지속가능성을 고려한 ESG 디자인 전략 비교 연구

(Background and Purpose) Recently, following global companies, there has been an increasing number of cases in Korea where large corporations are actively implementing Environmental, social and governance (ESG) management. We need to pay attention to sustainability and the environment because Korea consumes a lot of plastic through consumer goods-centered manufacturing. We need to be aware of the seriousness of environmental infringement. Therefore, this study was conducted by limiting the scope of the study to the environment (E) among the ESG factors. The purpose was to derive implications by comparing and studying companies’ design strategies for a virtuous cycle, from the initial development stage of the product to the disposal stage. (Method) This study understood the concepts of ESG and carbon neutrality through theoretical consideration, derived environmental characteristics by considering sustainability through previous research, and used the characteristics to evaluate empirical verification. In the case of empirical verification, foreign and domestic companies were selected and compared separately to analyze their current status. In addition, a survey was conducted, targeting experts in the field, to quantitatively evaluate and verify the study’s validity. A comprehensive analysis was conducted of domestic and overseas cases based on the analysis contents collected through expert analysis. For detailed analysis, sustainability and environmental characteristics were additionally analyzed and visualized in a linear chart. (Results) As a result of previous research on eco-friendly ESG, the environmental characteristics, considering sustainability, were derived from eco-friendliness, recyclability, separation/dischargeability, new materials, innovation, assemblability, and aesthetics. In both domestic and international cases, eco-friendliness was evaluated as the highest, with recyclability being the second highest. New materials, innovation, aesthetics, separation/emission, and assembly were investigated in that order. (Conclusion) The following environmental characteristics must be considered in terms of sustainability centered on the environment during ESG activities in companies. We must reduce the use of plastic through responsible design activities from the initial stages, and use eco-friendly raw materials. We must expand the use of recycled materials by considering the circular economy of the product. We must consider introducing low-carbon design, such as modular design, or developing eco-friendly materials. Therefore, this study conducted a comparative study on environmental characteristics considering sustainability and is expected to be useful basic data when conducting eco-friendly design to respond to ESG.