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Evening ESG news and briefings to wrap up your day.
A "Zero-Energy Building (ZEB)" refers to an eco-friendly building that minimizes the building's energy consumption through insulation, high-performance windows and doors, and heat-exchange ventilation systems, and that produces energy directly at the building with new and renewable energy such as solar power, making its actual energy use nearly "zero." In fact, Korea's energy self-sufficiency rate is about 9%, and more than 60% of total power generation relies on coal or fossil fuels. Considering that the OECD average share of fossil-fuel dependence is in the 50% range, we are still a country centered on fossil-fuel energy. To reduce fossil-fuel-energy dependence and realize carbon neutrality, our government is expanding the policy of making zero-energy buildings mandatory in stages.[A symbol of zero-energy buildings ©Zero Energy Building]Zero-Energy Building Certification Standards — When Do They Apply?Originally, Korea was set to apply zero-energy-building certification to private apartments and other multi-family housing from 2024, but in consideration of the construction industry's burden and economic conditions, implementation had been deferred by one year to 2025. According to the rules, from this year, private multi-family housing of 30 or more households and private buildings of 1,000㎡ or more must also meet the standard of zero-energy-building Grade 5. This certification is graded according to the energy self-sufficiency rate: 100% or more is Grade 1, and 20–40% is Grade 5. From late June, private apartments become subject to the mandatory Grade-5-standard zero-energy-building requirement.[The Seoul Energy Dream Center, a case of a zero-energy building ©Zero Energy Building]Higher Initial-Cost Burden and Disputes over Effectiveness Remain Tasks to SolveThe zero-energy-building certification system plays an important role in spreading eco-friendly construction, but there are also several concerns. First, the introduction of high-efficiency materials and new-and-renewable-energy equipment greatly increases initial construction costs, which can be a large burden for small and mid-sized construction firms or individual building owners. Because a zero-energy building must make its energy consumption "zero"—the amount of energy used over a year being equal to, or less than, the amount produced directly at the building—planning is needed from the design stage. For this reason, a realistic problem is that advanced design and construction, efficient operation of equipment, and the cost and capacity for maintenance are all greatly required.Administratively, there are also concerns that the certification procedure is complicated and that additional costs, such as certification fees, arise. In fact, it is pointed out that a considerable number of certified buildings remain at low grades, so there are limits to achieving policy goals. The fact that a post-completion management system meeting the standards has not been established is a part that must be steadily supplemented along with the policy's application going forward.Although there are piles of tasks to solve, zero-energy buildings have the great advantage of minimizing a building's energy consumption and greatly reducing energy costs over the long term. It should also be considered that high-performance insulation, airtightness, and ventilation systems maintain a comfortable indoor environment, which can improve our health and quality of life.Despite the limits, zero-energy buildings are our homework for increasing the share of renewable energy. Accordingly, voices are growing that the effectiveness of eco-friendly construction should be raised by improving the shortcomings and expanding support.Policy Incentives for Energy-Cost-Saving EffectsOf course, the initial investment cost will be somewhat high, but the spread of zero-energy buildings can realize economic benefits through continuous energy-saving effects, and it is a way to be less affected by unstable energy conditions such as electricity-rate increases. The government plans to ease building owners' burden and work to settle the certification system by providing various incentives—such as acquisition-tax and property-tax reductions, floor-area-ratio easing, and financial support—for buildings that have received zero-energy-building certification.Now, ahead of the national goal of carbon neutrality by 2050, the introduction of zero-energy buildings is an option that can realize environmental responsibility and social value at the same time. If policy effectiveness continues to be strengthened, the possibility of achieving carbon neutrality in sustainable cities will also rise. by Editor N
