Paper Federation Seeks Solutions to Resolve Waste Paper Supply-Demand Imbalance

The 3rd Policy Forum: Government and Industry Deliberate Roles in Recurring Waste Supply-Demand Imbalance

On the 28th, the Korea Paper Association held the "Policy Forum for Improving the Supply and Demand Imbalance of Waste Paper"
[Photo by Korea Paper Association]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Junhyung] The Korea Paper Association announced on the 29th that it held the 3rd policy forum under the theme of 'The Role of Government and Industry in Improving the Domestic Waste Paper Supply-Demand Imbalance.'

At the policy forum held on the 28th, policies proposed in the previous forum to resolve the waste paper supply-demand imbalance were further supplemented and specified. Through the 1st and 2nd forums, the Korea Paper Association diagnosed the conflicts and difficulties occurring between the paper and raw material industries due to the recurring waste paper supply-demand imbalance. They also sought ways to improve the waste paper supply-demand imbalance situation.

Choi Juseop, Director of the Resource Circulation Policy Institute, who presented at the forum, argued that "a certain amount of waste paper imports is inevitable in the shortage situation." He stated, "Demand must be increased through diversification of domestic waste paper recycling," adding, "As a mid- to long-term backlog resolution plan, there are measures such as replacing plastic packaging and improving paper quality."

Korea Paper Association's 'Short-term and Mid-to-Long-term Policy Proposals to Resolve Domestic Waste Paper Supply and Demand Imbalance'
[Photo by Korea Paper Association]

A discussion on measures to improve the supply-demand imbalance, involving Professor Lee Hakrae of Seoul National University and others, also took place. Participants unanimously agreed that "objective and accurate statistical construction is key to judging the supply-demand imbalance." They emphasized the need for efforts to accurately understand the market through reliable data trusted by both the paper and raw material industries. Furthermore, participants pointed out that the current import policy cannot fundamentally solve the waste paper supply-demand imbalance problem, and that long-term policy establishment considering industry characteristics is necessary.

Lee Sangmoon, Advisor to the Korea Paper Association, said, "Based on the improvement measures proposed at this forum, we will suggest policies and promote cooperation between the paper and raw material industries," adding, "We will improve the domestic waste paper supply-demand imbalance issue through the public-private supply-demand management committee."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.