The Ministry of Environment is pushing to amend related legislation to expand the use of recycled materials in drinking water and beverage PET bottles. Previously, there was an obligation for PET raw material producers to use recycled materials, but this is being expanded to final product manufacturers.
The Ministry of Environment announced that from February 21, it will publicly announce for 40 days the revision of the subordinate laws of the “Act on the Promotion of Saving and Recycling of Resources” (Resource Recycling Act). The purpose of this revision is to improve the domestic recycling system in line with the international trend of mandating the use of recycled materials.
Globally, the use of recycled materials in plastics is expanding. The European Union (EU) plans to increase the proportion of recycled materials in food-grade PET bottles to 25% by 2025 and to 30% by 2030. The state of California in the U.S. has mandated 25% by 2025 and 50% by 2030. In line with this, Korea is also planning to promote plastic recycling through related legal revisions.
Currently, in Korea, companies producing more than 10,000 tons of PET raw materials annually are required to use 3% recycled materials. However, there have been institutional limitations as final product manufacturers had not been using recycled materials despite the use by raw material producers. This revision aims to address this by changing the obligation to use recycled materials from raw material producers to beverage manufacturers producing more than 5,000 tons of PET annually for final products.
According to the revision, the target rate for using recycled materials, which was 3% for raw material producers, will be raised to 10% and gradually expanded to 30% by 2030. The scope of mandatory users will also be widened to companies producing more than 1,000 tons of final products annually.
The Ministry of Environment expects this revision to further activate the use of recycled materials. It is expected that about 10 beverage manufacturers will use approximately 20,000 tons of recycled materials annually. Additionally, the ministry plans to expand the use of recycled materials in various items such as household appliances, automotive interior materials, and cosmetic containers.
Kim Go-eung, Director General of the Resource Circulation Bureau of the Ministry of Environment, said, “This revision of subordinate laws will have a direct effect on promoting the use of recycled plastic materials,” adding, “Given the high global concern regarding plastic waste issues, Korea will strengthen its policy efforts to increase the recycled use of waste plastics.”
The specific details of this revision can be found through the National Participation Legislative Center (opinion.lawmaking.go.kr) and, after collecting opinions from stakeholders, it will go through a review by the Legislative Office and the Cabinet meeting to be promulgated and enforced within the year.