A new paradigm—"sustainable security"—has raised its head. For a long time, global ESG investors treated investment in the defense industry as taboo on the grounds that it was "unethical." In ESG investment governed by sustainability regulations, the defense industry was excluded all the more. However, for reasons such as the prolonged "Russia-Ukraine War" and the ever-present threat of conflict in the Middle East, countries within Europe are showing a movement to re-examine their stance on defense-industry investment. In particular, as Trump's withdrawal from NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) and the possibility of a change in the U.S. defense commitment have come up as topics related to diplomacy and security, Europe is changing the way it views the defense industry—if only as a matter of preparation.The "Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP)"—a global think tank headquartered in Sydney, Australia, with branches in major cities around the world—announced that, as of 2024, the past three years had been the most violent era of the past 30 years. The cost the world spent on war and localized conflict during this period reaches an enormous scale of 14 trillion dollars a year. In 2024, too, global defense spending surged amid growing international threats. Europe's defense spending, including Germany's, rose by as much as 16–17%. Against this backdrop, related stock prices such as European defense-sector ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) have risen sharply, and the re-evaluation of defense investment is also gaining momentum.[Growth trend of Europe's defense-industry ESG funds ©FT (data source: Morningstar Direct)]Defense-Industry Investment: Unethical vs. a Method for Strategic SustainabilityThe defense industry, because of the calamities wrought by "lethal weapons," has long been classified as an unethical sector and excluded from ESG investment. But for the sake of guaranteeing the safety of the nation and society, the defense industry cannot simply be excluded. Currently, European countries, major sovereign wealth funds, and financial supervisory authorities are expressing the perception that the defense industry is not a mere "war industry" but an essential industry for social stability and strategic sustainability. This past March, the UK's Financial Conduct Authority officially announced that "sustainability-related regulations do not prohibit investment in a particular industry." Saying that the decision of whether to invest in defense firms is left to individual financial institutions and investors, it put forward a policy that in effect expands investment in, and financial support for, the defense industry.Not only in the UK but also in Norway, political pressure is growing that restrictions on defense investment hinder national security and economic growth. Norway—which for more than 20 years has banned investment in major defense conglomerates—recently came to discuss easing the rules precisely because it could not ignore this flow of change. Furthermore, the European Union (EU) is discussing measures to classify the defense industry as a "strategic sustainability industry" or to reflect a "contribution to security" in the ESG evaluation system.Domestically, too, the establishment of ESG-management evaluation standards and incentive measures for defense firms is being pushed. Major defense companies such as Hyundai Rotem, Hanwha, and LIG Nex1 are also strengthening ESG management—developing eco-friendly technologies, reducing greenhouse gases, and improving governance.[Growth trend of Europe's defense-industry ESG funds ©FT (data source: Bloomberg)]Restrictions on Inhumane Weapons... Responsible Investment Standards Are NeededThe boundary that had been erected between ESG investment and the defense industry is increasingly likely to be gradually dismantled. Governments and regulators of various countries are easing regulations on financing for the defense industry, and investors, too, are moving in a direction that considers sustainability and security together. That said, the UN Human Rights Council, while acknowledging the re-examination of defense-industry investment, strongly argued that companies that produce or sell "cluster munitions, landmines, and chemical weapons"—inhumane weapons banned under international law—must absolutely be excluded from investment. It also stressed that human-rights due diligence and environmental-impact assessment for the defense industry as a whole are essential.On the other hand, Mollie Thornton, senior investment manager at the UK ESG-focused investment firm "Parmenion," argued that the defense industry should continue to be excluded from investment targets, citing the point that it generates serious ESG risks such as human-rights violations, political instability, and environmental pollution. This is because it is in effect impossible to control the final end-use of the weapons produced through defense-industry investment and the possibility of human-rights violations. She posed a