Herald English » eco-friendly

[K-UNIV] A Rising threat, Greenwashing

HeraldK — Fri, 26 Nov 2021 06:19:25 +0000

As environmental issues such as climate change and global warming have been steadily raised, reducing carbon emissions and solving microplastics problems have become major challenges. In the aftermath of COVID-19, there is an increased demand for delivery services, meal kits, and frozen foods which in turn leads to a surge in plastic wastes. According to the Ministry of Environment of Korea, plastic waste generated last year increased by about 20% compared to the previous year. Delivery food containers are said to have accounted for a significant portion. At this rate, it is feared that plastic consumption could increase 20 times by 2050. Consumers have begun to call for waste reduction, preferring sustainable products even more. Since the generation MZ consumes products that suit their beliefs and values, they are more likely to choose green options. It is related to the word ‘meaning out’ that refers to the expression of individual beliefs or tastes through consumption activities.

Besides their selective spending, many companies are changing their strategies in an eco-friendly way. Efforts to reduce plastic use continue through various brands in Korea. Many cafe brands are trying to replace disposable plastic cups with multi-use cups and to use biodegradable paper straws, unlike plastic straws. Food companies are also actively introducing eco-friendly packaging materials. For example, no-label bottles are manufactured to remove vinyl labels increasing their recyclability. They are also planning to change plastic containers and buffers to paper materials. Some beauty brands offer discounts or points if consumers bring used cosmetics containers to the store. These companies’ efforts are related to ESG, one indicator of evaluating companies recently. ESG, a word derived from the initials of Environment, Social, and Governance, is a significant consideration in non-financial performance. It contains the philosophy that sustainable development can be achieved only by considering transparent management such as eco-friendly, social responsibility management, and governance improvement.

The problem is that it is difficult to confirm whether these eco-friendly managements are worthwhile to the environment. Greenwashing refers to a form of marketing that promotes as if it were eco-friendly for economic profit, although it was not actually eco-friendly. The term was originally coined in the 1980s by environmental activist Jay Westerveld inspired by the irony of the save your towel movement. This includes reducing environmental pollution problems that occur in the entire production and highlighting only some parts of processes to pretend to be ESG. It is a deceitful action intended to mislead consumers or audiences who want to buy products and services from environmentally conscious brands.

Recently, the reusable cup event of one coffee brand has been embroiled in controversy over greenwashing. Many people lined up at stores for many hours and even the mobile order app went down. It seems that it was the perfect marketing plan to target people. However, people found that reusable cups are more like a product that may encourage environmental pollution. Since it is made out of plastic called polypropylene, it is hard to use permanently like a regular mug or a drinking glass followed by the mass production of plastic waste. People ended up making trash again in the name of saving it. To make the reusable cup more firm, it emits more carbon than disposable cups. A paper bottle launched by a Korean cosmetic company is another example. The brand promoted an eco-friendly image with the paper bottle. It, however, turned out that they only changed the label to paper and put the phrase “HELLO, I’M PAPER BOTTLE” on the product. On social media, boycotts appeared from consumers who thought of it as a plastic-free bottle and purchased the product.

As ESG management has begun to be recognized as a necessity, not an option, voices of caution against greenwashing are growing. Excessive marketing to target green consumers and MZ generation leads to environmental destruction. Consumers need to look out to spot greenwashing as many products have been pouring out with the label “eco-friendly” or “sustainable”. We have to remain vigilant against greenwashing.

K-UNIV Reporter

Nahyun Lee

[K-UNIV Report] Plogging : A new environmental fitness trend

HeraldK — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 14:44:14 +0000

The term eco-friendly is used so often these days. It means not harmful to the environment, reducing the environmental impact. As the climate crisis is getting worse and its effects are outrageous, people set great store by protecting the earth and thinking about the environment. This concept is no longer an option, but it has become a necessity in our lives. It goes the same for the MZ generation. Since they are more likely to reflect their political or social beliefs in their actions, an eco-friendly lifestyle is enough to be considered as a new trend. One example is plogging.

You may have seen some posts of people wearing suitable gloves holding rubbish bags on social media. The word plogging is a combination of the English phrase “jogging” and “plocka upp” which is Swedish for picking up. As it implies, it entails stopping to pick up trash while walking or running. It is a fitness trend that originated in Stockholm, Swedish in 2016 and has become increasingly popular around North Europe. In Korea, it first came around 2018 in sports day held around the Han River and has become one of the biggest workout trends. Ploggers are the people who participate in plogging. It takes advantage of improving their health and saving the planet simultaneously. There are also other variations of this activity including walking, biking, hiking, swimming, or whatever exercise you do. The main purpose behind this activity is to make the path you take litter-free, ultimately reducing the impact of waste on the environment.

As Korea had lifted most of its covid-19 restrictions, for example, a time limit at the gym or the speed limit on the treadmill, it has become difficult for many to do indoor exercise in the gym or fitness facilities. Among outdoor activities, running draws attention to people. One of the main reasons they choose it is that it is relatively not expensive and easy for beginners to start. In the case of plogging, it helps to improve muscle conditioning, even burning lots of calories compared to regular running. Some studies have shown that the motion of sitting and standing up to pick up litter consumes about 50 kilocalories of energy by moving their muscles which is more than running. Plogging is the perfect sport for the people like the MZ generation who set their heart on their health and the environment.

People feel satisfied seeing the streets and parks clean right away after plogging. They can share their experience, posting their plogging with a hashtag on social media. It can spur others to join in this play and do green activities, even leading to a relay challenge. It actually matches with the new lifestyle of the MZ generation, which is that people get a sense of accomplishment by setting small goals and putting themselves into practice consistently. It can also be a social exercise such as running crews that focus on plogging and jogging. By running together, you can share the same goal with various people, encouraging each other. Recently, many local governments and companies are also conducting plogging campaigns. Their desire to make a good impact on the world motivates the voluntary participation of others around them. Plogging is more of a spontaneous culture play.

