This year marks 15th anniversary of Eco-Labeling system introduced by the Ministry of Environment to provide consumers with accurate environmental information of products, and to encourage companies to develop and produce environmental goods which meet the needs of customers.
Based on the announcement of the then ministry, the Administration of Environment in 1992, eco-label was first granted to 12 items, mostly recycled ones. In 1994, with the change of legislation that this system is based on (Development of & Support for Environmental Technology Act), it developed dramatically to certify 5,000 products of 120 items across all sectors including furniture, home appliances, and construction materials.
With the “Act on the Promotion of Environment-friendly Goods Purchase” enforced in July 2005, around 30,000 public agencies are now subject to mandatory purchase system. Furthermore, with the spread of environment-friendly lifestyle, Eco-Label certified products market has been growing dramatically to reach 12 trillion won as of December 2006.
Meanwhile, since Korea joined the GEN (Global Eco-Labeling Network) in 1997, exchanges with Eco-labeling organizations abroad have been actively pursued such as signing MRAs (Mutual Recognition Agreement) with six countries including Japan and China.
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