weighty question: "The need for defense is clear. But who can judge who the 'good forces' are? How can investors be sure that weapons will not fall into the hands of the wrong forces?"In this way, global ESG investors and related institutions are trying to break the existing taboo on defense-industry investment, citing the importance of security. Whether this turns out to be the right thing for the better future we hope for will be confirmable only after time passes. Even if the opportunities and scale of defense-industry investment are expanded, the point that—like other industries striving to do so—it must provide sustainable solutions that align with ESG-based ethical values will operate as a key criterion for judgment. by Editor N
"Invention Day" on May 19 was established to commemorate the day King Sejong unveiled to the people the world's first rain gauge, the "cheugugi" (the 23rd year of Sejong's reign, May 19, 1441). The cheugugi, commonly known to have been developed together by Jang Yeong-sil, a scientist and engineer of Joseon, and King Sejong, recently drew additional interest for the fact that it began with an idea from Crown Prince Munjong.["Invention Day" is the day King Sejong unveiled the rain gauge to the world ©ESG.ONL/ESG Today]The history King Sejong left behind makes us realize how significantly "invention"—for the benefit of all people—influences social development. The invention of the rain gauge, going beyond mere scientific and technological progress, brought about innovation and change: the scientization of Joseon's agriculture and the realization of a fair society. On Invention Day, let us look at the achievements of King Sejong—who ran state affairs creatively with a heart that deeply cared for the people—and the essence of the ESG management we pursue today.Building a Sustainable Agricultural Environment Based on Agricultural DataBefore Sejong, there were limits to determining the timing and methods of a year's farming, because rainfall could only be known roughly. But after the introduction of the rain gauge, accurate rainfall data was tallied across all eight provinces of Joseon, and farmers became able to respond scientifically to the weather changes they faced in farming. Surveying technologies introduced along with the rain gauge, such as the "calendrical system,*" also brought innovation to agricultural guidance and irrigation projects. Sejong also set about organizing farmers' experience into science. Breaking away from the practice of relying on China's past agricultural texts, he collected accounts of farmers' experience and compiled "Nongsa Jikseol," an agricultural manual that could be easily referred to when farming in our country. He spread farming methods suited to our climate and soil among the people.• The calendrical system is a method of determining the cycle and timing of a year based on the cycles of celestial bodies.Sejong—who institutionalized weather observation and compiled agricultural information to raise agriculture's sustainability—even reformed the tax system. Because rice was as good as money at the time, it was an important means of paying taxes. Listening directly to the opinions of hard-pressed farmers, Sejong abolished the unfair tax system that had been rampant and introduced the "Gongbeop," a groundbreaking tax system that fairly imposed taxes according to the fertility and productivity of the land, greatly easing the people's tax burden as well.[A rain gauge currently kept by the Korea Meteorological Administration ©JoongAng Ilbo]A Fair and Inclusive Society: Sejong's Protection of the Socially VulnerableSejong carried out various welfare policies to protect the socially vulnerable and build a country where everyone lived well together. In times of famine and disaster, he lent grain through relief systems, and to vulnerable groups such as widowers, widows, orphans, and elderly people living alone, the government distributed grain directly. He actively looked after and supported the people's livelihoods, including lending seeds and food to people whose livelihoods were difficult due to disaster.In finance, too, so that the people would not suffer from the harms of usury, he limited interest rates to within 3% per month and 10% per year and stipulated that the total interest could not exceed the principal. Beyond this, he hired people with disabilities into government posts and granted maternity leave to public slaves—implementing welfare policies so far ahead of their time that they seem striking even compared with today, thus carrying out the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies that this era speaks of.