'Overpackaging Regulation' Delayed Again... Effectiveness Questioned Due to Exclusion of Overseas Direct Purchases

Two-Year Grace Period Extended Until April 30, 2026
Ministry of Environment Delays Again Due to Unfavorable Conditions
"Environmental Pollution Is the Most Important Issue of Our Time"

Han Mo (27), who lives in Jung-gu, Seoul, was recently surprised after ordering cosmetics online. He purchased several products, including lip balm and eyeliner, but found that each item was individually packaged in separate plastic bags, resulting in five packaging materials piled up at his front door.

The plastic bags used for packaging were generously sized, seemingly large enough to hold all the products together. Han said, "After opening the packages and gathering the products in one place, it seemed like one plastic bag would have been enough." He added, "Seeing each product individually wrapped in separate packaging made me think it was excessive packaging."

Delayed Again After 2-Year Grace Period... A Total of 4 Years Until Full Enforcement

The Ministry of Environment's 'excessive packaging regulation' policy, scheduled to be enforced this April, has been postponed once again, drawing criticism. The recent surge in overseas direct purchases and peer-to-peer transactions has been completely excluded from the crackdown, raising concerns about the policy's effectiveness.

Delivery workers are sorting holiday parcel boxes at the Dong Seoul Postal Logistics Center in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul.
[Photo by Kang Jin-hyung]

On the 7th, the Ministry of Environment announced in a briefing that the enforcement of the "Standards for Disposable Transport Packaging Methods" to regulate excessive packaging in parcel delivery will be postponed for two years until 2026. Originally, after the revision of the "Regulations on Packaging Materials and Methods of Products" on April 30, 2022, a two-year grace period was to be observed, with full enforcement starting on April 30 this year. However, due to insufficient conditions and other reasons, the Ministry has delayed enforcement once more, resulting in a total delay of about four years since the regulation was amended.

According to the Ministry of Environment, the distribution industry must keep the number of packaging layers used during transport to "within one time" and maintain the packaging space ratio at "50% or less." However, cooling materials packaged together to protect product quality are considered part of the product when calculating packaging space ratio, and plastic bags used to tightly wrap the cooling materials and products are not counted as additional packaging layers.

An official from the Ministry of Environment said, "Since this is the first time the new system is being implemented, it will inevitably take considerable time for the industry to prepare and comply with improved packaging methods." He added, "A two-year guidance period will be operated to evaluate the system's applicability in the field."

Criticism Over Government's Lack of Preparation and Doubts About Effectiveness

However, environmental groups have voiced criticism. Despite a two-year preparation period, the government’s decision to delay enforcement again is seen as an admission of inadequate readiness. A representative from the Seoul Environmental Federation said, "The government has postponed policies banning plastic straws and restaurant paper cups, and now the excessive packaging ban as well," adding, "Under the pretext of leaving it to corporate autonomy, the government is effectively neglecting its role."

Environmental groups, civic organizations, and small business owners are holding a press conference at Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno-gu, Seoul, condemning the Ministry of Environment's withdrawal of regulations on disposable products.
[Photo by Kang Jin-hyung]

Concerns have also been raised about the policy’s effectiveness as the increasing volume of overseas direct purchases and peer-to-peer transactions are excluded from regulation. Overseas direct purchases have more than doubled from about 42,000 cases in 2019 to about 96,000 cases in 2022 over three years. Critics argue that the Ministry of Environment’s focus solely on domestic parcel volumes fails to properly address the changing delivery trends. Companies with annual sales under 50 billion won are also exempt from regulation.

Professor Yoon Soon-jin of Seoul National University’s Graduate School of Environmental Studies said, "It is unlikely that companies will voluntarily make efforts to self-regulate unless they bear certain costs." He added, "Yet the government has postponed enforcement again and included various exceptions. Despite environmental pollution being one of the most critical issues of our time, the government seems to rely solely on corporate autonomy to address environmental problems."

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