Mid-sized Ombudsman Holds Meeting with Ministry of Environment to Discuss Regulatory Improvements in Environmental Sector

SME Sector Requests "Excessive Regulations on Small-Quantity Chemical Additives"

Jubong Park, Mid-term Ombudsman (Vice Minister level).
[Photo by Asia Economy DB]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jong-hwa] On the 22nd, Park Ju-bong, Small and Medium Business Ombudsman (vice-ministerial level), invited Han Jeong-ae, Minister of Environment, to the government Seoul office along with heads of 8 associations and organizations from the small and medium-sized and mid-sized business sectors to hold the "Growth Ladder Forum" and "Regulatory Innovation Discussion" in the environmental field.

The Growth Ladder Forum is a meeting where the Ombudsman and heads of small and medium business associations invite high-ranking public officials to discuss ways to resolve regulations. This forum was organized to discuss ways to improve regulations in the environmental sector, which are inevitably accompanied in the process of pursuing sustainable development and 2050 carbon neutrality, but may cause difficulties for small and mid-sized enterprises.

On this day, the heads of associations proposed various regulatory difficulties in the environmental regulation field, including ▲exclusion of plastic manufacturing facilities with only a small amount of pigment added from air pollutant emission facility targets ▲relaxation of registration standards and requirements for new chemical substances ▲differentiation (relaxation) of management standards by hazardous chemical substance grades ▲relaxation of installation standards for medical waste sterilization and crushing facilities.

Kim Jang-sung, chairman of the Environmental Policy Committee of the Korea Federation of SMEs, suggested, "It is necessary to improve related laws so that facilities with a small amount of pigment added are not classified as air pollutant emission facilities." Minister Han Jeong-ae of the Ministry of Environment responded, "We analyzed the amount of air pollutants generated during the product molding process based on pigment component data and inspection agency test reports, and based on the results, we will gather industry opinions and prepare management plans for the relevant facilities."

Ban Won-ik, vice chairman of the Korea Federation of Mid-sized Enterprises, said, "Even for small amounts of chemical substances between 0.1 and 1 ton, companies are required to submit at least nine types of test data when registering new chemical substances, which imposes high economic and administrative burdens on companies," and requested, "Please relax the registration standards for new chemical substances." In response, Minister Han said, "It is somewhat difficult to relax the registration standards for new chemical substances to above 1 ton because it is necessary to confirm the harmfulness of new chemical substances to ensure public safety. However, for new chemical substances under 1 ton, we will consider alternatives such as omitting some test data submissions by considering the use and characteristics of the substance."

Additionally, for the convenience of companies, topographic maps and location maps required to be submitted when reporting activities in water source protection zones will be directly verified by administrative agencies, and a plan to recognize completion of similar or overlapping safety education conducted by the Chemical Substance Management Association and the Korea Fire Safety Institute under the "Chemical Substances Control Act" and the "Hazardous Materials Safety Control Act" is also being considered.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Environment plans to diversify the carbon neutrality facility support projects and expand related budgets and subsidy rates from next year so that small and medium enterprises can prepare for 2050 carbon neutrality without setbacks.

Ombudsman Park Ju-bong said, "Along with environmental preservation, it is also important to rationalize regulations so that companies can actively carry out business activities," and added, "We will continuously consult with the Ministry of Environment to ensure that the suggestions made at today's meeting are well reflected in policies."

In her closing remarks, Minister Han said, "The international community has already launched a new climate regime, and to promote 2050 carbon neutrality and reduce greenhouse gases accordingly, we must prepare for structural transformation across all sectors of the economy and society," adding, "We will improve unnecessary regulations so that companies can carry out business activities without setbacks while contributing to carbon neutrality, and also expand technical and financial support."

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