Incheon girls' commercial high school, Catholic University take top prizes in youth climate action contest

The Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy announced Thursday that it has finalized 12 winning teams in the 2026 Future Generation Climate Action Competition, held jointly with the Korea Environment Conservation Institute, Hyundai Department Store and CJ Freshway, and that the top proposals will be piloted at actual corporate sites.

The competition was structured so that participating companies first presented innovation challenges, and teams then spent five months refining their solutions into proposals ready for real-world store application.

Teenage teams made up of middle and high school students worked with Hyundai Department Store to explore ways to reuse eco-friendly bags and recycle old clothing.

University-age teams collaborated with CJ Freshway on expanding low-carbon meal choices, reducing single-use packaging and cutting food waste in corporate cafeterias.

The grand prize in the youth division went to the "Cool Logic" team from Incheon Girls' Commercial High School, which proposed turning unwanted padded jackets into cold-weather running vests.

The excellence award went to the "Hail Warning" team from Minjok Leadership Academy, which put forward a campaign to convert donated eco-bags into reusable shopping bags for in-store circulation.

The grand prize in the young adult division went to the "Plate-O" team from Catholic University. The team earned high marks for its "Just One Bite" campaign, which aims to create an environment where diners can easily take only as much food as they intend to eat from the very start of the serving process.

The excellence award went to the "Almattam" team from Chungbuk National University, which developed portion-size serving guidelines for self-service cafeterias.

The winning ideas are set to be piloted at actual Hyundai Department Store and CJ Freshway worksites.

Oh Il-young, director general of the climate and energy policy bureau at the Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy, said students' everyday ideas being put to use in department stores and company cafeterias show that the next generation is at the heart of carbon neutrality. "We will continue to expand opportunities for businesses and future generations to work together on carbon-neutral solutions," he added.