In South Korea, 608.5 million unfit banknotes with a total value of 4.4 trillion won (approx. 3.3 billion USD) are discarded every year. Assuming that the banknotes are tightly packed without any gaps between them, the stack would have a total height of roughly 60.85 kilometers. This is almost seven times higher than Mt. Everest. However, the recycling rate of discarded banknotes in 2022 was 0%.

So we wondered if there was a way to stop polluting the environment with banknote waste.

To repurpose the unfit banknotes, we created the ‘Money Dream’ pillow.

We developed a new type of pillow filling by combining ground banknote waste with an eco-friendly material, using about 5 million won (approx. 3,800 USD) worth of banknotes per pillow. The pillows would be seen as valuable and become a highly desired item. The more people wanted a pillow filled with money, the higher the recycling rate of discarded banknotes would become, resulting in people helping to protect the environment without even realizing it.

We wondered if there was a way to stop the pollution by making people want to have banknotes that were deemed unfit. Playing on the superstition many Koreans have that sleeping - or resting your head - on money will bring prosperity and good fortune, we created a pillow that was filled with discarded banknote waste.

In an era when the paradigm of banking is shifting from offline to digital, increasing subscribers to the digital banking app is a significant task for the business of the brand. Thus, the ‘Money Dream’ campaign was strategically targeted towards individuals who had not yet downloaded Hana Bank's online banking app, with the aim of increasing the bank's customer base. The campaign was mainly conducted through the app, encouraging consumers to download it in order to receive a 'Money Dream' pillow.

We started planning the campaign in 2022, when the recycling rate of banknote waste stood at 0%. Running from January to June 2023, the campaign reached consumers through various media platforms of 3,533 Hana Bank branches nationwide, as well as on- and offline channels, and invited them to participate. The ‘Money Dream’ pillows were gifted directly to customers signing up to Hana Bank’s online banking app.

Garnering 303 million impressions online, the campaign received much attention for presenting a new way to protect the environment. Within the first month of launch, the campaign film reached 17 million views online, and the campaign made the global news 469 times. Within one month, downloads of the Hana Bank online banking app increased by 284%, and the number of monthly active users went up by 118%.

In 2023, pillows made of unfit banknotes worth 142.2 billion won (approx. 108 million USD) were distributed, resulting in an approximately 7% increased recycling rate of banknote waste in South Korea.

“Unfit banknotes reborn” - Wall Street Journal

“Literally, bank Protecting our planet with money” - Bloomberg

“Dramatically increase the recycling rate of banknote waste” - Fox