[The Annals of King Sejong ©Annals of the Joseon Dynasty]The "Deliberation System" and Transparency: a Model of GovernanceSejong's rule—which leaves nothing to be desired even when viewed through ESG—also has parts worth examining on the governance side. The "deliberation system" carefully attended to the people's voices through many officials. This "deliberative politics" is quite similar to the concepts of transparent governance, stakeholder participation, and responsible management that today's companies and nations discuss—as seen in the premise that the voices of various classes are reflected in the policy decision-making process, and in fair, transparent procedures.[The statue of King Sejong at Gwanghwamun ©Yeollin Gwangjang]"Politics begins with loving the people. A good system is one suited to its time, and its core is the king's heart toward the people."Sejong's words, left in the Annals of King Sejong, resonate in our hearts amid political and social turmoil. May 15, Teachers' Day, is also King Sejong's birthday. This May, let us reflect on the ESG spirit of King Sejong—a teacher who remains a powerful inspiration as today's Republic of Korea seeks a sustainable future. by Editor N
This past April, the biggest topic in the cultural world was, without question, "Coldplay's" concert in Korea. The concerts of global stars—into which enormous human and material resources are poured and which move large fandoms—also stir controversy for generating large-scale carbon emissions. Yet world-class artists are each realizing ESG in their own original ways, presenting sustainable-development models in the music industry. Let us look at the ESG cases pursued by the British alternative-rock band "Coldplay," which drew attention with its recent visit to Korea; the American singer-songwriter "Billie Eilish," who performed last year; and the Korean girl group "BLACKPINK," which is set for a world tour this year.[Coldplay's Chris Martin singing his heart out during a concert ©Live Nation Korea]A "Sustainable Concert" Completed Through Fans' Participation: ColdplayAs Coldplay's Korea visit drew near, a new campaign began online. It called for making Korea the No. 1 country in return rate by all returning the "Xylo Bands (LED wristbands)" handed out at Coldplay's venues. Coldplay is famous for collecting the wristbands provided at each concert—recycling these glow-stick-function wristbands to reduce resource consumption—and disclosing the return rate. The fandoms of the countries Coldplay visits compete on this indicator, and the previous record high was 97%, set by a concert in Japan. The April Korea concert recorded a 99% return rate—the highest of all Coldplay's concerts—responding to the band's goal of "delivering a concert with no carbon emissions."Including the wristband recycling, Coldplay's exceptional consciousness for sustainability was revealed in various elements of the venue and surprised people. First, once a fan who has decided to attend a Coldplay concert buys a ticket, they are automatically enrolled in "One Ticket, One Tree," a forest-restoration campaign that plants one tree per ticket. Fans who enter the venue participate in producing energy for the concert using the "Kinetic Dance Floor," which creates stage energy directly, and the "Power Bikes," which are bicycle generators. It is a fan-participation eco-friendly energy-production idea that turns the synergy generated when fans and stars meet into physical energy. Part of the power uses solar energy. In addition, Coldplay transparently discloses its tour goals and outcomes and donates 10% of its revenue to a social-contribution fund, creating a special, sustainable concert culture together with fans.[Billie Eilish communicating with fans during a concert ©Brent Ben Hordijk/shutterstock]A Carbon Footprint Reduced Together with the Audience: Billie EilishThe popular pop star "Billie Eilish"—familiar to us as well through exchanges with Korean artists—has been running "Action Village," in partnership with the environmental and social-movement organization "REVERB," at the venues of the world tour she has been holding since last year. Action Village is a space where the audience visiting the venue can directly reflect on and take part in climate action and climate justice. Billie Eilish asked audiences coming to her concerts to join in low-carbonization when traveling, separately providing services such as public-transport and walking guidance linked with Google Maps. She also encouraged the use of tumblers and installed facilities providing drinking water at venues, cutting consumption of about 87,000 plastic water bottles. In this way, Billie Eilish induced fans to practice actions that directly reduce their carbon footprint; during the concert period, she partnered with REVERB to measure carbon-footprint indicators and publicized fans' efforts as an achievement. It can be seen as a positive case of connecting her own influence to social interest in the carbon footprint.