When assessing the market for health food products in China, one must recognize that traditional Chinese cooking is actually fairly healthy. The foods contain very little diary and carbs (aside from rice and noodles) and always contain lots of green vegetables. This traditional eating, however, is quickly being overtaken by fast foods and convenient pre-packaged foods being consumed by the overworked young white collar worker. These pre-packaged foods are generally less fresh and less healthy, but their convenience has made them an integral part of many Chinese youth’s daily lives. Fortunately, we’ve noted a rise in people’s awareness of the these food’s dangers. In addition, tainted milk scandals have led Chinese to reflect on the quality of their own food products.

Just as luxury spending is spinning out of control with $4,000 Gucci purses in China, I think luxury-meets-food is a market ripe for growth. In addition to a perceived increase in demand, China has also been greatly expanding its domestic organic farming, which is mainly being used for exporting to the European market. I see a huge opportunity to tap into both consumer demand and domestic organic supply chains in the near future. A localized Whole Foods is inevitable, who will be first to market?

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Our friends over at Greennovate are launching a new environmental initiative called MaGiC, Made GREEN in China on September 27th, 2009 @ 139‐23 Changle Road, Shanghai. The event starts at 6PM.

MaGiC was developed to bring together Chinese youth and responsible businesses in finding a common path towards a sustainable future. This is an open initiative where university students can learn about sustainability through hands‐on experiences and best practices. Companies have a unique opportunity to explore evolving responsible talent in China, contribute their expertise, and show their commitment to sustainability.

As one of the sponsors of this event, enoVate will of course be there – don’t forget your plastic bottles!!

The event is free and all art supplies are provided!

Event runs: Saturday (9/5) and Sunday (9/6) 11 am to 6pm.

Although one must consider location bias (Shanghai is not representative of China as a whole) and the brief nature of the survey, the results still show that there is a willingness to buy eco-products. This is tempered, however, by a lack of understanding or knowledge about the true meaning of words such as ‘organic’ or ‘green’. When asked about how the young Chinese who took part in our survey viewed eco-friendly materials, our surveyor said: “People don’t know, but they care.”

If this is the case, then the responsibility for brands is not necessarily to make a strong emotional resonance amongst the youth but focus more on educating, enabling young people to better understand the need for ‘greener’ alternatives. Herein lies the difficult task of how to educate and most importantly what medium to use?

greennovate x eno

Companies such as Greennovate are very savvy in their approach to the Chinese youth. They have chosen fashion as one method of communication. In collaborating with eno, they have helped raise awareness about global warming through their ‘neti the yeti’ campaign. However, they have also combined this with a more practical approach in educating high school students with their FedEX environmental outreach programme. Their practice of resonating at an emotional level with their fashion led products, whilst using more traditional teaching methods to educate young people about environmental issues helps Greennovate to best connect and meet the needs of the Chinese youth. (see our interview with Greennovate Founder, Mihela Hladin)

We have established the importance in educating but design mustn’t be overlooked. Environmentally friendly shouldn’t be a by-word for poor quality. Design helps secure an initial emotional response, only after can you begin to educate. In this way, the learning process is not enforced but chosen. Terms such as ‘social responsibility’, while effective at soliciting a guilty conscious in Europe and America won’t resonate as well with a youth market striving to escape responsibility in their minimal free time outside of work or school.

As we always stress at enoVate, the Chinese youth are passionate, a passion which can be directed toward an eco-friendly lifestyle (see our post on Chinese LOHAS). If companies and brands are willing to make an emotional connection whilst also educating, this may help lead to a greener future for the whole of China.

The Green 001 shoe is itself a success in eco friendly design. The shoe body, insoles and shoelaces use natural eco-friendly materials such as paper materials and better cottons.The “Green 001″ also comes with a unique shoebox that showcases a new logo and the slogan “ONLY ONE EARTH.”  There are pictures of endangered animals on the bottom of the box. In addition, a picture of  Maathai, a Kenyan environmental activist and winner of the Nobel Peace prize, is printed on the box. Yup, you get it, this is one GREEN shoe.

Having worked closely in the past, we here at enoVate are familiar with the ideals and practices of Greennovate. For those unfamiliar, Greennovate is made up of a group of creative thinkers from around the world. Their goal is to promote greater environmental awareness in China through both social and business platforms.
Having already launched two successful campaigns with eno, Greennovate have already started to raise eco-awareness amongst young Chinese. enoVate got in touch with Greennovate founder Mihela Hladin to get her opinion on eco-awareness and the Chinese youth.

Can you give us an overview of Greennovate and your work within the eco-friendly product space?
We are a social enterprise, developing ideas for sustainable future. Our projects are focused on raising environmental awareness and sustainable development for businesses and communities in China. We are following the trends in eco friendly products from the consumers, retailers and manufacturers perspective. We encourage businesses and consumers to see the big picture of each product including raw materials, their source and production process. Calling a product green or eco friendly is getting more sensitive as consumers are getting more curious on environmental related topics and they are speaking out on social media. It’s a challenging time where it is important for companies to strategize beyond one product line or sustainability part and really start incorporating environmental and social principles into the whole business model.

