SOUTH KOREA. Lotte Duty Free and the Korea Commission for Corporate Partnership have launched the fourth edition of their ESG Support Program, continuing an initiative introduced in 2023 to help small and medium-sized partners develop their ESG capabilities.
As the first travel retailer in the industry to join the initiative, Lotte Duty Free contributes annually to a shared growth fund that provides ESG education and consulting to help SME partners establish their own management systems and build a foundation for sustainable growth.
For the latest edition, Lotte Duty Free has committed KRW50 million (US$37,225) to the shared growth fund to deliver a specialised ESG support programme for up to ten SMEs.
Based on the foundation’s ESG standards for SMEs, the initiative will set customised indicators for each participant and provide online and in-person training and consulting through specialist agencies.
A key feature of this year’s programme is the expanded scope of support to include assistance with publishing sustainability management reports for interested partners who participated in previous editions.
Upon completion of consulting, participating suppliers that achieve high compliance with the ESG indicators will receive an ESG Excellent SME Certificate.
Certificate holders will be eligible for preferential loan interest rates from major commercial banks. They will also receive additional points when applying for overseas expansion support programmes offered by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency and the Korea International Cooperation Agency.
Interested SME partners can submit applications from 13 October through Lotte Duty Free’s designated shared growth email address.
Beyond the ESG programme, the retailer also supports its partner companies through a range of shared growth initiatives. It has established a KRW50 billion (US$37.2 million) mutual growth fund with IBK Industrial Bank of Korea and Shinhan Bank to help SME partners manage borrowing costs.
Other initiatives include support for SME recruitment and employee welfare, covering online job platform registration fees and holiday expenses for long-serving employees.
In addition, Lotte Duty Free provides free DID advertising at its Myeong-dong flagship store and supports marketing and promotion through its online sales channel and SME-themed campaigns on social media.
The company’s supplier relations have earned recognition in two assessments.
Lotte Duty Free received a ‘Best’ grade for the second consecutive year in the Fair Trade Commission’s Fair Trade Agreement Implementation Evaluation. It also received an ‘Excellent’ rating in the 2024 Shared Growth Index evaluation, announced in 2025, reflecting its commitment to fair transactions and shared growth with suppliers.
Lotte Duty Free CEO Kim Dong-ha said, “Through the supplier ESG support project, now in its fourth year, we are striving to help small and medium-sized suppliers enhance their own ESG management capabilities and develop self-sustaining competitiveness.
“We will continue to expand shared growth programmes that help strengthen suppliers’ competitiveness and create a culture of shared growth where we grow together.” ✈
