The Arab–Israeli War Exposed Plastic Dependence... Government Says It Will Cut Virgin Plastic Use by 30% by 2030

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[Financial News] As the Arab–Israeli War disrupted supplies of Naphtha, a key raw material for plastics, the government has launched a full-scale push to move away from plastics, saying it will change a structure that relies on oil imports. The goal is not simply to use less plastic, but to build a circular economy system that turns discarded plastic back into raw material.
The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment reported the plan, titled the 'Promotion Plan for the Transition to a Plastic-Free Circular Economy,' at the 18th State Council Meeting on the 28th. The target is to cut the virgin-plastic portion of projected waste plastic generation, estimated at about 10 million tons, by more than 30% by 2030. The plan aims to reduce virgin-plastic use by 1 million tons through source reduction and by another 2 million tons through recycled-material substitution, eliminating a total of 3 million tons of virgin plastic input.
The recycled content requirement for PET bottles, which already has a mandatory 10% use rate this year, will be raised to 30% by 2030. For food and cosmetic containers, as well as plastic film products, the government will set item-specific targets in line with EU levels. The European Union (EU) is expected to require recycled content of 30% for PET bottles used in packaging and 10% to 30% for food and cosmetic containers by 2030.
Garbage bags, which were directly affected by the Middle East crisis, were selected as an initial priority for support. The supplementary budget includes 13.8 billion won in state funds to cover the cost of replacing melting and extrusion equipment so that recycled materials can be used. The government also plans to expand pre-processing facilities that open and sort garbage bags previously sent to incineration or landfills, along with AI and optical sorting systems, in order to recover even burned plastic waste as resources.
The government will also address items that have long remained outside the recycling system. Police uniforms, which have typically been incinerated, will be collected in cooperation with the Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) and turned into recycled polyester, filling materials, or insulation. The scope will later be expanded to include military uniforms. Disposable cups will be brought under the Extended Producer Responsibility system, and the management framework will be revised so they can be recycled together with containers made of the same material, such as PET trays.
Efforts to reduce plastic use at the source will also continue. Products that are difficult to reuse or recycle, such as cosmetic containers and plastic bags, will be encouraged to switch to alternatives like paper. Delivery containers will be made lighter through structural redesign, and excessive packaging for parcel shipments will be restricted to a product-space ratio of 50% or less and a packaging cycle of one time.
The waste charge system will also be revised. Instead of the current approach, which offers reductions in proportion to the amount of recycled material used, the new system will provide larger reductions when a certain threshold is exceeded. For clothing and electrical and electronic products, the government will introduce a 'Korean eco-design system' that evaluates recyclability from the design stage, drawing on the EU's Ecodesign system.
A shift in everyday habits, including replacing disposable containers with reusable ones, will also be promoted. Of the 1,075 funeral halls nationwide, only 100 facilities, 30 public and 70 private, currently use reusable containers. The government will first sign agreements with all funeral halls operated by public institutions and then gradually expand the program to private facilities. It will also establish reusable-container systems in company cafeterias, cafes, and sports stadiums, while signing plastic-reduction agreements with the food and beverage industry, including expanded discounts for personal cups.
Consumers' 'right to repair' will also be institutionalized. The government will build information-sharing systems with home appliance makers and expand repair hubs such as mobile repair buses and repair cafes. The aim is to change the consumer pattern of easily discarding products and buying new ones.
To strengthen the market base for recycled materials, the government will push ahead with the 254 billion won 'K-Circular Economy Re-born Project' from 2027 to 2033. It will focus investment on key technologies such as advanced sorting and continuous pyrolysis oil production. The government will also introduce a 'Circular Economy Regulatory Special Zone' system that allows byproducts from industrial processes to be freely reused within industrial complexes, and it will create a Recycled Raw Material Quality Certification System to build a market environment where consumers can buy with confidence. The ministry plans to extend the approach used in this plastic policy to future waste-resource sectors such as electric vehicle batteries and solar panels.
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leeyb@fnnews.com Lee Yoo-beom Reporter