Achieving Carbon Neutrality... Support Needed for Busan Environmental Companies in Funding, Technology, and Workforce Development

Announcement of Survey Results by the Busan Green Environment Support Center at Pukyong National University

According to a survey conducted by the Busan Green Environment Support Center at Pukyong National University among 285 Busan citizens and environmental industry workers, 98% responded that carbon neutrality is necessary, and over 60% answered that carbon neutrality is needed to respond to climate crises such as global warming.

The center announced on October 14 the results of a survey on the implementation of carbon neutrality and support for environmental industries, which was conducted among participants at the 2024 International Environment & Energy Industry Exhibition held at BEXCO last September.

The survey results showed that the most selected key business area for achieving carbon neutrality was the climate change sector related to global warming (52%), followed by air management and waste management.

For projects that the Busan Metropolitan City and the Busan Green Environment Support Center should focus on or expand to realize carbon neutrality, respondents cited 'corporate practices and participation within Busan (transition to eco-friendly processes, ESG management)' and 'corporate environmental support' as priorities.

In a detailed survey of environmental industry workers (174 respondents), the main difficulties in operating environmental businesses were identified as financial difficulties and lack of technology. Respondents hoped that the government and local authorities would provide support for technology development and facility-related funding to overcome these challenges.

The main obstacles to overseas expansion for environmental businesses were identified as lack of funds (24%), lack of manpower (18%), lack of information on overseas markets (17%), lack of technological capability (16%), and lack of marketing capability (16%). To overcome these, respondents indicated that the most necessary tasks for local governments are support for technology development, marketing support such as export consultation meetings, and provision of information on overseas expansion, in that order.

In addition, the most needed support for corporate ESG management was found to be technical support for process diagnosis and improvement related to the proper management of emission facilities.

Lee Taeyoon, head of the Busan Green Environment Support Center, stated, "Through this survey, we were able to identify the fields and projects necessary for achieving carbon neutrality in Busan. Going forward, the center plans to actively support resolving the difficulties faced by environmental businesses and promoting ESG management."

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