[Home & Living] How Can We Spread the Message of Genuine Eco-Friendliness?

Wadiz is a place where people with diverse goals embark on new challenges for their own reasons . It might simply be to generate revenue, or perhaps it’s a desire to share their story with a wider audience. Going a step further, there are two “GREEN MAKERS” here who view trash discarded on the streets through a different lens, believing that their brand’s values are directly linked to eco-friendly values that benefit the planet. Discover the “GREEN FUNDING” initiative born from their perspective and learn about their journey. 

ETC Blank, which highlights the beauty of trash,
and SuperBin, which believes in the power of circular value

E Hello, I’m Choi Myeong-ji, a “trash walker” who runs ETC Blank . ETC Blank is a brand that deals with “trash that is no longer just trash.”With the goal of helping peoplediscover the beauty in trash, I walk around collecting trash scattered everywhere and transform it into new objects. As part of this effort, last year we collected plastic trash washing up on the Busan coast, turned it into stunning art objects, and launched a funding campaign to showcase them. Through these pieces, we were able to highlight the reality of marine debris while conveying the beauty inherent in trash.

▶ Curious about the maker’s funding campaign?

S Hello, I’m Kim Bo-mi, a branding designer at SuperBin . SuperBin is a social venture that promotes the value of circular resources and is building a new culture of recycling. Circularresources refer to materials that can be recycled .For PET bottles to be processed into high-value materials, they must be uncontaminated and have their caps, rings, and labels removed. Since these are difficult to remove by hand, we developed “Jalttesutik,” a product designed to assist with waste separation, and launched it through a wadiz funding campaign . Through this, we’re raising awareness about the importance of proper waste separation and the value of circular resources.We’ve alsodeveloped “Nephron,” a robot that sorts and collects properly separated waste ,and currently operate over 400 units nationwide. 

▶ Curious about the maker’s funding campaign?

I wanted to highlight the value of waste—beyond just waste

E I believe that design is woven into every object, even in small ways. Just as a tiny piece of plastic was once part of a larger object that incorporated design. Perhaps that’s why I began to develop a deeper affection for the discarded pieces of trash that others overlook. I’ve always loved the vivid colors unique to trash. At first, I was just archiving it as a personal hobby, but gradually I wanted to share the colors and beauty of trash with others. So I fleshed out the concept behind “ETC Blank”—which was the name of my graduation project—and launched the brand.

When planning merchandise, my top prioritywas creating a “sensual and stylish” vibe. After all, many people tend to feel uncomfortable just hearing the word “trash.” Since these are products actually made from trash, I tried my best to present them with as stylish an image as possible. As part of that effort, I maintain a trash archiving website whereI document the shapes and colors of trash . I keep adding to it so I don’t lose my own unique sensibility.To aspiringGREEN MAKERS out there, I say: let’s be the first to stop viewing trash and waste materials as something dirty, and instead keep them close at hand—using them as subjects for play and experimental projects!

S Let’s face it—sorting and disposing of trash is quite a hassle. It’s a pain just to take it out, and then you have to sort everything—plastic, plastic bags, glass bottles—item by item before throwing it away. Yet, even after going through all that trouble, the actual recycling rate for collected waste is very low. If disposed of properly, though, it could be reborn as valuable products with a new purpose.

That’s why, through SuperBin, we wanted to raise awareness of the value of circular resources by selectively collecting only recyclable waste. We’re also providing people who diligently sort their waste for the environment with rewards—such as cash points—based on the amount they collect, giving them the experience of turning trash into money. We’re striving to convey the message of environmental action to each individual through a more positive and enjoyable experience.

As part of this effort, we’ve been guiding users who recycle through Nephron to insert “transparent PET bottles” with all lids, rings, and labels removed. However, there were frequent cases of people getting injured while trying to remove the plastic rings with knives or scissors. 

At the same time, there were no products available in Korea that made it easy to remove these plastic rings. Users began searching for a tool to conveniently remove the rings through SuperBin, and they expressed interest in purchasing it even before we had started developing the product. That’s why we decided that SuperBin had to be the first to create this product—if only for the sake of those who go to such lengths for the environment despite the inconvenience.

It was made possible 
who supported our commitment to eco-friendliness

During theE-Funding campaign, there were so many supporters cheering on the ETC Blank project. Since this product embodies my personal values regarding eco-friendliness, the Rewards weren’t items already available on the market. Despite that, you believed in and supported my project through its Story, which allowed me to stay committed to it until the very end.

Since I run ETC Blank by myself, I handle everything on my own—from collecting, cleaning, and storing waste to designing and placing orders for merchandise production. Because of this , I sometimes feel burned out, but whenever I think of the people who cheer for ETC Blank and wait for updates, I snap out of it and get back to work. (Laughs) You could say that’s the driving force that keeps me going.

SWe felt that the wadiz funding campaign was a great platform to showcase the authenticity of our message.It was a better way to convey the makers’ stories and production processes than thetypicalproduct detail pages, and supporters interested in eco-friendliness trusted and resonated with us because of that. In short, I think it was a great platform for explaining the value of SuperBin itself, rather than just the product. Of course, there were some challenges, but everything went smoothly from preparation to the end of the funding campaign, so ultimately, I believe the funding campaign was a good decision. 

We were able to 100%

Through the project “BUSAN OCEAN WASTE OBJECT,” which we launched viaE-funding, we had just one goal: “Let’s convey the beauty of Busan’s coastal trash through these art objects!” Fortunately, thanks to those who resonated with my message and supported the campaign, we achieved a 2,824% funding rate.I can now confidently say that we met our initialgoal 100%. 

After the funding campaign successfully concluded, I was still concerned about the packaging. I wanted to reduce plastic packaging as much as possible, but given the nature of the art objects—which could break—I struggled with this decision. However, I set another goal: “Let’s use only paper packaging to ensure they arrive intact!” In the end, I was able to deliver the items to all supporters using only paper packaging without a single breakage. Although it took several times more effort than using plastic packaging, I felt personally very proud to have achieved a result that showed we can better protect the environment by sacrificing convenience.

The ultimate goal ofthe “S Jal-tte-ssitik”funding campaign was to convey the message, “Please peel it off and dispose of it properly!” In fact, since the funding, many people have been practicing the “proper waste separation methods” advocated by SuperBin. During the campaign, supporters voluntarily promoted it on social media, and word of mouth spread among those genuinely committed to environmental action, leading to a huge number of requests for encore funding even after the first round ended.As the project manager, I remember feeling incrediblyproud and happy to witness the messagespreading in real time. 

YOU CAN BE A GREEN MAKER!  

The reasonETC Blank—which I first unveiled asmy graduationproject —has come this far is that I love the colors found in trash, and I enjoy sharing that passion with more people. I believe that when you enjoy what you do, nothing can stand in your way. That’s why I hope aspiring GREEN MAKERS will approach the messages they want to convey and the projects they’re planning with confidence and a sense of fun. Let’s create a greener world together.

SI believe that many aspiring GREEN MAKERS mustnowwork hard to ensure that environmental awareness becomes an integral part of people’s daily lives—from food to clothing to shelter. Whereas in the past we simply pursued convenience, I hope you’ll convey the right message so that people can acknowledge and accept the need for a little extra effort moving forward.I’ll always cheer on the GREEN MAKERS—who lead the way and speak out more than anyone else to protect the Earth—with respect and gratitude. 

Written by Han Ji-hye

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