You can run alone or in a group, in the early morning or after work. You can even choose near the park, ocean, mountain or whatever place you want. How about joining in plogging and being a plogger with them?

Nahyun Lee

K-UNIV Reporter

Ecoin Energy, Inc. in the front of the plastic waste recycling

HeraldK — Fri, 30 Jul 2021 00:37:14 +0000

Plastic waste has become a major global challenge. The amount of plastic waste continues to surge. Around 250 million metric tons of plastics are dumped each year. Only 20 percent of the waste is recycled. As the global population is cognizant that more plastic waste should be recycled overall, plastic cycling technology is getting more and more advanced and innovative. The pyrolysis technology, which is noteworthy these days, turns plastic waste into a secondary raw material called pyrolysis oil.

Global leading companies in the green energy industry have sprung up to take the lead in waste plastic recycling. Brightmark Energy, a San Francisco-based renewable energy development company, branched out from RNG into plastic recycling by taking a majority stake in Ohio-based RES Polyflow. It began plans to launch a 100,00-ton-a-year commercial-scale plastic-scrap-to-fuel facility in Ashley, Indiana. BASF (Bandische Anilin- und SodaFarbik) from Germany launched the ChemCycling project, working with partners — Quantafuel, New Energy, and Pyrum — to further develop the pyrolysis technology.

About 0.1 percent of recycled plastics are converted to reusable oil with the adoption of pyrolysis technology. As the Ministry of Environment in South Korea formed a task-force to popularize pyrolysis recycling and announced to increase the conversion rate to up to 10 percent by 2030, some swift moves are seen in the industry scene.

Mr. Lee, the CEO of Ecoin Energy

Ecoin Energy, Inc. is a startup which specializes in manufacturing pyrolysis liquefaction equipment, named TMR-4kC. It is a waste plastic pyrolysis emulsification device which can be moved. With this machine, you can get high quality refined fuel oil which can be used as non-condensed gas and heating fuel. It can lower the recycling price up to 80% lower and increase oil conversion yield up to 2 times compared to existing facilities.

Because waste synthetic resins are manufactured from dozens of different properties and discarded in mixed form, they are very difficult to fuel compared to a single property. Based on accumulated technology, TMR-4kC treats mixed combustible waste generated by various properties in batches to produce economically and practically pyrolysis fuel oil. The machine can break down waste plastic up to five tons a day.

Mr. Lee is showing the pyrolysis fuel oil.

As combined with the advanced Internet of Things (IoT) technology, it is also possible to remotely monitor the thermal decomposition process and install air quality measuring instruments to prepare for six harmful gases such as fine dust generated in the process. If TMR4K is distributed nationwide, it will be able to reduce waste disposal costs by more than 340 million won annually.

EcoIn Energy, Inc. signed MOU with SK Innovation and Korea Midland Power Co. Ltd. in December last year to utilize waste plastic regeneration oil. Through the agreement, it is developing technical equipment for eco-friendly disposal of waste plastic and efficient resourceization, and is pushing for high quality production to distribute production markets. The company plans to keep pace with the policy of revitalizing the domestic waste plastic pyrolysis business that the Ministry of Environment is recently pushing forward.

“We will create a new paradigm for the existing waste plastic treatment technology that has been dependent on incineration and landfill,” CEO In Lee said. “We will contribute to the government’s environment and energy circulation policy by fueling waste and supplying renewable energy with petrochemical fuel.”

Matthew Kwak

Asia Journal

▲ Ecoin Energy, Inc.

▲ CEO : In Lee

▲ http://www.ecoinenergy.com

▲ ecoinenergy@ecoinenergy.com

▲ +82-42-935-5159

‘Purisoo’ is not just your everyday tumbler

HeraldK — Tue, 16 Jan 2018 23:55:32 +0000

Water is a natural resource that is easily taken granted for. It is a vital source of life and helps us function throughout our daily lives by keeping us energetic and hydrated. Not having enough water can leave us ill, parched, and lethargic. People are constantly carrying around plastic water bottles and disposing them without proper care; this can be avoided if they can just have accessible water everywhere they go, but that itself can be difficult. However, U2 System, a South Korean company, has revolutionized the generic portable water tumbler through their newest product of interest.

‘Purisoo’ is more than just a tumbler; it also acts as a portable water purifier. The user can use it to store water conveniently to drink from at any given time. The pump inside the tumbler purifies water from any source, whether it’s from a sink, a river, or an outdoor water fountain. It’s easy for people to be skeptical about water from different sources due to water pollution. Now, they can feel comfortable and secure in drinking water from almost anywhere and carrying around that purified water in a sleek tumbler.

U2 System aims to release this product in communities with poor living conditions, including third-world countries. This revolutionizes the idea of products being both convenient and environmentally friendly. U2 System has always been designing products that not only benefit a certain demographic, but all over the world; their main focus has always been combining smart future technology with eco-friendly values. Again, with people constantly going out of their way to buy disposable plastic water bottles, U2 System has made it a mission to create a product that can reduce plastic waste and promote the idea of reusing resources.

▲   U2 System, Inc.
▲   Brand Name: Purisoo
▲   CEO: Jae-hyun Choi
▲   www.u2system.co.kr
▲   E-mail: choi2000@u2system.co.
▲   T: +82- 2-561-4986

Julie Kim
K-Herald Korea
(Los Angeles Times Advertising Supplement)

Published in Jan.16th 2018