Government Policy – “Back and Forth”

 

Government Policy  –  “Back and Forth”

Sangwook Alex Ahn

Biodegradable plastic businesses are devastated because the Ministry of Environment of Korea issued an administrative notice in November last year stating that it will not give eco-friendly certifications to biodegradable plastics.

Biodegradable plastics are plastics that decompose naturally in soil or sea water and plastics and containers made from them have been certified as eco-friendly. Unlike standard plastics, pit decomposable plastics (PDP) decompose naturally within a few months, drawing attention as an eco-friendly material.

The problem is that there is no separate collection system for biodegradable plastics. As a result of increasing dissemination without separate collection measures, environmental groups have raised criticism that “the policy of distributing biodegradable plastics is actually greenwashing.” The Ministry of Environment eventually changed its policy.

Countries abroad foster biodegradable plastic industry. European countries such as Italy and Austria ban the use of plastic bags except for biodegradable materials and offer manufacturers of biodegradable products a tax credit of 20,000 euros. In Germany, local governments are purchasing biodegradable plastics by obligating manufacturers of biodegradable plastics to collect them within minutes and requiring consumers to separate biodegradable plastics separately. The Chinese government has also banned the use of non-degradable single-use plastics in the four major municipalities and 27 provinces since last year.

I think it is very regrettable that Korea has changed its policy and abolished the eco-friendly certification of the biodegradable plastic and has put regulations while the overseas market is growing. 

References

Chosun Daily News