Korea P&G: "Life Cycle Assessment Essential for Sustainable Environment"

LCA Explanation Press Briefing in Jung-gu, Seoul on the 25th
Efforts in Product Development... Improving Consumer Awareness

On the 25th, P&G presented a new approach called 'Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)' as the direction to move towards a sustainable environment.

Executive Director Yeh Hyun-sook of Korea P&G's External Cooperation Headquarters is introducing Korea P&G's LCA at a press briefing held on the 25th in Jung-gu, Seoul.
[Photo by Moon Hye-won, Asia Economy]

Korea P&G held the '2023 Korea P&G Environmental Sustainability Press Conference' at the Masil Community in Myeongdong, Jung-gu, Seoul, introducing LCA, P&G's efforts, and practical measures for general consumers.

LCA is an approach that measures and evaluates the environmental impacts occurring at each stage of a product's entire process, including ▲raw materials ▲procurement ▲manufacturing ▲packaging ▲transportation ▲usage ▲disposal, and works to improve them. It is comprehensive compared to existing environmental discussions because it looks at the entire product life cycle, allowing identification of the most critical stages for improvement and focusing on solving them effectively.

Korea P&G announced 'Net Zero 2040,' aiming for 'net zero greenhouse gas emissions' by 2040, and is making efforts from the LCA perspective to achieve this goal.

A representative example of LCA is the 'Downy Deep Clean Laundry Detergent.' This product has excellent cold water cleaning power, enabling up to 90% energy savings compared to hot water washing, and it saves water by leaving no residue even when reducing the rinsing stage.

Ye Hyun-seok, Executive Director of External Cooperation at Korea P&G, who gave the presentation that day, said, “To respond more practically to the climate crisis, it is important to evaluate and make efforts on environmental impacts from the LCA perspective, which looks at the entire product process. As a global company manufacturing daily necessities used by consumers every day, P&G will continuously provide information on how small actions in daily life can create meaningful changes and work together with consumers and various stakeholders.”

A consumer survey on environmental sustainability conducted by P&G in the U.S. from December last year to March this year, targeting 16,360 adults in 10 countries including Korea, found that 69% of Korean consumers (multiple responses allowed) identified climate change and global warming as serious environmental issues, and 66% pointed to single-use plastic waste. The number of Korean consumers surveyed was 1,086.

In Canada, the U.S., and Hungary, climate change, global warming, and water pollution were ranked first or second, while in China, single-use plastic waste was identified as the most serious problem.

Korean consumers cited plastic recycling (86%, multiple responses allowed) as the most actively practiced eco-friendly activity.

The response rates for turning off power, using reusable shopping bags, and reducing shower time were lower than the overall average. In particular, only 36% reported using tumblers, the lowest among the 10 countries surveyed.

81% of Korean consumers expressed a willingness to 'change their lifestyle to be more eco-friendly,' and 65% responded that they have actually 'changed their lifestyle to be more eco-friendly.'

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