Korea launches biocides cooperation body with 42 companies

South Korea's environment ministry said it will hold a declaration ceremony on the afternoon of Oct. 20 at Hotel PJ in Jung-gu, Seoul, where 42 companies that make or import biocidal products will join the government in launching a government-industry consultative body to support implementation of the country's biocide safety rules and will pledge cooperation on carrying out the regime. About 120 people are expected to attend, including Aekyung Industrial, FarmHannong, Henkel Consumer Brands, LG Household & Health Care, LANXESS Korea, Sesco, KCC, Kangnam Jevisco, Chokwang Paint, SP Samwha, the Korea Paint and Ink Industry Cooperative, the National Institute of Chemical Safety and the Korea Environmental Industry and Technology Institute.

The biocide safety system operates under the Act on the Safety Management of Household Chemical Products and Biocides, which took effect in January 2019. The council plans to run joint projects including small policy working groups, and its first task will be to draw up a guideline on misleading labeling and advertising of biocidal products.

At the ceremony, 10 companies in the coatings and sealants sector, along with one industry association, will declare cooperation with the government on building a voluntary safety management system for biocidal-treated products. Such products use biocides for purposes secondary to the product's main function, and because they pass through multiple stages from raw materials to finished goods, the ministry says systematic safety management across the supply chain matters.

The voluntary system has been introduced sector by sector, starting with automobiles in 2023, electronics in 2024 and textiles in 2025, with this year's declaration extending it to coatings and sealants. The ministry has worked with industry to produce guidelines for each sector. The ceremony will also include a pre-event conversation between government and company representatives, a screening of a video on safe biocide use, and an exhibition of approved biocidal products at the venue entrance.

"It is a reality that government-led safety management alone has difficulty responding to market changes and consumer demands," said Heo Hye-in, head of the ministry's chemical products management division. "Industry and government will make full use of communication and cooperation channels to do our utmost for the stable settlement and smooth implementation of the biocide safety management system."