[BLACKPINK together with fans at a venue ©YG Entertainment]Adopting a Sustainable-Concert Framework: BLACKPINK"BLACKPINK," a global top girl group in name and reality, has adopted a method of systematically measuring and disclosing greenhouse-gas emissions by tour, based on the "Sustainable Concert Framework" developed at the level of its agency, YG Entertainment. Through the framework, BLACKPINK's concerts quantify carbon emissions arising in various sectors—audience travel, venue energy use, waste treatment, and so on—and establish carbon-reduction strategies. They also strive to spread campaigns and messages to raise awareness of the climate crisis. BLACKPINK considered not only the environmental side but also strove to realize social inclusion—introducing venue-accessibility managers to improve concert access for marginalized groups, and adopting a step-by-step safety-management system.BLACKPINK announced its resumption of group activities with news of a world tour that will begin this July. Let us look forward to the new heights that BLACKPINK's concerts—encompassing the various aspects of ESG—will show.Global artists at home and abroad are, each in their own way, presenting ESG-practice models that combine environmental protection, social responsibility, and transparent governance, leading positive change across the entertainment industry. The efforts of stars and fandoms—who share not only the joy and emotion of music but also responsibility for a sustainable future—will continue to be a new milestone in global concert culture. by Editor N
On April 28, a large-scale blackout occurred, throwing Europe into great chaos. In this outage that struck Western Europe, all of Spain and Portugal and some southern regions of France experienced a cutoff of power supply, and major infrastructure such as transport, communications, and finance was paralyzed. For the transport systems of large cities like Madrid and Barcelona in Spain to stop means that hundreds of thousands of citizens are isolated. Humans, facing a world without electricity, were powerless.[*[Image unavailable: Europe thrown into chaos by the great blackout ©Reuters]*]Was the Cause of the Blackout a Sudden Frequency Change Due to the Climate Crisis?The exact cause of the blackout is currently under official investigation. However, according to experts interviewed by major European media, the expectation is that abnormal climate and the expansion of renewable energy likely acted as causes of this great blackout. First, regarding abnormal climate, attention is on a phenomenon in which the density and pressure of air layers changed abruptly amid recently severe daily temperature ranges in inland Spain. When cold air and warm air mix and atmospheric-molecule activity becomes abnormally active, ultra-low-frequency atmospheric vibrations occur. The analysis is that these vibrations resonated with a 2.8 GW (gigawatt)-class extra-high-voltage power line connecting Spain and France, shaking the transmission lines. Weight is placed on the possibility that this sudden change in frequency vibration automatically shut down the power system, which must maintain a constant frequency.[*[Image unavailable: Citizens shine their phone lights in a supermarket to hurriedly buy groceries ©Reuters]*]Or Was It a Problem with the Renewable-Energy System?There is also analysis linking the Western European blackout to the expansion of renewable energy. As the share of renewable-energy generation such as solar and wind within Europe has recently risen, problems can arise in the real-time control of the power grid. Among the countries where the blackout occurred, Spain relies on solar and wind energy for 60% of its energy and Portugal for 80%—so high is their dependence on renewable energy. The "energy storage system (ESS)," which stores and supplies renewable energy, is supposed to play the role of stabilizing the power supply when grid frequency changes abruptly, but there is also a possibility that the ESS in these regions could not produce a sufficient response speed. An imbalance—the ESS deployment rate lagging relative to the pace at which renewable energy is expanding in southwestern Europe—can also be a cause of the problem.[*[Image unavailable: Citizens wait inside a station as subway operations are suspended ©Reuters]*]Concerns over the "Energy Island" of the Iberian Peninsula: the Chaos the Great Blackout Left BehindThe great blackout caused social and economic shock to the European continent at the same time. With banks and electronic-payment systems paralyzed, all commerce stopped. With the internet and communications cut off, smooth emergency-rescue requests and the provision of medical services also became impossible, and citizens had to experience anxiety beyond merely being unable to carry on daily life. In particular, there was an accident in which more than 100 trains of Spain's state railway made emergency stops, trapping some 35,000 passengers in the cars for about six hours. At airports, too, hundreds had to tremble in fear, stranded on the runway. International events such