South Korea Invests in Smart Recycling Systems
South Korea is committing EUR 42.8 million to a five-year national research programme designed to upgrade its recycling infrastructure and meet new European Union standards. The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment has allocated nearly EUR 15 million toward textile recycling and more than EUR 28 million to tyre solutions. The Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute will serve as the technical partner for the initiative, which runs through 2030.
South Korea currently exports the majority of its collected used clothing. The remaining material often ends up being downcycled into construction materials. The new funding seeks to change this dynamic by developing an AI-powered sorting system capable of identifying textile fibres with an accuracy exceeding 95%. Researchers will also work on converting discarded clothing into raw materials suitable for new garments, automotive interior components, and construction products.
According to the ministry, the goal is to strengthen domestic textile recycling capabilities while creating higher-value applications for recovered fibres. Officials hope these technologies will help local manufacturers prepare for the EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation. While the regulation entered into force in 2024, specific requirements for textiles and tyres are still under development, with full implementation scheduled for 2028.
It is difficult to say if domestic recycling rates will rise quickly enough to meet the projected 2028 deadlines. The technology required to sort fibres at that level and reintegrate them into high-value products is complex and expensive. Even if the AI systems reach their accuracy targets, the infrastructure to process the resulting materials must be built simultaneously, or the new systems could become expensive white elephants sitting in a warehouse.
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Upgrading tyre recycling technologies
The programme also focuses on the circular use of end-of-life tyres. South Korea generates an estimated 24 million tyres every year. Currently, more than 60% of the nation’s waste tyres are recycled into fuel. Although some material is recovered as carbon black, quality limitations mean manufacturers typically use less than 5% recycled content in new tyres.
Research efforts will target pretreatment and pyrolysis technologies to recover higher-quality carbon black. The long-term objective is to enable tyre manufacturers to incorporate more than 15% of the material in new products. The ministry noted that the funding will also support the commercialisation of technologies capable of producing higher-value recycled materials.
“This programme aims to turn two traditionally difficult waste streams into valuable secondary raw materials,” comments Kim Goeung, director general of the ministry’s Resource Circulation Bureau. He hopes the investment will help domestic manufacturers respond to the European Union’s regulations. “Doing so will surely strengthen South Korea’s circular economy,” Goeung said.
