Inditex, the Spanish fashion group that operates Zara, will spend 3 million euros (about 4.5 billion won) to restore tidal flats in Garorim Bay in South Chungcheong Province. The money will go toward removing oyster farming structures left abandoned for years and reviving the damaged tidal flat ecosystem.
Inditex said on the 16th that it signed a memorandum of understanding with WWF Korea and South Chungcheong Province to restore the filtering capacity of the Garorim Bay tidal flats and improve the area's ecological environment. Inditex Chief Executive Oscar Garcia Maceiras, WWF Korea Secretary General Park Min-hye and South Chungcheong Vice Governor for Political Affairs Koo Bon-young attended the signing ceremony.
"We are working to have a positive impact on local communities beyond financial performance here in Korea," Maceiras said at a press meeting the same day. "The decision to commit 3 million euros to the Garorim Bay ecosystem restoration project is another important milestone in the history Inditex has built in Korea."
The restoration covers about 40 hectares of tidal flats within Garorim Bay. Parts of the area have suffered ecological damage as abandoned aquaculture structures, discarded fishing gear and dumped shells piled up. Residents had repeatedly called for their removal, but fishing rights issues and a lack of funding stood in the way.
Starting next year, WWF Korea will spend about 1 million euros annually over three years to remove abandoned oyster farming poles along a stretch of about 1.8 kilometers and improve seawater circulation. The project will also create about 10 hectares of salt marsh habitat and support the recovery of coastal vegetation, including seagrass.
The funding comes from the "Bring Your Bag" campaign Inditex launched in 2021. Under the campaign, the group charges for paper shopping bags at stores of Zara and its other brands and channels all of the proceeds into environmental protection projects. "Garorim Bay plays a crucial role in conserving biodiversity, and it also carries great significance for the welfare of residents who make their living in the area," Maceiras said.
Inditex has provided more than 15.2 million euros to WWF since 2023, funding forest and wetland restoration and endangered species habitat protection projects in Spain, Vietnam and Brazil. Under a new three-year agreement, it will provide more than 20 million euros in additional support, with a goal of improving 5 million hectares of ecosystems worldwide by 2030. "We will continue to look for new opportunities to contribute to local communities in Korea," Maceiras said.