제 10 호 Eco-Friendly Soap, Reborn – Zero-Waste Trend
Kicker: LIFE (ECO-FRIENDLY)
Eco-Friendly Soap, Reborn
– Zero-Waste Trend
By Eugene Ha, Reporter
Do you know the recent entertainment program "Yoon's Stay"? Yoon's Stay is about Korean celebrities serving food to while tourists who are visiting Korea and staying at a hanok. Special types of shampoo and toothpaste were provided to guests here. Solid toothpaste and paper-wrapped shampoo in glass bottles, not ordinary plastic containers, have become a hot topic. Environmental soap has been an issue in Korea since recent years. Recently, it has been talked about in connection with the zero-waste movement to use eco-friendly products. Let's find out why eco-friendly products and, environmental soaps have become an issue and what the zero-waste trend is like.
TvN's ‘Yoon’s Stay’ recently ended with a reality program for foreign guests who enjoy the Korean atmosphere in a hanok. Yoon’s Stay's amenities, which appeared in the first episode, brought great attention. Solid eco-friendly shampoo, body wash and toothpaste started as somewhat unfamiliar but meaningful items. They are placed in a glass bottle without a tube container or plastic container. It became a hot topic as much as the beautiful old houses and neat Korean food.
▲TvN program, Yoon’s Stay's amenities
As the number of voluntary plastic-free users has increased recently, soap has been newly highlighted. Most liquid sanitizer containers are plastic, but soap simplifies packaging by using paper, etc., and there is no plastic waste left after using it up.
Commercialization of Solid Soap
Solid soap, which was used as a popular cleaning agent in the past, has given way to liquid cleaners such as shampoo, body wash, and cleansing foam by function since the 1990s. There's also a bad perception that people who don't care about their skin use this soap because it's a bit cheap. However, as the category "hand-made soap" was created a few years ago, the price and quality of the product have increased, and some people have been using soap.
Recently, more and more people choose this solid soap because plastic waste is not emitted. In particular, people in their 20s and 30s have seen a movement to minimize plastic in their daily lives, and soap has begun to draw attention as an environmental alternative to liquid sanitizers.
The eco-friendly brand 'Aromatica' introduced four types of soap bars late last year in line with consumer demands for solid soap. According to brand officials, demand for shampoo bars has increased in particular.
▲ The eco-friendly brand Aromatica’s soap bars
The Reason for the Increased Demand for Soap.
First, the quality of the soap itself. Unlike the old soap, soap with abundant foam and no pull after use was made, applying technology such as making soap with food ingredients and compressing liquid ingredients as it is.
Second, there is a hot issue about zero-waste. No matter how much the quality has improved, it is true that it is uncomfortable compared to liquid cleaners. It is easy to soften and hygienically manage in humid bathrooms. Nevertheless, the increasing number of people choosing soap means that the zero-waste fever is hot enough to bear the inconvenience.
What is Zero-Waste?
Zero-waste refers to the preservation of all resources through responsible production, consumption, reuse and recovery, without burning all products, packaging and materials, without discharging them into the land, oceans, or air that could threaten the environment or human health.A few years ago, the zero-waste challenge, which reduces waste generation, was popular in everyday life.
Less waste, a similar term, refers to eco-friendly values or lives that reduce unnecessary waste emissions to protect the environment, which is a little easier to challenge than zero-waste. It is difficult not to discharge any waste right now. So we call it zero-waste, but it's actually more of a less-waste.
▲ Zero-waste
How To Do in Daily Life
- Refusing things you don't need:
You must refuse disposable straws or spoon paper cups provided for the packaging of beverages or food. Nowadays, many people write down a lot as a requirement when delivering.
- Use item for a long time
- Think twice before buying something
- Good recycling
- Recycling abandoned things
Many companies, including McDonald's, which removed straws, AmorePacific, which introduced refill stations, Iris, which removed vinyl labels, and Starbucks, which replaced existing straws with paper straws, are already participating in the zero-waste challenge for the environment. As clean beauty and vegan beauty become issues, many companies are participating in zero-waste, with beauty brands gradually reusing packages.
Solid soap is receiving a lot of attention due to zero-waste and has recently become a hot topic due to a program. Not only this, but a number of other eco-friendly movements are slowly settling in with us. Recently, many people have a lot of eco-friendly values. If you didn't know about the zero-waste movement, let's take this opportunity to find out and join together because it seems to be a trend that we should continue to pursue. Why don't we start with something simple?
