Green, a symbol of life, good health, and vigor, is also a color
that reminds us of hope. All around the globe, the word is
associated with energy conservation and environmental
protection.
The term “green consumption” covers a full range of activities
in both production and consumption fields, including green
products, the recycling of materials, the efficient use of energy,
the protection of the environment, and the preservation of
species.
Specialists of environmental protection have agreed upon a
definition of green consumption as the five “Rs”: reduce,
reevaluate, reuse, recycle, and rescue. In China, however, another
definition emerged in the new millennium.
According to the Chinese, green consumption is a principle with
three implications. Under this principle, people are encouraged to
choose green products that are unpolluted or good for public
health, wastes are to be treated under special surveillance to
avoid pollution, and public understanding of consumption is to be
changed so as to raise people’s awareness of a healthy lifestyle,
environmental protection, and energy conservation in their pursuit
of a comfortable life. The ultimate goal is to achieve sustainable
consumption in the country. Besides our own demands for
consumption, safety, and health, we should also take the needs of
our descendants into consideration.
Facts and Figures of Green Products
At present, around 200 Chinese enterprises, 40 sectors, and 500
products have passed the environmental labeling certification. Half
of the labeled products are closely related to people’s daily
necessities. They include ecological textiles, soft drinks, paper
tableware, refrigerators, color TVs, computers, microwave ovens,
air-conditioners, detergents, dry batteries, manmade floorboards,
paints, pesticides, toilet paper, energy-saving lights, children’s
toys, and motor bicycles.
Benefits of Green Products
Environmentally friendly and pollution free, green products
inflict less harm to the environment and are good for public
health. Meanwhile, they are easy to recover and treat after
use.
Specifically speaking, however, what are the benefits of green
products to our daily life? This may be a difficult question to
answer. According to industry insiders, China now boasts nearly 500
varieties of certified green products. Based on their functions in
environmental protection, these products are divided into six
categories.
1. Products that can help China fulfill its commitment in
international conventions: In order to curb pollution worldwide, a
series of international conventions on environmental protection
have been signed in recent years. China played an active role in
the signature of these conventions. In June 1991, China joined the
Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer
and committed to phase out chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) by two steps
before 2000 and 2010. Representative products of this category
include freon-free refrigerators and environmentally friendly
aerosol insecticides.
2. Products that can be recovered and recycled: Reusing waste
can save resources and cut down pollution by a large margin. In
comparison to raw materials, waste is also more energy-efficient
and can cause less pollution. A case in point is the papermaking
industry, with representative products like recycled paper and
recycled plastics.
3. Products that can improve the regional environment: Some
products, such as disposable meal boxes and phosphorus washing
powders, will lead to regional environmental pollution, while in
comparison, degradable plastics, phosphorus-free washing powders,
mercury-free cells, and other green products can effectively cut
down the pollution to local surroundings.
4. Products that can improve the housing environment: With the
development of the Chinese economy, Chinese consumers are growing
more mature. They now pay more attention to the environment of
their houses. Air quality and noise volume are two major gauges to
evaluate the housing environment. Therefore, when purchasing
furniture and home appliances, consumers tend to choose those with
good performance in these fields. Washing machines with low noise
and compound floorboards with low formaldehyde content are
representatives of such products.
5. Products that are good for human health: These products now
attract more attention from consumers, because, for example,
telecommunication devices, TVs, and PCs are believed to be harmful
to our body through radiation and the dyes in garments may lead to
cancer when they are absorbed by our skin. Green products in this
category usually boast state-of-the-art technologies. On the
forefront of fashion and development, they will gradually take the
place of traditional products.
6. Products that can enhance the efficiency of resources and
energies: In the advent of technological revolution in the fields
of resource and energy, people are working hard to develop
energy-saving products and enhance the efficiency of resources and
energy. Energy-saving computers and energy-saving lights are
included in this category.
(China.org.cn September 12, 2007)
