Sejong, October 31 - At the 9th policy coordination meeting, the government discussed the "Life Cycle Approach to Plastic Pollution." 

<Agenda 1. Life Cycle Approach to Plastic Pollution>

The government discussed measures to reduce plastic use, such as packaging materials and disposables, and to improve the plastic recycling system. 

The following were among the measures.

First, to boost the rental and provision of reusable products, the government will create guidelines on reusable container production and launch the certification scheme for high-quality reusable products. When consumers order parcel delivery services, they can choose reusable materials. The government will establish a public-use model of reusable delivery boxes to trim logistics expenses. Second, in collaboration with food delivery applications and kiosk stores, non-provision of disposable products will be set as default. The government will apply nudge strategies to plastic reduction campaigns, where disposable products will be provided only if consumers request. Third, the government will incentivize consumers who order food or beverages in reusable containers. The government will also encourage "meaning out" consumption by providing information on eco-friendly stores, such as stores without packaging, restaurants using reusable containers for delivery, and carbon emissions data for each primary product. Fourth, the government will establish packaging standards for agricultural products from which regulations on excessive consumer packaging are exempted. Fifth, the government will establish standards for plastic containers for food delivery, such as thickness or materials. Using plastic containers for food delivery is unavoidable in our daily lives. However, by setting standards, the government will reduce plastic use and make recycling easy. Lastly, the Waste Charge System, which holds manufacturers and importers responsible for the waste disposal cost of products that are hard to recycle, was set in 2012. The government will establish a road map to actualize the waste charge system.

The government will improve the waste collection and transportation system so that waste plastics separately disposed of by individuals are not discarded but recycled. The government will set standards for imported vehicles with low compression to prevent waste compression concerns. The government will also support the automation and modernization of waste-sorting equipment utilizing artificial intelligence and robots. In addition, the government will carefully evaluate the recyclability of each packaging material and apply a different amount of contribution based on the evaluation results. The government will reduce the public purchase of products with less recyclability. To encourage a shift from incinerator-based recycling with low added value to recycling with high added value, the government will increase government subsidies for recycling and the unit price of subsidies, focusing on material recycling or pyrolysis-based recycling. As for products made up of recycled raw materials, the government will lower fees like waste treatment charges to reduce the burden on businesses. The government will also launch a certification scheme to track the use of recycled raw materials based on international standards.

To convert existing plastics made from fossil fuels to plastics produced from biomass, the biomass content required to obtain eco-label certification will increase from 20% to over 40% by the end of this year. Until now, biodegradable plastics have been evaluated based on whether they decompose at 58°C, which is the condition for industrial composting. However, the government will set certification standards again to determine whether they decompose properly in natural environments such as soil and ocean. Specific items and fields with a high risk of pollution and ecosystem disturbance as environmental leakage is inevitable have been designated as specific fields needing biodegradable plastics.

 

In addition, the government will support research and development for the entire plastic cycle to reduce plastics, improve recyclability, and develop recycling technologies. Moreover, the government will invest in outstanding small and medium-sized enterprises and venture companies in closed-loop recycling, such as plastic recycling and energy conversion, by utilizing the environmental industry fund.

In response to the global efforts to end plastic pollution by 2024, the government will establish a task force to prepare countermeasures considering domestic and foreign industries and policy conditions. The government will intensively manage maritime and rural areas emphasized by international organizations, including the OECD. 

The Korean government will achieve carbon neutrality in 2050 by implementing measures for plastic pollution. It plans to encourage private investment in promising fields such as pyrolysis by nurturing an environment that induces friendly investments in new technologies and businesses. By doing that, the country will take the lead in ending plastic pollution in the international community.

Contact: Ahn Sang-hyuk, Senior Deputy Director

Resource Circulation Policy Division / +82-(0)44-201-7341

Foreign Media Contact: Chun Minjo(Rachel)

+82-(0)44-201-6055 / rachelmchun@korea.kr