Mid-sized Companies Urge Balanced Environmental Policies to Prevent Weakening of Corporate Competitiveness

Junggyeonryeon Holds Policy Meeting for Mid-sized Companies with Minister of Environment

Choi Jin-sik, Chairman of the Korea Federation of Medium-sized Enterprises (right), is delivering the 'Environmental Regulation Improvement Tasks' to Han Hwa-jin, Minister of Environment.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Cheol-hyun] To prevent the weakening of corporate competitiveness due to strengthened domestic and international environmental regulations, there is an opinion that the priorities and pacing of major environmental policies should be adjusted.

Choi Jin-sik, Chairman of the Korea Federation of Medium-sized Enterprises (KMF), stated this at a policy meeting with the Minister of Environment on the 6th, emphasizing, "We urgently need to break away from the existing mindset that sets up an adversarial relationship between companies and the environment across all environmental policies, including regulations."

Medium-sized enterprises urged improvements in environmental regulations that exacerbate on-site difficulties, such as the designation of major raw materials as waste under the Waste Management Act, strengthened chemical storage regulations following the enforcement of the Chemical Control Act, and excessive licensing obligations.

According to a survey on air environment regulations conducted by KMF targeting 82 medium-sized enterprises, administrative burdens such as "frequent inspections and data submission requests by administrative agencies (57.3%)" and "licensing paperwork for each regulation (57.3%)" were identified as significant. Additionally, medium-sized enterprises stated that the 'detection-focused environmental crackdown (80.5%)', which regards corporate activities as potential violations, should urgently shift to a guidance-oriented administration that induces practical improvements.

On the same day, KMF delivered 25 environmental regulatory improvement tasks to Minister of Environment Han Hwa-jin to resolve management difficulties faced by medium-sized enterprises, including 'improvement of overlapping regulations on air pollutant emission standards.' Chairman Choi emphasized, "As seen in cases of renewable energy transition projects utilizing massive factory waste, it is necessary to shift the rigid paradigm of the environment as an object of protection to a new perception of the environment as a source of new growth engines that add value to the environment and community as an industry."