South Korea announced detailed procedure for enforcing mandatory usage of recycled plastic raw materials 
On April 9, 2025, South Korea’s Ministry of Environment (MOE) announced the draft Notice on the Obligation to Use Recycled Plastic Raw Materials (MOE Public Notice No. 2025-258) (hereinafter referred to as the “draft Notice”), inviting public comments until April 30, 2025. In accordance with the draft revision of the Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Promotion of Saving and Recycling of Resources (hereinafter referred to as the “Act”), which was announced on February 21, 2025, the draft Notice outlines detailed provisions related to recycled plastic raw materials, including the procedures for smooth implementation of the mandatory use requirement, mandatory usage ratios, and notification obligations for business entities. From the year of 2026, beverage makers that manufacture 5,000 tons or more of final products using polyethylene terephthalate (PET) per year will be required to use at least 10% recycled plastic raw materials in their products and submit an implementation plan and an implementation report.
The key content of the draft Notice is as follows.
Implementation procedures and notification obligation with respect to the obligation to use recycled plastic raw materials
| Schedule | Content | Entity | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 30 of the previous fiscal year (FY) | Select and notify business entities subject to the obligation to use recycled plastic raw materials. The selection criterion is set as: beverage manufacturers producing 5,000 tons or more of final products per year using PET. |
Korea Environment Corporation (K-eco) | Previous FY |
| January 31 of the FY of implementation | Submit an implementation plan prescribed in the Act to the head of the business entity | Subject business entity | FY of implementation |
| February 28 of the FY of implementation | Submit a compiled implementation plan to K-eco | Head of the trade association | |
| January to December of FY of implementation | Implement the obligation to use recycled plastic raw materials | Subject business entity | |
| February 28 of the following FY | Submit an implementation report to the head of the trade association | Subject business entity | Following FY |
| March 31 of the following FY | Submit a compiled implementation report to K-eco | Head of the trade association | |
| April 30 of the following FY | Review and confirm the record of used recycled plastic raw materials | K-eco |
As the Ministry of Environment (MOE) plans to apply the provisions contained in the draft Notice to products shipped on or after January 1, 2026, the business entities subject to these provisions will be selected and notified by September 30, 2025.
Furthermore, in the long term, MOE intends to expand the scope of subject business entities by lowering the minimum annual manufacturing volume threshold from 5,000 tons to 1,000 tons; and to gradually expand the range of products covered to include home electronics, automotive components, cosmetic containers, and similar items, in addition to PET-bottled beverages.
Original draft text of the Notice on the Obligation to Use Recycled Plastic Raw Materials (MOE Public Notice No. 2025-258):
https://opinion.lawmaking.go.kr/gcom/admpp/44990?announceType=TYPE6&mappingAdmRulSeq=2000000317092
Original draft text of the Notice of Partial Revision of the Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Promotion of Resource Conservation and Recycling (MOE Public Notice No. 2025-257):
https://opinion.lawmaking.go.kr/gcom/ogLmPp/82360/RP
