'Circular economy is a market entry condition, not an afterthought,' experts say at ecodesign symposium

The Korean Academy of Environmental Sciences held its 27th Environmental Policy Symposium on Tuesday at the Korea Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, under the theme "Ecodesign and ESPR Responses in the Circular Economy Era: Directions for K-ESPR and Industrial Transition Strategies."

The symposium examined the direction of institutionalizing a Korean-style ecodesign regime known as K-ESPR and assessed the challenges facing industry as global circular economy norms rise and the EU's Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation takes effect.

Following opening remarks by Kim Jae-young, president of the Korean Academy of Environmental Sciences, Vice Minister of Climate, Environment and Energy Geum Han-seung and Posco Holdings President Lee Ju-tae delivered congratulatory speeches underscoring the significance of the circular economy transition and the institutionalization of a Korean ecodesign framework.

The first presenter, Heo Tak, emeritus professor at Konkuk University and former president of the Korean Academy of Environmental Sciences, argued in his presentation — titled "The Global Industrial Order Reshaped by the Circular Economy: Ecodesign, ESPR and the Rise of Global Circularity Norms" — that the circular economy is emerging as a new economic system that goes beyond environmental policy to reshape the global industrial order. He said the circular economy is shifting from being an "after-the-fact regulation" to a "market entry condition."

The second presenter, Maeng Hak-gyun, director of the resource recycling division at the Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy, addressed the K-ESPR implementation plan. He identified the structural limits of the linear economy and existing plastic recycling systems, and proposed "sustainability-conscious design," or ecodesign, as the solution.

The panel discussion that followed was moderated by Yoo Yeon-cheol, secretary-general of the UN Global Compact Korea and former ambassador for climate change. Panelists included Cho Ji-hye, senior research fellow at the Korea Environment Institute; Nam Jeong-im, head of the climate, environment and safety division at the Korea Iron and Steel Association; Cho Young-jun, president of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Sustainable Management Institute; Lee Han-gyeong, chief executive of Eco & Partners; and Kim Hun-tae, head of the ESG secretariat at Posco Holdings' future strategy division.

Cho Ji-hye organized global ecodesign-based circular economy policy into four major trends — design, materials, industrial support and digital — and analyzed how the EU, Japan, the United States and China are converging product, packaging and supply chain regulations into a single set of "market entry rules."

Nam Jeong-im called for improvements to separation and recovery systems to handle new types of steel scrap, including spent electric vehicle batteries, and urged the government to broaden the criteria for recognizing byproducts as circular resources, streamline the regulatory sandbox process and establish special circular economy zones.

Cho Young-jun highlighted the economic challenges facing industry, including a shortage of high-quality circular resources and rising prices for recycled raw materials. He said the burden on small and medium-sized enterprises that struggle to build data systems on their own must be addressed as a priority.

Lee Han-gyeong noted that the EU's ESPR evaluates products along two axes — circularity and open strategic autonomy — and said ecodesign goes beyond eco-friendly design to become an industrial strategy directly tied to resource security through the use of recycled materials and supply chain diversification.

Kim Hun-tae said the strategic alignment of economic security and circular economy policy is growing more important in an era of geoeconomic fragmentation. He proposed pursuing mutual recognition agreements with the EU and other major economies to ease the double-regulatory burden on domestic companies, and called for a joint public-private consultative body spanning the full value chain — from raw materials and production to consumption and recycling — urging government and industry to work as "one team."

Moderator Yoo Yeon-cheol said the symposium "provided an opportunity for academia, industry, research institutions and government to gather in one place and examine the conditions needed for the successful establishment of the K-ESPR regime," adding that he hoped "the various issues raised will be organically coordinated and complemented to contribute to the circular economy transition and the enhancement of industrial competitiveness."

The Korean Academy of Environmental Sciences, established in November 2011 as a nonprofit incorporated association, provides a platform for scholarly exchange among leading environmental experts and works to cultivate global environmental specialists. Through forums including its Environmental Leaders Forum, Environmental Policy Symposium and Environmental Roundtable, the organization shares expert perspectives on major domestic and international environmental issues.