In an online survey conducted by the research firm PMI (피앰아이) over three days from the 15th to the 17th with 2,820 men and women aged 19-59 nationwide, 71.7% of respondents said they regard protecting the environment as an "urgent problem." In detail, 36.8% said it is "very urgent" and 34.9% said it is "somewhat urgent." Those who said they "buy eco-friendly products first" in daily life, on the other hand, came to only 10.4%. The difference between the share who agree and the share who act on it in their purchases is 61.3 percentage points.
The practices people actually follow were concentrated on the side that costs nothing. "Sorting recyclables" was the most common at 42.7%, followed by "using reusable items" at 22.8% and "cutting down on disposables" at 17.4%. Product choices that involve spending are absent from the top items.
Among the factors blocking practice, "it is troublesome and inconvenient" came to 29.1% and "it is hard to feel the effect of practicing" to 28.1%, with the two items adding up to 57.2%. "Cost burden" was 15.0%, and "it is hard to trust companies' sincerity" was 11.4%. Those who answered "no particular difficulty" made up 16.3%.
The gap becomes clearer in the question on willingness to pay. Asked whether they would pay extra for eco-friendly products, "I will not buy if the price gap is big" was the highest at 45.2%. "I would buy if it is 5-10% more expensive" was 34.0%, and "I would buy even if it is 20% or more expensive" was 6.9%. The price premium consumers said they could bear generally stayed in the high single digits.
In a question that assumed a situation where environmental protection and everyday convenience collide, "I would choose the environment if benefits or conditions are provided" was the most common at 37.5%. "I would put the environment first, accepting the cost and inconvenience" was 32.4%, and "I would put convenience and efficiency first" was 30.1%. The conditional group is the thickest, a group with room to move depending on how incentives are designed.
The financial sector is aiming at the same point. Shinhan Card (신한카드) announced the launch of its "ECO Plan" card on the 22nd, timed to Earth Day. Some 0.2% of spending at merchants at home and abroad accumulates as Eco donation points, and once 1,000 points or more have built up, they are automatically donated on the 28th of each month to the Seoul Green Trust (서울그린트러스트) and used for tree planting. A 10% discount applies in each of the three categories of Eco Life, Healthy Plan and Daily Vibe, and the discount ceiling is applied on a sliding scale according to the previous month's spending, up to a combined 60,000 won a month across the three categories.
The detailed terms are divided into a maximum of 30,000 won for Eco Life and a maximum of 15,000 won each for the other two categories. Switching to digital statements brings 1,000 won in cashback on a one-time basis, and using public transport on Mondays brings 1,000 won a week, with the public transport cashback conditional on spending of 300,000 won or more in the previous month. The annual fee is understood to be around 20,000 won for the domestic-only card and 23,000 won for the version usable overseas (VISA). Operating details such as the application start date and who is eligible have not been confirmed and announced.
Cho Min-hee, head of PMI, said a shared understanding of environmental problems has formed, but that real-world conditions such as price, convenience and benefits work on actual behavior. The sampling method and margin of error for this survey were not included in what was disclosed, so the figures need to be read with some latitude. The fact that the ceiling on willingness to pay is formed at around 10% suggests that if eco-friendly products are sold at prices above that line, a considerable share of those who agree may not cross over into buying.
What has to be tested in the end is the size of the incentive. How far a 0.2% accrual rate and a discount ceiling of 60,000 won a month lower the 45.2% price resistance line can only be confirmed after card usage records build up. For consumers, plugging the annual fee and the previous-month spending conditions into their own spending levels to calculate the real benefit helps in choosing a card.
