South Korea to reduce mandatory recycling amount by up to 20% for producers using recycled plastic raw materials

On December 17, 2025, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment (MCEE) of South Korea issued a preliminary legislative notice on a draft partial amendment to the Public Notice on the Procedures for Reducing the Mandatory Recycling Amount for Obligated Producers Using Raw Materials Recycled from Plastic Waste, and conducted a public consultation on the draft amendment through to January 12, 2026. Under the proposed amendment, producers that use recycled raw materials will be eligible, starting with their 2025 performance results, for a reduction in their mandatory recycling amounts by up to 20 percent (newly added Article 4, Paragraph 5, item 4 of the draft).