as the Madrid Open tennis tournament were immediately postponed. The economic loss of the great blackout, in which such incidents continued, is estimated at up to 7.3 trillion won (4.5 billion euros). Europe's GDP fell by 0.1%, and the cost of production disruptions from the paralysis of corporate activity was added on top.Eighteen hours after the outage began, 99% of the power grid was restored and citizens cheered the return of electricity, but the weakened grid connectivity and the inadequate renewable-energy management system of the Iberian Peninsula—isolated as an "energy island" due to its geographic position at the far end of Europe's power grid—remained as problems to be solved.Spain's power company "Red Eléctrica" announced that it would reinforce extra-high-voltage transmission lines in preparation for the expanding share of renewable energy and accelerate the "adoption of a Smart Grid," grafting information and communications technology onto the existing power grid. It also stated that it would introduce AI-based power-supply-and-demand forecasting technology to strengthen risk management regarding the "intermittency of renewable energy." It further set a goal of expanding transmission-line capacity with France—raised as a major problem—to resolve the "energy island" state of the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal's state-owned power and gas supply company "Redes Energéticas Nacionais (REN)" stated that it would proceed with decentralizing the system for regional power stability by building "microgrids"—meaning small-scale ESS and distributed power grids.[*[Image unavailable: Citizens walk through dark streets because of the great blackout ©Reuters]*]The Importance of "Grid Resilience," Highlighted by the Great European BlackoutThe great European blackout occurred as a complex interplay: facing situations such as extreme climate change and the transition of generation facilities to renewable energy, the intermittency problem deepened, and a shortage of ESS deployment combined with weakened transmission-grid connectivity. In particular, the point that extra-high-voltage-line resonance and the shutdown of the France-Spain transmission line triggered the grid collapse suggests that, when expanding renewable energy, technical stability, social stability, and risk management must be considered at the same time. This incident left the lesson that innovative infrastructure investment is needed for energy management—AI forecasting technology, distributed ESS, smart grids, and the like—and that "grid resilience" is as important as achieving carbon-neutrality goals. by Editor N
This past April 20 was the Day of Persons with Disabilities, marking its 45th anniversary this year. From a running festival where people with and without disabilities take part together, to communication innovation using AI technology—ESG.ONL looked back on the Day of Persons with Disabilities and examined cases in which companies strove to practice "barrier-free" approaches, drawing closer to the lives of the socially vulnerable.[Barrier-free running: participants in the 2025 Kiwoom Run ©Big Walk]Kiwoom Securities: the "2025 Kiwoom Run," a Start of Change Running TogetherAt the "2025 Kiwoom Run," held on April 19 at Yeouido Hangang Park in Seoul, 2,025 runners took part and became one, running without a boundary between people with and without disabilities. The "Together Runner" system of this event—sponsored by Kiwoom Securities and organized by "Big Walk," an IT-based social enterprise that converts step counts into donation points—was special. Participants volunteered to become running mates for the mobility-impaired who face physical difficulties, and ran together. Throughout the venue, all the elements essential to being barrier-free—wheelchair transport vehicles, dedicated changing rooms, sign-language interpretation, and more—were provided, adding to participants' convenience. In particular, the visually-impaired running crew "VMK" completed the run as guide runners, proving a "running culture that excludes no one" and "in which everyone is the main character."[The barrier-free experience campaign "Baep Challenge" ©Amorepacific]Amorepacific, Which Ran the "Baep Challenge" to Experience Everyday BarriersFrom March 24 to April 20, Amorepacific partnered with the Seoul Volunteer Center to run a barrier-free facility-exploration program. Through Seoul's volunteer portal "MOA," citizens verified photos of barrier-free facilities and experienced things like following a visually-impaired person's travel route and using wheelchair parking spaces, confirming the convenience and problems of facility use for users with limitations such as people with disabilities and the elderly. In addition, Amorepacific broadly spread the campaign's meaning—providing extra gifts to the top three people who discovered the most barrier-free facilities, and donating "Todak-Todak Kits," bundles of health-functional foods, to 300 teachers at special schools in Seoul.