South Korea's Plastic Waste Reduction Plan Faces Criticism for Insufficient Targets

South Korea's Ministry of Climate has unveiled a plan to significantly reduce plastic waste by 2030, projecting a decrease of 3 million tons from an estimated 10 million tons. This initiative, presented to the State Council, aims to establish a sustainable plastic circular economy, particularly in light of unstable oil and naphtha supplies due to recent geopolitical events.

The strategy focuses on two main pillars: source reduction and enhanced recycling. For source reduction, the ministry plans to encourage the transition to alternative materials like paper for products such as cosmetic containers and plastic bags. Delivery containers will be encouraged to be lightweight, and excessive packaging in택배 (taekbae - delivery) services will be restricted. The plan also aims to improve the 'circular usability' of products from the manufacturing stage, limiting the market entry of hard-to-recycle packaging and applying Korean eco-design standards to items like clothing and electronics.

“

We must first correct the flawed plan that aims to increase plastic waste from 7.8 million tons in 2024 to 10 million tons by 2030. A plan to maintain the current level and then reduce it must be presented.

On the recycling front, the government intends to boost the use of recycled materials. The target for recycled PET content in bottles will rise to 30% by 2030, from 10% in 2026, aligning with EU standards. Efforts will also be made to develop systems for recycling previously non-recyclable items like clothing and single-use plastic cups. To incentivize this, the government plans to increase the effectiveness of plastic waste surcharges and offer reductions for companies using recycled content.

Despite these measures, environmental activists, like Yoo Hye-in from the Korean Federation for Environmental Movements, contend that the plan falls short. They point out that the projected increase in plastic waste by 2024 makes the 2030 target less impactful. The activists advocate for more immediate and stringent actions, including a return to reusable containers, mandatory deposit-refund schemes for cups, and stricter regulations on packaging from the point of production. The debate highlights the ongoing tension between government-led policy and the demands for more radical environmental action from civil society.

“

Plastic beverage containers should be replaced with reusable ones like glass, and a deposit system for single-use cups should be mandated and expanded to reusable cups. Unnecessary plastic use, such as multi-packaging, should be regulated from the production stage.