Developing a Circular Economy Policy Roadmap for Achieving Carbon Neutrality

Author: Dr. Jo, Ji Hye et. al

The existing linear economy entails mass production, consumption, and disposal of products, accelerating the depletion of natural resources and the accumulation of waste. Also, the process of collecting resources and producing, consuming, and disposing of products releases a significant amount of greenhouse gases. In order to minimize waste and reduce greenhouse gas emissions going forward, the linear economy has to be replaced with the circular economy, which emphasizes the efficiency and recycling of resource utilization.

Since the South Korean government declared 2050 Carbon Neutrality in October, 2020, the country needs concrete strategies to carry out Net Zero. This study presents policy directions for the circular economy and shows key tasks for each level drawn on a roadmap. We formed a circular economy policy subcommittee at the policy establishment level to gather opinions from the main stakeholders in industry and others on the circular economy value chain and reflected their opinions in the final proposal. We expect the study results will contribute to establishing the governmental plans and strategies for the circular economy including K-Circular Economy Innovation Roadmap of the Ministry of Environment. 

Keywords: Circular Economy, 2050 Carbon Neutrality, K-Circular Economy Innovation Roadmap

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