South Korea Proposes to Ban PET Cans from January 1, 2028

On August 10, 2026, South Korea’s Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment (MCEE) issued a legislative notice (Announcement No. 2026-778) proposing to amend the Regulations on Standards for Product Packaging Materials and Methods by adding a new provision banning the use of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) container and metal combined packaging that is “difficult to separate without the use of tools” (commonly known as “PET cans”), with the new rule to take effect on January 1, 2028. The measure aims to prevent metal contamination in the PET recycling process at the source and to safeguard the quality of recycled materials for food containers. It will directly affect coffee chains and other food and beverage enterprises using PET cans, as well as manufacturers and importers of PET cans, all of which must complete packaging replacement within the transition period.

Revision background: demand for food-grade recycled PET expanding, metal contamination from PET cans difficult to sort out

In recent years, South Korea has continuously strengthened the mandatory use of recycled material in plastic bottles under the Act on the Promotion of Saving and Recycling of Resources: from 2026, PET bottles for beverages and mineral water are required to contain 10% recycled material, and demand for food-grade recycled PET has expanded accordingly. A PET can, however, is a container in which a PET body and an aluminum lid are joined by a seamer through double seaming. Once PET cans enter the PET recycling process, the mixed-in metal (aluminum) is difficult to remove with existing sorting technology. The recycling industry reported at the legislative hearing that even if only a very small number of PET cans are mixed into a batch, the quality of that batch of recycled material may be degraded, or the whole batch may even have to be discarded, driving up incineration, landfilling, and other final treatment. The MCEE accordingly proposed restricting the use of PET cans at the source.

Key regulatory points: new Article 3(5) banning “hard-to-separate” PET-metal combined packaging

The draft adds a new paragraph 5 to Article 3 of the current Rules (standards for product packaging materials), stipulating that producers and others must not use PET containers and metal combined packaging that is “difficult to separate easily without the use of separate tools”. The provision makes clear that “separation” means completely removing the metal part, in whole or in part, from the PET body without leaving any residue, and that “combination” includes joining, adhesion and other methods. Accordingly, any container in which a PET body and a metal lid are joined by seaming or other methods and is difficult to separate by hand — typically a PET can — falls within the scope of the ban, while separable containers such as PET bottles with hand-removable screw caps are not affected.

Scope of application: about 11,000 coffee shop outlets regulated; industry has already signed a voluntary agreement

According to the regulatory impact analysis, the directly regulated entities include about 11,000 coffee shop outlets using PET cans, five manufacturers and importers of PET cans, and five other food and beverage manufacturers using PET cans. In addition, the coffee, fast food and bakery sectors (about 22,000 outlets in total) signed a voluntary agreement (MOU) with the MCEE on July 13, 2026, committing to implement the same usage restrictions as those in this legislation.

Effective date and transition period: implementation from January 1, 2028

The supplementary provisions of the draft stipulate that the new rule takes effect on January 1, 2028. According to the MCEE, this effective date was set as a transitional arrangement after incorporating industry opinions expressed at the legislative hearing on July 1, 2026, in order to give enterprises sufficient time to complete equipment modification, consumption of existing inventory, and procurement of alternative containers. As for alternatives, PET bottles with screw caps that are functionally equivalent and separable by hand are already widely available on the market, making the switch relatively convenient for enterprises.

Costs and benefits: about KRW 8.03 billion in additional annual costs for enterprises, with the recycling system benefiting

The regulatory impact analysis estimates that, taking the roughly 11,000 regulated coffee shop outlets as the base (assuming 50 cans sold per outlet per day, and replacing the original aluminum seamed lid at about KRW 330 with a PP screw-cap PET bottle at about KRW 370), the enterprises concerned would incur about KRW 8.03 billion (approx €4,923,399/$5,756,474) in additional material costs per year (about KRW 60.8 billion in 10-year present value) (approx €37,266,886/$43,588,020). Meanwhile, with less mixing in of PET cans, the recycling industry would save sorting and treatment costs and gain additional sales revenue from recycled PET feedstock, totaling about KRW 7.8 billion per year (about KRW 59.4 billion in 10-year present value). On an overall basis, the 10-year net social cost is estimated at about KRW 1.38 billion.

Overseas trends: EU, US and Japan all tightening

This amendment is in line with the global trend of tightening packaging recyclability requirements. The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) requires that no less than 70% of packaging consist of components “recyclable at scale” and that all constituent parts be functionally necessary (applicable from January 1, 2030), and PET cans have been identified as packaging that cannot be recycled at scale. California in the United States levies differentiated environmental burden fees on low-recycling-rate metal-composite PET (with a surcharge of up to 500%). Japan, through the PET bottle voluntary guidelines of producer associations, effectively prohibits the use of metal attachments, and major distribution channels and chain stores have already restricted their entry.

Public consultation

The comment period for this legislative notice runs from August 10 to September 21, 2026. Relevant institutions, organizations or individuals can submit comments online via Korea’s Public Participation in Legislation Center (opinion.lawmaking.go.kr), or submit written opinions to the Minister of Climate, Energy and Environment (email: y4ngjiwoo@korea.kr). For details, contact the Resource Circulation Division of the Ministry (tel: 044-201-7382).

CIRS Insights

This amendment is still at the legislative notice stage, and the final provisions and implementation arrangements may still change. Food and beverage enterprises using or importing PET cans, coffee chains, and packaging suppliers are advised to closely track the regulatory progress, assess the separability of their current product packaging as early as possible, complete the switch to separable alternative containers before January 1, 2028, and pay attention to the implementation requirements of the voluntary agreement during the transition period and to industry developments.

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CIRS Group is a leading provider of comprehensive regulatory compliance services and solutions for chemicals, cosmetics, food and food-related products, agrochemicals, and medical devices. Its chemical team consists of experts with extensive knowledge in chemistry, toxicology, environmental science, and related fields. They are well-versed in various international regulations, including but not limited to CSCL, EU REACH, CLP, GHS, TSCA, and K-REACH. 

CIRS operates a subsidiary in South Korea. By leveraging the expertise of CIRS Korea and the international team, CIRS can provide enterprises with various South Korean chemical services, including but not limited to:

• K-REACH registration;
• K-REACH Only Representative;
• K-REACH lead registrant service
• K-BPR compliance; and
• KOSHA SDS submission.

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Further information

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