K-eco to launch recycled materials certification system

Pictured is the Korea Environment Corporation headquarters in Incheon. [KOREA ENVIRONMENT CORPORATION]

The Korea Environment Corporation (K-eco) will work with the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) to establish a system for certifying recycled materials usage in Korea.

The K-eco, an organization under the Ministry of Environment, signed an MOU with the ISCC to collaborate in knowledge sharing in a signing ceremony on Wednesday, according to the agency on the same day.

Under the agreement, the two organizations will share information to establish a certification system suitable for the Korean recycled material market, support Korean companies to achieve ISCC Plus certification, co-host related meetings and exchange information on global plastic regulations and recycled material certification.

The German-based ISCC system is an initiative that aims to use certification as an accountability tool to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and establish sustainable production by implementing criteria on supply chains. The ISCC Plus certifies the use of bio and recycled materials in industrial products and consumer goods.

The K-eco’s recycled material certification system is slated to begin on March 29. The system verifies the percentage of a product that was made from recycled materials from plastic waste, allowing the manufacturer to display the percentage on its products when it goes above a certain level.

“We expect this partnership to activate the recycled material certification system and to encourage recycled material use by domestic companies,” K-eco Chairman Ahn Byung-ok said. “The corporation will continue to support recycled material usage to reduce reliance on plastic, in hopes of creating a circular economy.”

BY KIM JU-YEON [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]