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“The unprecedented rigid law of the world”
World No. 1 ‘Straw to Bend’
Direct impacts as Seoil, a national company
“Typical desktop regulation” … Food and beverage industry is backlash too
President Kim Jong-in of Seoil, a domestic straw manufacturer, boarded a flight to Indonesia early last month. This is because the expansion of the paper straw production capacity of the local subang plant, which has been delayed by the new coronavirus infection (Corona 19), can no longer be delayed. When the start of a project that doubles the annual production capacity of 5 billion people under the leadership of the founder, President Kim, was in a hurry to return home with unexpected news from Korea. This is because the Ministry of the Environment announced last month a legislative amendment to the ‘Regulations on Standards for Packaging Materials and Packaging Methods, etc.’, which prohibits the use of ‘attachable straws’ attached to products of beverages such as milk, coffee, and juice. President Kim complained: “Only in Korea is the use of eco-friendly paper straws banned, which is a global trend,” he said.
President Seoil Kim Jong-in (left) is checking product quality on the production line at the Indonesian plant in Subang. Seoil offer
◯ Paper straws are also banned … “Unprecedented global regulation”
The amendment to the Ministry of the Environment contains a new regulation that says: “Straws must not be placed in drink products.” An official from the Resource Circulation Policy of the Environment Ministry explained that “the revised bill focuses on recycling, not straws” and “the content prohibits all sticky straws regardless of raw materials such as plastic and paper”. The plan is to implement this law next year.
This not only deviates from the global trend, but the industry points out that it is the so-called Galapagos regulation that only exists in Korea. The European Union begins in July 2021 and the United States varies from state to state, but California has banned plastic straws since late 2021. Paper straws that are biodegradable can be used as long as they are attached or not. Seoil Vice President Park Jae-il said, “Because the straw industry is also eco-friendly, we have been mass-producing paper straws for two years now and we are constantly doing R&D to provide better products. implement this law, the domestic market will only disappear. Not only that, it can also harm job security. ”
Seoil is a straw manufacturer founded in 1979. In the 1980s, it began to shine when it developed the world’s first U-shaped flexible straw. The world’s first mass-produced Z-shaped straw with a U-shaped curve once again to prevent the drink from falling to the ground. Seoil produces just over 50 billion straws a year in nine factories around the world, including Gimpo in Korea. The amount is about 200 billion won. The company explained that, thanks to its exceptional technology, it has never run a deficit since its founding and has never taken a step back in sales. Vice President Park said, “Seoil is the world’s number one player with 35% of the global market share based on double straws.” The national straw industry, like Seo-il, which has succeeded in this way, complains that “we are caught in the sudden over-regulation of the government.”
The Ministry of the Environment considers as an alternative to put straws attached to stores, etc., and carry them by the person who needs it. However, it is noted that this is a typical desktop administration. A food and beverage industry official said: “Because the thickness, shape and length of the straws are different depending on the concentration of the drink, it is not appropriate to put it in a store and let the consumer use it for He said: “How will you replace nutritional foods for the elderly and patients in packets with straws in the future?” “We should allow paper straws like in advanced overseas countries, instead of allowing them to use them without an alternative.”
Reporter Kim Byeong-geun [email protected]
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