What can brands do to encompass a greener perspective whilst remaining relevant to ever changing youth trends?
We think that most important thing is to educate the consumers. With all the ‘greenwashing’ going on I think consumers will go for honest approaches, even though they might look like smaller steps. Every brand should develop a long term sustainability strategy and be transparent in how they are getting there, rather than popularizing one or two ‘green’ actions and calling themselves green.

greennovate x eno - neti charms

What ways does Greennovate work to target and communicate with the Chinese youth? What is most effective in getting your key messages across?

We started partnering with designers because we believe that fashion is a good communication channel for environmental education. It is a way to build awareness and get young consumers encouraged to go and learn more themselves. We are also building up the capacity on Chinese social media, having a lot of interesting content available which is spurring ideas and calling out for participation. We found it very exciting with the amount of young people coming back to us and discussing what they are concerned about and how willing they are to live more sustainable lifestyles.

What is the biggest challenge for companies looking to create and source eco-friendly product in China?
I think access to the relevant information and where to source is the first challenge. Then pricing is usually right after that as there is a constant struggle on how to justify the higher price on eco products. The real challenge as we see it is how to get consumers to understand why to pay more and relate to it on their rational and emotional level. Most of the feedback that we get is that they buy eco products because they are cool, and only after that, because they are eco friendly. This has to do with young people not really seeing the real connection between the eco friendly product and the size of the environmental challenges that they know of.

What is the most surprising or interesting thing you have learned to date through working with the Chinese youth?
For me it’s always so amazing how they are willing to learn if information is presented in fun and engaging ways. The Chinese young people that we are working with, in different places around China, are always asking: “What can I do, what can I do?” We think this is a great opportunity for the companies to build loyalty for their brands, through transparent environmental commitments and initiatives.

Yesterday enoVate’s Street Team hit the mall to interview young Chinese about their attitudes on eco friendly products. Check out some local fashion and hear what people are saying:

Humin Shi, a 20 year old from Shanghai, remarked that he really didn’t know much about eco products. Our Street Team brought along an organic cotton T and a regular T for comparison. When Humin felt both he said “wow! I truly think that the organic material is more smooth and comfortable.” Humin said he would certainly pay more for an organic T

These two were happy to learn that there were organic cotton Ts and other eco products on the market. Both said that they would certainly pay more for an organic T, as long as they knew it was truly an organic product that was better for the earth.

We encountered similar reponses. While a few people weren’t too worried about ecofriendly products, most people, after they learned a little more about the eco friendly organic T, said that they would buy the organic one, even if it cost more! As for how much more they would be willing to pay? Answers varied, but most suggested that they would be willing to pay between 20 to 50 RMB more for the shirt!

As eco week comes to close, enoVate will be compiling even more research. Look for more!

Chinese LOHAS’ are often known to do the following:

• eat organic foods
• wear cloth made by natural cotton, linen and hemp
• bring their own chopsticks when they eat out
• take public transportation or walk
• use energy-saving electrical appliances
• bring their own bags when they go shopping

Longkuan is a singer, designer and a self-professed LOHAS. Currently, she is starting to popularize it as a healthy lifestyle using her blog, LOHAS Queen. She has also designed a T-shirt line, the theme being “我是素的( I am veg)”. Also, she is famous for attending social activites which promote vegetarianism.

For more information on a Chinese LOHAS lifestyle and Longkuan herself, visit: http://blog.sina.com.cn/longkuan

2. Do you know any eco-friendly clothing brands?
People mentioned the following brands: Adidas, Nike, JNBY, Jasonwood, Levi’s, G-Star, Jeanswest, Crocodiles, 0TT, TANGY and Youngor. However, most didn’t know of any eco friendly brands.

3. There are two T-shirts of the same design and you like both. One is made from eco-friendly fabrics and priced at 150 rmb, the other is made by average fabrics and is 125 rmb, which shirt would you buy?

All but one person chose the eco friendly shirt.

More local Chinese brands such as 天意（Tangy）, 因为（ZOLLE）and 播（Broadcast） are incorporating eco-friendly materials into their products.

Tangy is well known for its use of eco-friendly fabrics such as cottons, silks and hemp. The most favored fabric for Tangy clothes is (Liangchou), known as “gambiered canton silk” in english.  The fabric is both handmade and eco-friendly.

The Chinese market for  eco-friendly products is in it’s initial period. Our survey shows that chinese youth still don’t have a strong sense of specific eco-friendly brands, yet they would be willing to buy eco friendly product even at a greater expensive. Throughout the week we will continue to test these ideas.

This week we are back in the office and hoping to help save the planet! It’s eco products week here at enoVate.

Want to help save the world while still looking great? How about some shoes made with recycled soles and hemp uppers?

Or check out this innovative active wear company.

Even established brands are going green. Levi’s uses organic cotton, recycled zippers and buttons and organic dyes. Other designers are experimenting with hemp, bamboo and even pineapple fibers.

Ok, so avid enoVate blog readers will notice that the above links only connect readers to American fashion. How dare we! Fret not, enoVate won’t stray too far from the mainland.

This week our focus will remain on China as we investigate whether these eco trends that we are seeing abroad are gaining any traction here in China.

What do young Chinese think about similar products? What brands do they associate with eco friendly products? Do these considerations of environmental impact enter into their purchasing decisions?

Stay tuned for more!