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Korea is one of the few countries where you can enjoy the changes of seasons over time because of its four distinctive seasons. To relish the autumn trees dressed up in gold, the Korea Forest Service publishes a map of the peak autumn leaves at the end of every September for people to go to the so-called ‘Maple Festival’ to appreciate the magnificent view. Although it may vary depending on the region and tree species, the autumn leaves began in late October this year, without fail. Particularly this fall, COVID-19 has subsided to some extent with eased social distancing, many people visited mountains and valleys to see autumn leaves. The New Trend of Highway Service Area When you are on the road to see the autumn leaves, visiting the ‘highway service area’ is a must. Starting 1971 with the Chupungryeong Service Area, the very first Korea’s highway service area, there are a total of 207 highway service areas currently operating across Korea. The winner of 2007 Korean Architecture Awa...

Greenwashing is deeply intertwined in many areas than we think. Last year, the International Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN) found about 40% among 500 websites surveyed were misleading consumers with vague and ambiguous descriptions such as ‘eco’, ‘sustainable’ and ‘natural.’ How about containers and packaging? The purpose of packaging is to protect and preserve the contents of the product. Surely, the design on the packaging attracts consumers by showing the features of the product and exceptional container that is made with exceptional materials directly affects the sales. As we can see, packaging of a product plays a big role in marketing. So, let’s take a look at some greenwashings in the world of packaging. Dilemma of Cosmetics Container We often go to the mall to buy a gift on a special occasion for someone special. Even before you test them, you find yourself mesmerized by the upscale cosmetics with luxurious packaging or containers displayed under the lighting. The...

For a long time, greenwashing has been one of the marketing strategies that improves the company’s image which is directly linked to the profit of a company. Subsequently, those companies should be censured not only for disrupting the eco-friendly market and adversely affecting the environment, but also for treachery of deceiving and taking advantage of the pure intentions behind those who pursue eco-friendly consumption, which is morality bankrupt. Regardless of its size, companies greenwash their product and by surprise, it is not hard to see these cases among global companies. Companies always announce eco-friendliness plans every year, and the year before, and the year before that, and many years before that as well. And there is a high chance of announcing it again for next year and the year after, and so on. Announcing future plans without apparent consequences but consistently launching events and campaigns to delude consumers and benefit from influencing the industry is a clear...

‘Wish not for more or less, may it always be like Chuseok.’ Chuseok, Korean Thanksgiving Day, is the biggest holiday in Korea where you share and appreciate the year’s harvests with your family, friends and colleagues on the day of the biggest and brightest full moon of the year. It may have different names and dates for countries around the world, there will be a holiday where you celebrate with your loved ones. During this holiday, people in Korea, it is a custom to exchange gifts with family, friends and colleagues as a way to express gratitude to one another. However, the amount of packaging that comes with the gift is quite large and made of various materials that waste disposal is a huge burden on society. The look of gift sets changed over time The economic prosperity of the 1980s affected the consumer market, hence the beginning of the Chuseok gifts sets market, which was composed of various canned foods, toiletry products, and cooking oil sets. Since the mid-1980s as the econ...

Last July, a lawsuit was filed in a New York federal court against a fashion brand H&M by a New York resident Chelsea Commodore, who argues lots of H&M’s products under the label of “Conscious Collection” are greenwashing the consumers with its products’ misinformed environmental scorecards. She also criticized that ‘most of the products of H&M that are claimed to be sustainable are misrepresented.’ However, a representative of H&M said this is due to technical differences and there is no further comment. A global business news organization Quartz has published an article regarding how more than half of the environmental scorecards H&M used to promote sustainability informed the consumers with higher than the actual sustainability or even opposite of what it really is. As a response to this article, H&M has suspended the use of the scorecard. Youth activists protest against fast fashion <Creative Commons; Pursuit website, University of Melbourne> In this...

Have you ever heard about MEANING OUT? ‘Meaning out’ is a portmanteau word that consists of the words ‘meaning’ and ‘coming out.’ This is to express personal beliefs or values through consumption which is spreading among MZ generations who want to make a meaningful impact on the society and the environment. According to the 2021 KB Financial Group’s Trend Report, 5 out of 10 (55.6%) consumers responded that the best way to practice eco-friendly is through ‘consumption.’ This result shows that all generations are in transition from materialistic consumption to value-oriented consumption. <KB Financial Group Trend Report> To make eco-friendly consumption, we need eco-friendly products and stores. So, let’s go on a journey to get to know about the Green Products and the Green Market. What is the Green Product and Green Market? Article 2 (5) of the「Framework Act on Low Carbon, Green Growth」 states that, a Green Product is a product that minimizes the use of energy resources and th...