As instability in naphtha supply raises concerns about sellouts of plastic medical supplies such as syringes, environmental groups argued that plastic reduction is necessary from a resource-security standpoint as well and urged a full revision of the government plan, the ‘Comprehensive Plan to Phase Out Plastics’.

At the forum ‘Limits Exposed Amid the Naphtha Crisis, Directions to Supplement the Comprehensive Plan to Phase Out Plastics’ co-hosted on the 8th by the offices of Rep. Kang Deuk-gu (Democratic Party of Korea)·Rep. Seo Wang-jin (Cho Kuk Innovation Party), Han Jeong-hee, a campaign expert at Greenpeace, pointed out, “Plastic pollution is not merely an environmental issue but a resource-security issue,” adding, “As long as raw materials depend on overseas imports and a linear economy centered on single-use items persists, the burden of external supply-chain shocks will inevitably fall squarely on the public and businesses.” Han added, “It is too wasteful to use plastic for disposables when even the plastic to make syringes is in short supply.”

Environmental groups argued that the comprehensive plan to phase out plastics presented by the government last December must be thoroughly revised. After unveiling a government draft for plastic reduction and holding a public forum, the government has yet to release a final version even now, four months later.

Experts noted that the approach to setting reduction targets itself should be reconsidered. Han said, “Targets should be boldly set based on emissions in a base year, not on business-as-usual (BAU) projections.” In the comprehensive plan, the Ministry of Climate proposed reducing virgin-based waste plastic from households and workplaces by at least 30% by 2030 compared with BAU. Groups have criticized BAU-based reductions premised on increasing emissions as effectively allowing growth in total volume.

The need to strengthen regulations to respond to the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), which will take effect in the European Union (EU) this August, was also raised. Han said, “Europe is designing regulations to reduce resource use across all stages, not only waste treatment but also design·distribution·consumption,” adding, “If these standards are not met, Korean products will find market entry itself difficult. Even in areas where Korean products have a high standing, such as K-food and K-beauty, exports could be restricted because of packaging standards.”

A proposal also emerged to create a fiscal structure that links single-use regulations with policies to promote reuse. The idea is to levy taxes on industries related to single-use items to build a fund and return it as incentives to multi-use container providers and users. Hong Su-yeol, director of the Resource Recycling Society and Economy Research Institute, said, “The carbon-neutral points program has a structure that relies on securing a budget every year,” adding, “Only by creating a stable financing system will businesses be able to invest without hesitation.”

Directions for improvement were also presented regarding the controversial ‘Cup-Separate Itemization (a policy that, when taking out from a cafe, lists separately on the receipt the cost of the disposable cup included in the beverage price)’. Hong said, “The policy name should be clarified as the ‘Mandatory Tumbler Discount’ and tangible benefits greater than the cost of a disposable cup should be provided to tumbler users,” pointing out, “The current approach, which relies on the goodwill of businesses, has limits.” Hong added, “As single-use policies lose consistency, distrust of the government among the self-employed is growing,” and, “A clear regulatory signal through legislation is needed.”

Lee Jeong-mi, head of the Resource Circulation Policy Division at the Ministry of Climate, stated, “We will duly supplement the comprehensive plan based on the opinions presented today,” and, “We will establish a governance venue so that we can hear the opinions of a wide range of stakeholders, including civil society, industry, and the public.”