The Korean beauty industry is taking a step towards sustainability with its eco-friendly campaigns and products in honor of Earth Day. With "Value conscious comsumption" becoming more mainstream, where consumers choose products based on their ethical beliefs, eco-friendliness has become a top priority for consumers.
According to a survey conducted among 700 Korean consumers, 87.3% of respondents said they would be willing to purchase products with eco-friendly containers under the same conditions. With this in mind, the beauty industry is implementing various eco-friendly activities to promote "green beauty," making it easy for anyone to participate in eco-friendly consumption.
One Korean brand has initiated the "Empty Bottle Collection Campaign" in collaboration with TerraCycle, a global recycling innovation company, to collect used cosmetic bottles. The campaign aims to create a new resource from plastic empty bottles that are often discarded even though they can be recycled. It is an annual campaign that is receiving a positive response, as anyone can easily participate.
The brand continues to engage in ESG management by presenting various eco-friendly campaigns. Existing cosmetic containers and packaging materials have been replaced with eco-friendly materials and redesigned to facilitate recycling. Efforts like using low-carbon tubes that can reduce carbon emissions have increased the ratio of products that can be separately discharged based on the original product to 80% as of September last year. In addition, the brand launched a new clean beauty brand that aims for sustainable beauty.
The brand spokesperson said, "Based on the brand philosophy of 'making everyone's skin healthy,' we are trying to introduce cosmetics that are healthy for both our customers' skin and the planet."
Another Korean brand is taking sustainability to another level by applying eco-friendly cosmetic containers made of 100% waste plastic pyrolysis oil to their products. While chemically recycled PET (CR-PET) is still used as water containers, this brand is the first to sell cosmetics in a container made entirely from waste plastic pyrolysis oil.
Korean beauty brands are setting an example for the industry, promoting eco-friendly beauty while encouraging consumers to participate in eco-friendly consumption. With increasing awareness of the impact of plastic waste on the environment, eco-friendly campaigns and products are becoming more necessary than ever. It is heartening to see Korean beauty brands leading the way in promoting sustainability and eco-friendliness in the industry.
