Korea wants to get rid of its dependence on plastic oil
South Korea's Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment today presented an ambitious “Plan for Transition to a Plastic-Free Circular Economy”.
The goal is to reduce the consumption of newly produced plastic by more than 30% compared to projections for 2030.
Plastic waste from households and businesses is expected to rise to 10 million tonnes by 2030 (up from 7.8 million tonnes in 2024). The government aims to eliminate 1 million tonnes of this volume through source reduction and replace another 2 million tonnes with recycled materials.
Key measures:
- transition to alternative materials (paper, lighter packaging)
- limiting excessive packaging in delivery services
- products that are difficult to recycle may be restricted from market entry (through industrial agreements)
- the mandatory recycled content in PET bottles will increase from 10% to 30%
Similar targets are also being prepared for polyethylene and polypropylene in food and cosmetic packaging
Korea is the fifth largest plastic producer in Asia and one of the highest producers of plastic waste per capita in the OECD. At the same time, it is home to key petrochemical giants (LG Chem, Lotte Chemical, SK Geocentric), for whom the transition to a circular model means a fundamental change to the business model.
Interesting is the link with energy policy – the name of the plan explicitly talks about reducing dependence on oil. Plastics are today the biggest growth driver of oil demand. If you curb this demand on the material side, it also impacts the country's energy balance.
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