Korea to use PET label for colorless transparent plastic bottles containing chemical products 
On June 24, 2022, the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) of South Korea announced an amendment to the “Guidelines on Separate Discharge Mark” (MOE Notification No. 2022-361). This amendment stipulates that the Separate Discharge Mark for “colorless plastic bottles” can only be used with “containers containing water, drinking water, or food” from January 2024. When this amendment is officially promulgated, transparent colorless pet bottle products containing chemical products, etc. must use the “plastic” Separate Discharge Mark rather than the “colorless plastic bottle” mark.
- Proposed amendment to the “Guidelines on Separate Discharge Mark” (MOE Notification No. 2022-361):
https://www.epeople.go.kr/cmmn/idea/redirect.do?ideaRegNo=1AE-2206-0001523
South Korea has implemented a “Separate Discharge Mark system,” which requires packaging materials subject to recycling obligations to be marked with a Separate Discharge Mark. Also, according to this system, plastics must be marked with the Separate Discharge Mark based on the following classification.
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Classification of Separate Discharge Mark for plastics |
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| Colorless plastic bottles | Plastic | Vinyls |
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In this amendment, it is proposed to limit the usable range of the Separate Discharge Mark of “colorless plastic bottles” to “containers containing water, drinking water, or food.” As a result, in the case of chemical products, etc., even if a colorless and transparent plastic bottle product is used, the Separate Discharge Mark for “colorless plastic bottles” cannot be used in the future.
According to the Ministry of the Environment, since December 2020, colorless plastic bottle waste has been collected separately. However, plastic bottles containing chemical products such as detergents, shampoos, and cleaning agents that are colorless have been discharged together with colorless plastic bottles. Therefore, the amendment has been made to ensure that in the future, these bottles are not discharged together with “containers containing water, drinking water, or food.”
