[New Normal New Consumption Trend] Upcycling Recycling Responding to the Climate Crisis "Embracing Nature"

Emergency Action 'Upcycling' Depicting the Coexistence of Nature, Animals, and Humans

Photo by Greenpeace

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Jeong-hwa] Starving polar bears rummage through fishermen's trash bins, and hundreds of reindeer die in herds from starvation.

According to Greenpeace Seoul Office on the 2nd, the Australian wildfires that lasted for a staggering six months burned an area of 124,000 square kilometers, larger than the land area of South Korea, and claimed the lives of over one billion wild animals, including about 60,000 koalas that could not evacuate in time. Professor Chris Dickman of the Ecology Department at the University of Sydney estimated that when including insects and other creatures, approximately 240 billion animals were forcibly cremated.

This was the tragedy experienced by wildlife due to climate change caused by global warming while humanity was in chaos from the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in 2020.

South Korea is no exception. It recorded the highest heatwave in 2018 and broke the record for the longest monsoon season last year, revealing unprecedented climate patterns. It did not take long for climate change to escalate into such a climate crisis. Environmental pollution emits greenhouse gases that accelerate global warming, which in turn causes abnormal weather such as wildfires, floods, heatwaves, and typhoons, collapsing ecosystems. Now, climate change is not just about changing weather but has become a survival issue that undermines the foundation of humanity.

Since the Industrial Revolution, human desires have raised the Earth's average temperature by 1 degree Celsius over 100 years. This is 25 times faster than the natural 4-degree rise over 10,000 years. Only 0.5 degrees remain before reaching the margin for human survival.

As of 11:30 AM on February 2, 2021, 'The Countdown 2º Clock'. (Source=MCC Berlin)

The Carbon Clock of MCC Berlin Research Institute indicates 6 years and 24 years as of 11:30 AM on February 2, 2021.

The Carbon Clock by MCC (Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change) Berlin counts global carbon dioxide emissions per second and shows the remaining time to reach an average global temperature increase of 2 degrees Celsius and 1.5 degrees Celsius. The clearly displayed number 6 years represents the recoverable remaining time, and 24 years indicates the time left until human extinction. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) prediction figures released in 1990 for global warming are astonishingly still following the worst-case scenario even after 30 years.

South Korea's carbon emissions have increased by 2% over the past 20 years. Unlike OECD countries that are reducing carbon dioxide emissions, South Korea is growing in the opposite direction. This is why South Korea, along with Australia, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia, is called one of the world's four major climate villains. Of course, last year the government declared '2050 Carbon Neutrality (Net-Zero)' following the global Green New Deal. Some companies in the industrial and distribution sectors are gradually trying to innovate by switching packaging materials to eco-friendly ones, replacing colored plastics with transparent ones, and upcycling recycled materials. However, it is still insufficient to escape the international label of 'four major climate villains.'

Wang Jong-mi, CEO of Pleatsmama, who successfully launched the Eco Collection through the 'Regen Jeju' campaign with Jeju City last year, shared in an interview with this publication her thoughts on the domestic resource circulation system and future challenges as a leading company practicing resource circulation.

CEO Wang said, "Collecting waste plastic and turning it into high-quality fibers to make products requires multiple stages of supply chains and various processes. Each operating entity in this process must have clear incentives for the system to function properly. In the past, the resource circulation system operated under subsidies, which resulted in downcycling due to the low quality of recycled resources." She added, "For genuine upcycling toward carbon neutrality, each entity must gain a certain level of economic benefit within the supply chain to enable voluntary participation. Also, overcoming the market prejudice and stereotype that upcycled products are of lower quality and cheaper price is a challenge," pointing out the practical problems of recycling.

She continued, "Minimizing carbon emissions and environmental pollution in all recycling processes is very important, but awareness of this is still lacking. At Pleatsmama, to address this, we started localization of recycling beginning with Jeju Island to minimize carbon emissions caused by raw material transportation, and used zero-waste methods to minimize waste generation. Additionally, we strive for true recycling by maximizing product usage periods through indefinite free A/S (after-sales service)." She also revealed plans for this year's resource circulation project, saying, "'Regen Seoul' is being prepared following 'Regen Jeju.' We plan to present a new collection infused with Pleatsmama's 'Look Chic, Be Eco' sensibility using Seoul's waste plastic."

Pleatsmama's 'Notebook Pouch', Casetify's 'Eco Phone Case', Eco's 'Shopper Bag', Mulberry's 'Photobello Bag'

Pleatsmama's 'Laptop Pouch' recycled from waste plastic discarded in Jeju Island, CaseTiFY's 'Eco Phone Case' upcycled from recycled materials, Eco's 'Shopper Bag' upcycled from leftover leather from leather tanneries, and luxury house Mulberry's resource circulation 'Portobello Bag'

Although a few companies are operating decarbonized production systems like these, global warming cannot be delayed by the actions of a few. The 'New Normal' that we living on this precarious Earth due to the pandemic and climate anomalies must immediately be realized by the nation, companies, and citizens acting together as one. Only when the government, companies, and consumers act in unison can climate crisis response be realized. To prevent further damage to the land where our children will live, the government and companies must act for just implementation, and consumers must take interest and quickly adapt to decarbonized daily life to ensure the government and companies continue emergency actions.

Photo planning = Reporter Kim Hee-young, Photography = Reporter Kim Tae-yoon