The campaign serves SK Telecom's corporate purpose and social responsibility to contribute to the environment.

Issue: Last year, online shopping transactions in South Korea exceeded $227 billion, a common practice for households. However, only a small portion of the shipped boxes are being recycled, with many still ending up being thrown away.

This is because most people use box cutters to open packages and often neglect to remove the adhesive tape before recycling. Boxes with tape still attached are often incinerated due to the extra cost of tape removal, contributing to global warming on a large scale.

To address this social and environmental issue, SK telecom has devised a simple yet powerful campaign: encouraging customers to completely remove the tape from shipping boxes and participate in eco-friendly initiatives. This led to the creation of the 'Peel the Tape, Heal the Earth’ campaign.

idea: SK Telecom, a top telecommunications company and one of the top companies involved in ESG among Korean companies; sells and ships tens of millions of smartphones annually through its official online 'T Direct Shop’ using cardboard boxes for safe delivery.

To mark World Environment Day on June 5th, the "Peel the Tape, Heal the Earth" campaign was launched. Unlike the usual brown cardboard, SK telecom’s shipping boxes were printed white with polar bears, penguins, and seals resembling the Arctic and Antarctic landscapes.

The boxes were sealed with packing tape bearing the message: "Peel off the tape to reveal the reality of the Arctic/Antarctic." Therefore, guiding customers not to use a box cutter and promote hand removal of the adhesive tape. When peeled off, the white printed surface tears to uncover the original brown cardboard, creating a striking visual representation resembling the reality of melted Arctic and Antarctic regions, a barren landscape.

This initiative aimed to raise awareness about global warming and encourage the social value of proper cardboard box disposal for recycling, thereby effectively increasing the box recycling rates.

Execution: The simple but creative idea of turning shipping boxes into powerful media to raise awareness about the suffering of the earth due to global warming, covering nationwide with no extra media costs.

Additionally, print advertising was utilized to extend the campaign's reach to the public. The print ad had a significant visual impact, featuring a striking image of a torn box reminiscent of the desolate landscapes of the Arctic and Antarctic and, of course, with the message to recycle cardboard boxes properly for the Earth.

The campaign's launch received significant attention from major news platforms nationwide from the first day, with coverage by 54 media outlets, including 24 major newspapers in South Korea.

Positive comments and pledges to participate flooded social media platforms such as Instagram and YouTube.

The 'Peel the Tape, Heal the Earth' campaign is not a one-time event. It's one of a long-term commitment of SK telecom in its efforts for ESG. We started with polar bears and moved on to penguins and seals.

This ongoing series is designed to sustain customers' interest and encourage their continued participation in our environmental initiatives.

The campaign has sparked increased interest in more responsible cardboard box recycling. If all delivery boxes in South Korea are properly recycled, it could save around 3.9 million trees monthly and about 47.2 million trees annually, resulting in substantial environmental benefits.

The campaign is based on the belief that even small actions, such as removing tape from shipping boxes, can gradually contribute to the Earth and climate change.