[Report] Touch and Taste... "Find the Best Eco-Friendly Product" Green Award of the Year

Green Award Consumer Voting Event of the Year
Touch and Taste Directly... Active Questions
Consumers Experience and Promote Green Products
Companies Receive Immediate Feedback and Preferences

Consumers are voting on-site at the '2022 Korea Green Product of the Year'.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] "The ingredients are good, but is there any differentiation in design compared to other products?" "Does this product use recyclable packaging?"

On the afternoon of the 12th, starting at 1 PM, the Riverside Hotel in Seoul hosted the Consumer Voting Event for this year's Green Awards. The event aimed to select this year's green products that satisfy consumers in terms of price and design while promoting eco-friendliness. Sixty companies participated in this event. From padding made with eco-friendly materials, bamboo toothbrushes, biodegradable trash bags and sanitary gloves, to major companies like Samsung, LG, and LX Hausys showcasing eco-friendly products focused on energy saving and resource circulation.

Participating companies had 4 minutes to brief the consumer evaluation panel and answer questions. The panel, ranging in age from their 20s to 70s, listened to explanations while touching the product materials with their hands, and even tried consumable products such as biotin drinks. Beyond just viewing the products, they took detailed notes on iPads, notebooks, and evaluation sheets while listening. The consumer panel selected this year's green products through eco-friendly evaluations considering which elements were reduced below standard and which new elements were applied, as well as product evaluations assessing whether the green concept was well reflected in the product and price.

Among the consumer panel, Lee Jangwoo, a university student in his 20s majoring in environmental engineering, told Asia Economy, "It was a time to see firsthand how much companies' eco-friendly technologies have advanced. While carbon reduction is important, I think the start of eco-friendliness lies in what materials are used. I will evaluate products based on this."

Mr. Kim, in his 40s, said, "This year's Green Award participating companies seem to focus a lot on resource circulation, such as recycling waste plastics. I feel that companies have started to align more with ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance). I am looking at whether the product focuses on the environment and also whether I, as a consumer, would buy this product."

Mr. Jung, in his 60s, who participates every year, said, "Since this is the first offline event after COVID-19, it's great to see and experience the products in person. In the past, there was a prejudice that eco-friendly products would lack competitiveness in design or price, but the products this time do not seem to fall behind at all."

Consumers are listening to company product presentations at the '2022 Korea Green Product of the Year' event held at Seoul Riverside Hotel.

Companies also saw the event as an opportunity to receive feedback from consumers on site. A representative from Reground, which showcased biodegradable plastic bags, said, "We sent products to the consumer panel in advance to try them out. Since they share their feedback after using them on site, we think it's a good opportunity to refer to consumer reactions."

Large corporations also continue to participate steadily. LG Electronics, which has participated since 2010, showcased water purifiers using recycled plastics this year.

An LG Electronics representative said, "When developing products, it is not easy to hear consumers' voices, but being able to hear them on site and reflect them in product development is the best part. The consumer panel is composed of people very interested in eco-friendliness, so they ask detailed questions such as what refrigerants are used in air conditioners. We sometimes get ideas through the Q&A process."

A representative from LX Hausys, which showcased eco-friendly insulation and flooring materials, said, "It is the company's duty for sustainable management to continuously participate and check what consumers think and what inconveniences they feel. We receive various questions ranging from eco-friendly topics to whether pollution occurs during use."

The Green Awards will continue to encourage companies and consumers to keep pace with the 'green wave.' Yang Jian, Secretary General of the Korea Green Purchasing Network, which hosted the event, explained, "The purpose is for companies to join the eco-friendly trend and to promote eco-friendly consumption by informing consumers about green products." The green products selected through voting on this day will be announced at the end of this month, with an awards ceremony at the end of August and an exhibition in November.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.