South Korea to mandate recycled plastic use in beverage packaging from 2026
Major beverage firms in South Korea face new regulations requiring recycled PET content to curb plastic waste from next year.
SOUTH KOREA – The South Korean government will require leading bottled water and beverage producers to use recycled plastic in their packaging starting in 2026, the Ministry of Environment has announced.
The new regulation targets companies using more than 5,000 metric tonnes of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles annually.
From January 1, 2026, at least 10 per cent of their PET material must come from recycled sources.
Around 10 major firms, including Coca-Cola Korea, Lotte Chilsung Beverage and Jeju Development Corp., producer of Samdasoo mineral water, are covered under the initial phase.
The government’s push for “bottle-to-bottle” recycling aims to address longstanding challenges over safety concerns in Korea.
An Environment Ministry official told The Korea Herald that government-led research confirmed even coloured PET bottles are safe for food use if processed under recycling standards jointly developed with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.
“Recycled PET bottles may not always appear completely transparent, but there is no issue with their quality,” the official stated.
The approved recycling process involves sorting, cleaning, shredding and re-melting PET bottles into pellets, followed by safety testing to ensure no harmful substances migrate into beverages. Seoul began using recycled PET bottles for its Arisu tap water brand in April last year.
The mandate forms part of South Korea’s broader plan to reduce plastic waste and align with international standards. The European Union and Germany aim for 30 per cent recycled content in PET bottles by 2030, while the UK targets 2026.
South Korea plans to expand the requirement to firms producing over 1,000 tonnes of PET annually and raise the recycled content target to 30 per cent by 2030.
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