said on Feb. 20 its Buyeo plant was designated a green company by the Geum River Basin Environmental Office.

The green company system is a certification programme for companies and business sites that practise sustainable environmental management based on cooperation between the government and businesses.

The company held a plaque ceremony for new green companies with the Geum River Basin Environmental Office on the afternoon of Feb. 13 at the Buyeo plant in Buyeo County, South Chungcheong Province.

The Buyeo plant is the world's largest red ginseng manufacturing plant, represented by the Jung Kwan Jang brand. It is a key production base for Jung Kwan Jang, which has inherited Goryeo ginseng manufacturing technology, and processes more than about 8,000 tonnes of fresh ginseng a year. KGC Ginseng said the plant was recognised for ongoing management and improvement efforts to minimise environmental burdens while operating large-scale production facilities.

KGC Ginseng plans to push phased investment of more than 3.6 billion won to improve environmental facilities at the Buyeo plant, including introducing pellet boilers, expanding solar facilities and reinforcing wastewater treatment facilities. It aims to improve intensity indicators for water use, waste generation, greenhouse gas emissions, use of hazardous chemicals, and emissions of air and water pollutants by at least 5 percent to as much as 46 percent over the next three years, compared with the base years of 2022 to 2024.

A KGC Ginseng official said, "Buyeo plant is a core production facility for Jung Kwan Jang with history and tradition, and it has been recognised for strengthening environmental responsibility along with quality competitiveness." The official added, "We will advance our environmental and energy management systems and continue investment and operation of eco-friendly facilities to develop it into a production base that leads environmental, social and governance (ESG) management."