{"id":590753,"date":"2026-04-08T18:19:19","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T18:19:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/590753\/"},"modified":"2026-04-08T18:19:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T18:19:19","slug":"can-korea-break-plastic-reliance-after-middle-east-shocks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/590753\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Korea break plastic reliance after Middle East shocks?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Supply disruptions fuel calls for deeper cuts beyond recycling<\/p>\n

\"An An employee stacks official South Korean trash bags produced at a factory in Incheon on Thursday, amid reported stockpiling of the bags due to fears of supply disruptions caused by the Middle East war. (Yonhap) <\/p>\n

South Korea\u2019s long-delayed effort to reduce its dependence on plastics has come into sharper focus as the country grapples with supply instability driven by the conflict in the Middle East.<\/p>\n

Despite being one of the world\u2019s largest plastic consumers, Korea has repeatedly rolled back efforts to curb usage, and current policies still rely heavily on recycling and alternatives, raising questions about their effectiveness.<\/p>\n

Environmental groups and experts cite plastics\u2019 vulnerability to geopolitical shocks as a reason to accelerate the transition toward an economy less dependent on plastic, warning that without reducing production and consumption, the country will remain exposed to recurring disruptions.<\/p>\n

Korea\u2019s efforts to encourage reusables have repeatedly been watered down or reversed, leaving per capita plastic use above 100 kilograms, nearly double the global average, according to OECD data.<\/p>\n

Mandates on reusable cups were rolled back during the COVID-19 pandemic, while a 2022 push to restrict plastic straws, stir sticks and bags was indefinitely delayed in 2023.<\/p>\n

As a result, plastic waste rose from 8 million tons in 2017 to 14.6 million tons in 2023, driven in part by rapid growth in logistics and delivery services, according to KPMG.<\/p>\n

President Lee Jae Myung pledged to reduce plastic waste, and the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment released a draft roadmap in December. But a final version has yet to be announced.<\/p>\n

Experts say the government\u2019s weak stance in the face of public complaints and industry concerns has led to repeated policy reversals.<\/p>\n

The country\u2019s reliance on plastics \u2014 it was the world\u2019s fourth-largest plastic producer as of 2023 \u2014 is increasingly seen as a structural vulnerability as geopolitical tensions disrupt supply chains.<\/p>\n

Conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran has affected petrochemical flows from the Middle East and tightened supplies of naphtha, a key feedstock for plastics.<\/p>\n

More than half of Korea\u2019s naphtha imports come from the region, while domestic production also depends on Middle Eastern crude. Limited stockpiles have already prompted emergency measures that prioritize allocation to critical sectors such as medical supplies.<\/p>\n

\"Plastic Plastic bottles are sorted at a recycling facility in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province. (Yangju Urban Corp.) <\/p>\n

Alternatives under scrutiny<\/p>\n

Tightened plastic supplies have drawn attention to substitutes, with related companies seeing stock gains as geopolitical tensions intensify.<\/p>\n

Paper has emerged as a key alternative. South Korea produces around 10 million tons annually, with a large share sourced from recycled materials, according to an industry official.<\/p>\n

However, experts caution that paper is unlikely to replace plastic due to material limitations and environmental trade-offs.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlastic\u2019s insulation and chemical stability help prevent decay or deterioration of products, whereas paper is less capable in this regard, which limits its use as a packaging material,\u201d said Lee Duk-hwan, professor emeritus at Sogang University.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is unlikely that society will accept the inconvenience of returning to conditions seen decades ago, before plastics became widespread.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paper\u2019s environmental credentials are also questioned, as its production and disposal can generate pollution and often require additional treatment such as film coating.<\/p>\n

Reflecting such concerns, the government\u2019s December draft proposed restrictions on all types of straws, regardless of material.<\/p>\n

Similar doubts surround bioplastics, often presented as another alternative, with commercialization still limited.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere have been attempts to develop polymers from biological sources, but they are still far from large-scale application,\u201d Lee said. \u201cOne common method involves using starch to produce plastics, but this raises concerns over competition with food resources and potential ethical issues.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Naphtha Naphtha cracking facilities, which produce naphtha, a key material for plastics, operate in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, on April 1. (Yonhap) <\/p>\n

Beyond recycling and material substitutes<\/p>\n

Experts and civic groups argue that policy should go beyond recycling and alternative materials, calling for direct measures to curb plastic production. They warn that plastic dependence has grown faster than efforts to reduce it, raising supply risks in essential sectors such as healthcare.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast year\u2019s comprehensive anti-plastic roadmap draft also remains centered on recycling-based waste management, with quantitative targets focused on plastic waste rather than production,\u201d said Park Sang-hyun of Green Korea.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo matter how much single-use items or waste are reduced, continued production of plastic raw materials inevitably creates pressure to expand their use.\u201d<\/p>\n

While acknowledging the difficulty of rapid change due to impacts on jobs and industry, experts stress that transitioning toward more sustainable consumer goods industries must remain a long-term goal.<\/p>\n

Government data underscores the limits of recycling: only about 26 percent of plastic waste is turned into new products, with the rest incinerated or landfilled. Plastic waste has continued to grow at an average annual rate of about 7 percent over the past three years.<\/p>\n

Experts say the present moment should serve as a turning point for reducing reliance on plastics, noting that repeated cycles of oversupply and shortages in petrochemical materials pose risks to both the environment and industrial stability.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven before the latest Middle East-driven supply crunch, there were concerns that low-priced naphtha in the global market was pushing Korea\u2019s petrochemical industry to the brink,\u201d said Hong Su-yeol, chief researcher at Resource Recycling Consulting.<\/p>\n

\u201cSuch disruptions are likely to recur. It is important to reflect on the lessons from the current supply chain crisis at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Plastic Plastic bottles are compressed into blocks and stored at a recycling facility in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province. (Yangju Urban Corp.)
\n
forestjs@heraldcorp.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Supply disruptions fuel calls for deeper cuts beyond recycling An employee stacks official South Korean trash bags produced…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":590754,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[49,48,295,66],"class_list":{"0":"post-590753","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-environment","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-environment","11":"tag-science"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/590753","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=590753"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/590753\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/590754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=590753"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=590753"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=590753"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}