[The barrier-free app-development contest ©Hyundai AutoEver]Hyundai AutoEver: the "Barrier-Free App-Development Contest," Tearing Down Barriers with TechnologyHyundai AutoEver held the "Barrier-Free App-Development Contest," which has run since 2017 and entered its ninth year this year. Through the contest, Hyundai AutoEver supports the development of technology that contributes to resolving the physical and social discrimination faced by socially vulnerable groups. Through this contest—hosted by the Community Chest of Korea's Seoul branch and organized by the nonprofit corporation Green Light—a total of 66 applications have been developed so far. Representative examples include "QooZMi," which supports communication between people with developmental disabilities and their guardians, and "Susu-Banggwan," a math-problem voice-conversion app for the visually impaired. This year as well, once the final 10 teams are selected during June, they will concentrate on development from August to December, and early next year, along with the completion of the services, an outcome-sharing session and awards ceremony will be held to unveil fresh barrier-free technologies. Recruitment for this "Barrier-Free App-Development Contest" runs from April 22 to May 21, and university and graduate students can participate in teams of three.The "barrier-free" that companies realize is built on the triangular axes of participation, experience, and technology. Kiwoom Securities' Kiwoom Run broke down physical boundaries and inspired a sense of community; Amorepacific's "Baep Challenge" broadened civil society's empathy by directly experiencing everyday barriers; and Hyundai AutoEver's app-development contest presents technological breakthroughs that solve problems in the lives of the socially vulnerable. Companies' moves show a concrete way of practicing "living together" for the continuation of our society within ESG management. Now is the time for corporate social responsibility not to stop at acknowledging "difference," but to fill that difference together and seek to pave new roads. by Editor N
In this era of climate crisis, "An Environmental-Invention Class That Saves the Earth"—a book that helps children find fresh ideas to solve environmental problems themselves—has been published. Let us open this book, full of a special quality that makes you look forward to the next page each time you turn a leaf, with its free illustrations and photo composition designed to let readers infinitely expand their boundless imagination.[Ideas to save the Earth are all around us ©’Myeongnanghan Chaekbang’]"An Environmental-Invention Class That Saves the Earth"—created by Dominic Wilcox, inventor at "Little Inventors," a company that brings children's creative ideas to life, and Katherine Mengardon, its head educator—gathers the imaginings created by Little Inventors and children. As children observe and explore in everyday life blended with nature, they turn the ideas that come to them into writing, drawings, or models, add the opinions they have shared with family, friends, and schoolteachers, and submit the ideas to the Little Inventors website. Little Inventors then selects the good ideas among them, turns them into inventions, and makes them known to the world.Showing the entire process—from conception to realization—of the ideas gathered through Little Inventors, this book places its emphasis on letting readers go beyond simply acquiring environmental knowledge to build the ability to act by pondering a sustainable future. Children's original ideas—a flowerpot that moves following the sunlight, a magic cleaner that gathers trash in the sea, an umbrella that purifies rainwater—also stimulate readers' imagination. Each environmental-invention idea is guided so that it can be examined in more detail by scanning a QR code, going beyond the page.Examined closely, this book is designed to cultivate the creative thinking, community capacity, and ecological sensitivity that our curriculum emphasizes. Rather than for a child to read alone, it is a good book for parents, teachers, and friends to read together—pondering environmental problems from many angles and discussing the new solutions each has devised. This book kindly provides idea notes to use in such discussions, leading everyone to conceive their own invention.