[Jihye Choi's Trend 2023] Wanting to Create a Harmless Earth... Consumption as Belief

Nike's Reusable Shopping Bag Innovation
A Fashion Item Popular Among the MZ Generation
Zero-Waste Cafe 'Earths'
A Hot Spot for Eco-Conscious Trendsetters
MZ Generation's Consumption Equals Personal Belief
Eco-Friendliness as a Hip Cultural Code
To Appeal to Future Consumers
Brands Must Embrace Eco-Friendliness as Core Value

In April 2023, news spread that a new product would be launched by Nudeike. Nudeike is a dessert brand created by Gentle Monster. True to the dessert brand made by Gentle Monster, which has always led trends with experimental spaces and marketing ideas, Nudeike's cakes and desserts have been at the center of attention, and the new product also attracted interest. The new menu is called the ‘Burse Cake’. While its pristine white appearance was beautiful in its simplicity, the more intriguing fact was that it used edible candles. On top of the white cake sheet, there are egg-shaped chocolate candies placed. The Burse Cake started from the question, ‘Why must candles be discarded after celebrating a birthday?’

Recently, eco-friendliness has become essential for brands targeting the 20s and 30s generation. A representative example is Nike. These days, you can often see people carrying eco-bags with the Nike ‘Swoosh’ logo on a white background over their shoulders. This is a reusable bag introduced by Nike in 2021. Originally designed as a shopping bag to reduce the use of paper bags for carrying purchased items, it has recently become explosively popular. YouTube videos showing how to reform reusable shopping bags into messenger bags or crossbody styles have recorded high views, and the rare designs of reusable bags provided only at Nike’s Hongdae store are even sold at a premium in secondhand markets.

Earths, Korea’s first zero-waste cafe, is also famous among hipsters practicing eco-friendliness. Earths is known for its cakes made with seasonal ingredients, but if you want to take out, you must bring your own packaging container. At first, it was criticized as unfriendly. However, people who appreciated the owner’s heart for the environment started spreading the word. Now, photos of various reusable containers such as square kimchi containers, glass side dish containers, and wide pots are filling social networking services (SNS).

Heumbarket, located in Haebangchon, makes food from imperfect agricultural products with somewhat reduced marketability. Cauliflower with mold at the edges or dark discoloration is transformed into a stylish salad, and apples with bruises here and there are thinly sliced and made into pasta noodles. You can also purchase agricultural products with somewhat reduced marketability, which are wrapped in newspaper. Consumers can avoid creating waste in the entire process of eating food and purchasing ingredients. The important point is that although it is a kind of market selling agricultural products, it does not look like a neighborhood mart. Vegetables displayed in wooden boxes, crooked handwritten signs, and a wide, stylish space exude a strong European vibe. In fact, Heumbarket has many reviews saying that photos come out well or that it feels like a European farmers’ market.

The number of brands using what was once considered waste as materials for new products is also increasing. A representative upcycling brand, Nugak, released a messenger bag recycled from the Gwanghwamun billboard material in collaboration with Kyobo Life Insurance. The bag strap is said to be recycled from car seat belts. Due to the nature of the materials, each product has a different design and color, allowing customers to purchase a one-of-a-kind bag. Vegan fashion brand Marhen.J introduced the Quartz Bag in early 2022, made from pure pulp extracted from the fibers of apple peels discarded after making jam, juice, and so on. The Quartz Bag was so popular that over 10,000 units were sold within a month of its release.

Why are brands interested in eco-friendliness? The most important background is that environmental problems are becoming increasingly serious day by day. The international environmental organization Global Footprint Network announces the ‘Earth Overshoot Day’ every January 1st. ‘Earth Overshoot Day’ refers to the day when humanity’s ecological footprint exceeds the Earth’s capacity to regenerate ecological resources within a year. While Earth Overshoot Day was December 25 in 1971, it has been getting earlier and earlier, reaching July 28 last year. This means that humanity is consuming resources at an increasingly faster rate.

Moreover, consumers have become more sensitive to environmental issues compared to the past. Especially, the younger generation who will lead future trends is more environmentally sensitive than older generations. The MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z), who regard climate crisis and environment as major life values, is called the MZeco (MZ + Eco) generation. Since they are both victims of the climate crisis and the ones who will live the longest on Earth, environmental issues are a matter of ‘survival’ for the MZeco generation. According to a Nielsen Korea survey, the number of zero-waste practice certifications by the MZ generation increased 8.4 times in 2022 compared to 2019.

Furthermore, it is important that eco-friendliness itself is becoming a hip cultural code. In modern capitalism, consumption means identity. Especially for the MZ generation, consumption is not just buying things but a means of meaning out (meaning + coming out) to express their beliefs. Zero waste, vegetarianism, and recycling are not only objects of consumption but also symbols expressing lifestyles. Eco-friendly consumption becomes a subject of SNS certification and a source of pride.

Now, every brand must consider how to incorporate eco-friendliness into their brand value. Additionally, to appeal to future consumers, there is a greater challenge in not confining the environment to slogans, declarations, responsibilities, and ethics. Eco-friendliness as a lively and hip play. When it is light and easy but based on genuine sincerity, it can be chosen by consumers who regard eco-friendliness as cool. Environmental activist David Brower once pointed out the importance of environmental protection by saying, ‘You can’t do anything on a dead planet.’ This means that if the market collapses due to the climate crisis and social problems, no one can continue business. We hope that the efforts of brands aiming for harmless consumption and the choices of consumers will lead to positive results.

Jihye Choi, Research Fellow, Consumer Trend Analysis Center, Seoul National University

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