Shinsegae Department Store doubles ESG support program for partner firms, adds marketing aid

Shinsegae Department Store announced Tuesday it will expand its ESG support program for partner companies — operated jointly with the Commission for Corporate Partnership — from 10 to 20 participating firms this year.

The department store will support small and medium-sized enterprises struggling with limited specialist staff and systems through year-end, covering ESG education, on-site consulting, assessments and certification for top-performing companies.

Partner firms selected as outstanding participants will receive an "ESG Excellence SME Certificate" issued in the name of the Commission for Corporate Partnership. They will also be eligible for incentives including preferential interest rates at commercial banks, support for overseas expansion and research and development funding.

Top-performing partner companies with a presence in the department store will also receive practical growth support, including online and offline promotional assistance, operational know-how transfers and product development consulting.

Barie, a food and beverage brand from the Gwangju and South Jeolla Province region named the program's top ESG company last year, more than doubled its ESG management diagnostic score after joining. It subsequently received marketing support and posted sales growth of about 27 percent year-on-year within two months.

This year's participants include Dareuda Kimbap, a retail company in the Gwangju and South Jeolla Province region, along with Green Wave, an environmental consulting firm, and Yes Design, an interior architecture and design company.

Shinsegae Department Store said it aims to develop the ESG support program not merely as an assessment system but as a "growth engine" driving the sustainable development of its partner companies, with building a co-prosperity ecosystem as its medium- to long-term goal.

"We plan to expand the program to cover more than 30 companies, so that a greater number of partner firms can establish a foundation for sustainable growth," a Shinsegae Department Store official said.