DAEJEON, Jun. 27 (Korea Bizwire) – In a contentious legal battle, three South Korean companies have filed a lawsuit against the state-run Korea Minting and Security Printing Corporation (KOMSCO), seeking 7.5 billion won in damages. The dispute stems from a scrapped government initiative to implement a deposit system for disposable cups. The deposit system required coffee [...]
SEOUL, May 20 (Korea Bizwire) – In a bold move towards a more sustainable future, Seoul has announced a comprehensive strategy to reduce the use of single-use plastics, aptly dubbed the Plastic-Free Seoul initiative. Starting from September, events and festivals hosted by the city with an anticipated attendance of 1,000 or more people will be prohibited [...]
SEOUL, June 1 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea said Wednesday that disposable cups offered at cafes in government buildings will be phased out. The Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that coffee chain restaurants in the nation’s 13 government buildings will be required to implement a multi-use cup circulation [...]
SEOUL, March 1 (Korea Bizwire) — There are more microplastics found in disposable containers commonly used for food deliveries than in multi-use containers, a consumer watchdog said Tuesday. The Korea Consumer Agency looked into 16 kinds of disposable containers currently being used in the commercial market, discovering close to 30 microplastics. In the four kinds [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 23 (Korea Bizwire) — A deposit-refund scheme aimed at reducing the use of disposable cups at cafes and restaurants will go into effect in early December in the two regions of Sejong and Jeju, the environment ministry said Friday. The decision marks a scale-back of the ministry’s initial plan for a nationwide implementation [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 13 (Korea Bizwire) — The number of disposable cups consumed at major cafe and fast food chains topped 1 billion last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a report showed Tuesday. According to the environment ministry report submitted to Rep. Lee Joo-hwan of the ruling People Power Party, the number of disposable plastic and [...]
SEOUL, July 8 (Korea Bizwire) — South Koreans are known for their coffee craze that has made the country the third-largest coffee market in the world after the United States and China. Trendy espresso bars dot Seoul and other major cities, and some shops offer drip coffee brewed by robot baristas. The explosive growth, coupled [...]
SEOUL, April 11 (Korea Bizwire) — Food and beverage manufacturers are complaining that the government’s upcoming policy requiring companies to pay a deposit for using a designated number of disposable plastic cups, aimed at raising the waste recycling rate, imposes the cost on the companies only. The new policy will require companies to request the number [...]
SEOUL, April 1 (Korea Bizwire) — The use of disposable items, such as single-use plastic cups and cutlery, is prohibited inside cafes and restaurants under a new environmental regulation that went into force Friday. It marks a reinstatement of the environmental ministry’s anti-disposable law that first went into effect in 2018. Its enforcement was temporarily [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — Deposits will be needed to buy drinks using disposable cups at cafes and fast-food chains starting in June as part of efforts to reduce plastic waste spiking amid the pandemic, the environment ministry said Tuesday. Starting on June 10, people will have to pay a deposit between 200 won [...]