Environment ministry begins research into South Korean ecodesign standards

The environment ministry said that the National Institute of Environmental Research will begin research on product-assessment standards for South Korea's planned ecodesign system to help domestic companies respond to tougher environmental rules overseas.

The institute will hold a research launch meeting on Aug. 5 at Bium Seojae in Yongsan, Seoul, the ministry said.

Ecodesign is an approach that considers a product's lifespan, repairability and ease of recycling from the design stage, seeking to minimize discarded resources.

The European Union's Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, or ESPR, took effect in July 2024. It will progressively apply stricter environmental standards at the design stage to most products sold in the European market, starting with textiles and clothing in 2027.

Researchers will review assessment standards and methods used by the European Union before developing benchmarks for objectively measuring and evaluating eco-friendly products. The work will cover measures for repairability, recycled content and recyclability, as well as standards for textiles and clothing.

"This research will help our companies secure competitiveness amid changing global environmental regulations while laying the groundwork for a resource-circulating society," Park Jeong-min, head of the institute's Environmental Resources Research Department, said. "We will communicate closely with industry and establish reasonable assessment standards suited to Korean conditions."

The ministry launched an ecodesign forum in April 2026 and said it plans to begin legislative procedures for the system that year.

The government has selected textiles and clothing, tires, electrical and electronic products, steel and aluminum, and green-transition infrastructure for priority consideration. The institute plans to gradually expand its assessments to tires, furniture and electronic products.