The Ministry of Environment (Minister Kim Wansup) will hold the launching ceremony for the ‘Sustainable Plastic Circular Economy Initiative,’ a public-private cooperation system encompassing both domestic and international efforts to lead a sustainable plastic circular economy, on November 25 at BEXCO (located in Haeundae-gu, Busan). 

This initiative has been established in conjunction with the ‘5th Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC-5, November 25 to December 1)’ taking place at the same location, with the aim of building a close public-private collaboration system that encompasses the entire lifecycle of plastic from production to consumption and recycling.

The launching ceremony will be attended by Minister of Environment Kim Wansup, Mayor of Busan Park Heong-joon, Chairman Kim Sang-hyup of the Global Green Growth Institute, along with representatives from 14 companies* that represent South Korea’s plastic industry, representatives from 4 associations and organizations**, and representatives from 3 overseas industry partnerships***.

* (Production) TK Chemical, Lotte Chemical, SK Chemical, LG Chem / (Product Manufacturing) Coca-Cola, Amorepacific, CJ CheilJedang, Aromatica / (Consumption) Itgreen, DaWa, Olive Young / (Recycling, etc.) SuperBin, Yuil Industrial, Samyang Packaging (Samyang Ecotech)

** (Associations and Organizations) Korea Chemical Industry Association, Korea Plastic Industry Cooperative, Korea Packaging Recycling Cooperative, Korea Resource Circulation Service Agency

*** World Economic Forum, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, J4CE (Japan Partnership for Circular Economy)

The government and industry will adopt a declaration of commitment at the launching ceremony, outlining their leading efforts and determination to facilitate the transition to a plastic circular economy.

The declaration of commitment includes specific joint roles of the government and industry for sustainable plastic management, such as efforts to achieve national targets for the use of recycled materials, strengthening actions to reduce plastic through reuse, discovering research and development (R&D) projects, building infrastructure and providing technical support, and establishing cooperation channels with the international community.

After the reading of the declaration of commitment, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation will introduce exemplary cases of circular economy from the United States, Australia, Canada, etc., and explore ways to collaborate with this initiative.

Following that, the domestic industry will discuss collaborative projects in the circular economy that utilize creative solutions from companies, focusing on activation of recycled materials by year, expansion of reuse and refill hubs, and enhancement of consumer awareness. 

The Ministry of Environment plans to establish diverse support measures in line with rapidly changing international trends. In particular, it aims to actively share the experiences, knowledge, and best practices gained during the operation of this initiative with international organizations and overseas industry partnerships, so that South Korea can become a model country for the implementation of the international agreement on plastic pollution.

Minister of Environment Kim Wansup stated, “The circular economy is a path that our society must take to solve the plastic pollution problem and secure new growth engines.” He added, “Based on corporate innovation and the spirit of international cooperation, the Ministry of Environment will take the lead in the transition to a circular economy.”

For further information, please contact the Public Relations Division. 

Contact person: Gina Lee, foreign media spokesperson

Phone: +82-44-201-6055

Email: gcjgina @gmail.com