Starbucks Korea issues apology for carcinogen-containing merch

Starbucks Korea issued a public apology on Thursday regarding the recent allegations over its line of summer travel bags containing a toxic chemical. 

The company confirmed the allegations that one of its seasonal giveaways, the Summer Carry Bag, contains formaldehyde.

The chemical is a toxic and carcinogenic yet naturally occurring organic compound, often distinguishable by its pungent smell.

The seasonal giveaway was made available to customers who had accumulated enough reward points through drink purchases and reserved one of the coveted bags online. 

Despite the official apology and measures to substitute the item with free drinks or a different product, industry insiders say a significant blow to Starbucks Korea's brand image is inevitable. 

As the controversy emerged, Starbucks Korea requested a formal investigation by an unnamed government-approved research institute.

A formaldehyde detection test on 11 samples of the bags concluded that between 284 and 585 mg of formaldehyde per kg was detected in their outer layer, and between 29.8 and 724 mg per kg in their inside layer.

Those figures were slightly lower in products that had been opened more than two months: Between 106 and 559 mg per kg in the outer layer and up to 23.3 mg per kg in the inside layer. 

According to the Korea Safety Management Act for Electrical and Household Goods, formaldehyde in outer-layer clothing such as jackets, and in bedding, should not exceed 300 mg per kg. The standard is higher for other types of clothing, such as undergarments, which must have less than 75 mg per kg of the toxic chemical.  

The World Health Organization classifies the chemical as a Category 1B carcinogen, or “presumed human carcinogen.”

Short-term exposure to formaldehyde can be fatal. Even at low levels, long-term exposure to the compound can cause respiratory difficulty, eczema and sensitization in the affected persons. 

Starbucks Korea also confirmed that the company had received information from its manufacturer prior to distribution that the Summer Carry Bags contained traces of formaldehyde. 

“Even though the safety test results provided by the manufacturer detailed that the product is infused with formaldehyde, we failed to recognize it, by focusing too much on the cause of the smell that customers had complained about,” the company said. 

In addition to offering free beverage coupons to holders of the Summer Carry Bags, the company will order replacements manufactured for exchange and offer Starbucks rewards cards worth 30,000 won ($23). 

Relatedly, the company announced it will restructure and expand its quality control department and work with experts to establish its own safety standards.

The allegations surfaced via an anonymous post on the online bulletin platform Blind, popular among working professionals, whose author claimed to be a researcher at the FITI Testing & Research Institute.

This year hasn't been easy for Starbucks Korea.

Starbucks Korea Co. changed its name to SCK Company in January, following the acquisition by Shinsegae Inc.-owned E-Mart from the global coffee house behemoth. Despite the official name change, it maintains the right to operate as Starbucks Korea.

Since then, the coffee chain has faced a number of controversies, the latest one being the most jolting. 

Write to Soo-Jung Ha at agatha77@hankyung.com
Jee Abbey Lee edited this article.