Kurly, the South Korean e-commerce pioneer known for its premium grocery delivery, has officially rolled back its signature "All-Paper" packaging policy, shifting back to plastic and vinyl materials after six years. While the company cites "delivery stability" as the primary reason, industry experts point to the escalating financial burden of eco-friendly materials as the decisive factor.

According to industry sources on April 27, Kurly recently replaced its paper box tapes with standard plastic (OPP) tapes. This marks a significant pivot from the "All-Paper Challenge" launched in 2019, which aimed to minimize plastic waste by replacing vinyl buffers, pouches, and tapes with paper alternatives. Ironically, Kurly was recognized just last July by the Ministry of Environment as an outstanding enterprise for reducing delivery packaging waste.

However, less than a year after that commendation, the company has reintroduced vinyl air bubbles as buffers and is using film-type vinyl for ice packs in refrigerated and frozen shipments. On social media, customers have expressed mixed reactions, with some lamenting the loss of the easy-to-recycle paper tapes.

A Kurly representative explained the shift as a functional necessity, stating, "We switched to vinyl tapes to improve adhesive strength and are mixing vinyl and paper buffers to ensure better delivery stability."

Despite these explanations, the industry consensus is that cost efficiency played a major role. Eco-friendly materials lack the massive production infrastructure of plastic, leading to significantly higher unit prices. "As the e-commerce sector faces intensifying pressure on logistics costs and profitability, packaging materials are becoming a primary target for cost restructuring," an industry insider noted.

This shift highlights a growing dilemma: while consumers and regulators demand sustainability, the lack of subsidies or large-scale production for green materials makes it difficult for corporations to sustain eco-friendly practices in a low-margin environment. Experts argue that for green delivery to expand, more robust institutional support and cost-competitive solutions must be established.