[An example of the flowerpot-that-moves-following-the-sunlight invention ©’Myeongnanghan Chaekbang’]This book has one more merit: it also presents ways to put the ideas into practice. The ideas of the child inventors introduced in this book begin from environmental problems in daily life. The children's ideas—conceiving inventions on themes such as everyday recycling, water saving, and energy reduction—make adults repent of their own lack of imagination. The story of "biomimetic invention"—exploring the ecology and ways of life of living things in nature, such as spider webs, the flapping of bees' wings, and the spreading of seeds, and creating something new by imitating nature—lets child inventors nurture great dreams."An Environmental-Invention Class That Saves the Earth," a convergence-education book spanning various fields such as science, environment, and art, is a book that can build a challenging spirit and confidence toward invention by leading children to come up with and develop ideas in a systematic way of thinking. As you marvel at the environmental problems and ingenious ideas seen through children's eyes, you naturally come to realize why adults must ponder a sustainable future and hand down a safe Earth to children. Let all children and adults living in this era of climate crisis read this book and recharge the strength to overcome the crisis. by Editor N
Environmental crisis and shifts in consumer awareness are making sustainable fashion a trend. Even as vintage grows in popularity, we also hear stories of people who don't buy clothes at all. Yet it is also we who, opening the closet, grumble again today that we have nothing to wear. If you decide to buy clothes again today, what should you consider?[MUSINSA, which created "greenwashing" guidelines ©MUSINSA]MUSINSA: Building Trust Through Transparent Disclosure of Information"MUSINSA," a fashion platform much frequented by the MZ generation, recently published "greenwashing guidelines." The brands listed on the MUSINSA platform number about 8,000. The guidelines guide each brand to provide accurate and transparent product information without false promotion disguised as eco-friendly. MUSINSA—including its own brand, MUSINSA Standard—aims to have all brands apply the "anti-greenwashing guidelines" within the second quarter. It is also preparing for the 2027 mandating of the "Digital Product Passport (DPP)"—which contains information such as product production, sales, and recycling—by applying the DPP to products exported to the EU. MUSINSA's efforts aim at trust with consumers and the building of a sustainable fashion ecosystem.[A dress made of hanji ©VEGAN TIGER]VEGAN TIGER, Leading the Evolution of Vegan Fashion"VEGAN TIGER"—meaning a tiger that eats vegetables—is known as a front-runner of vegan fashion that completely excludes animal-derived materials. This brand's fur or leather garments are not made from materials obtained from animals. VEGAN TIGER's slogan, "Cruelty-free"—stating that it pursues vegan fashion free from cruelty—clearly expresses what VEGAN TIGER wants to say through fashion.The materials VEGAN TIGER uses are eco-friendly: traditional hanji (Korean paper), nylon recycled from waste fishing nets, regenerated polyester made from waste PET bottles, and more. There are also materials that make use of fruit. Namely, it makes a 100%-biodegradable plant-based leather material using persimmon peels from Cheongdo. Recognized for the authenticity of its vegan-material development not only at home but also at overseas fashion shows, VEGAN TIGER appears set to continue its innovation for sustainable fashion materials.[Re;code, which makes clothes through upcycling ©Re;code]Re;code: the Potential of a Circular Economy"Re;code," a brand launched by Kolon FnC, is a brand that puts resource circulation through upcycling as its top value. Re;code upcycles unsold inventory clothing that is three or more years old to make new products. These clothes take on life again through a process of disassembly and recombination. And they are sometimes produced as limited editions of five pieces or fewer. The "Military Collection," in which military tents and uniforms are reborn at designers' fingertips, drew popularity among the MZ generation with its unique designs. As materials, it also, uniquely, recycles airbags and car seats to make bags.What Re;code wants to achieve through this brand is to realize social responsibility and environmental protection at the same time. In this context, it collaborates with the "Goodwill Store," an organization for people with intellectual disabilities, contributing to job creation for the socially vulnerable, and also runs eco-friendly-related educational workshops and the like—realizing a vision beyond resource circulation.Sustainable fashion redefines the concept of clothing consumption. The fashion industry—frequently mentioned alongside the topic of ESG—offsets problems related to clothing consumption and presents a new perspective on consumers' consumption orientation. In this way, the fashion industry, which is settling sustainable directions in the industry—production, consumption, recycling, and beyond a mere trend—is opening the road to practicing sustainability through the disclosure of product information via the introduction of digital electronic passports and the strengthening of anti-greenwashing policies. by Editor N