Gov't plans to impose fees for environmentally hazardous icepacks starting in 2023

In this July 2020 file photo, a convenience store clerk, left, puts superabsorbent polymer-based icepacks inside a package to be delivered. Korea Times file

By Ko Dong-hwan

Despite the increased use of eco-friendly icepacks by delivery companies, authorities are still concerned about the widespread use of environmentally hazardous icepacks containing superabsorbent polymers (SAP), which are difficult to recycle.

After studying icepacks used by major online delivery firms, the Ministry of Environment and the Korea Consumer Agency have found that about 40 percent of them contain SAP.

A plastic commonly used to make baby diapers, SAP can absorb an extremely large amount of liquid relative to its own mass. When mixed with water as a refrigerant, it can keep food cold far longer than ice. But because it does not decompose and is difficult to recycle, SAP is considered to be environmentally harmful if buried underground or discarded down a drain.

The ministry announced a plan in August 2020 to revise the Act on the Promotion of Saving and Recycling of Resources to include icepacks that use SAP into the group of wastes that require a fee to discard. The ministry seeks to impose a fee of 313 won ($0.28) per kilogram for all icepacks using SAP, locally made or imported, from the beginning of 2023.

The Korea Consumer Agency purchased random frozen or refrigerated food products from online shopping malls and examined 57 icepacks that came with them. While 35 of them were eco-friendly, using water only or a mixture of water, starch and salt, the rest used SAP.

The agency also contacted 32 local delivery firms to find out how many SAP and eco-friendly icepacks they have been using since 2019. According to the 17 firms that responded (including Market Kurly, CJ the Market, GS Retail and Emart Mall), they used 4.7 million SAP icepacks this year (as of April). This usage figure rose from 5.86 million in 2020 and 7.32 million in 2019. The firms altogether have been using more and more eco-friendly ice packs, from 15.4 million in 2019 to 23.4 million in 2020, and 57.2 million so far in 2021.

In this styrofoam box containing packages of precooked beef short rib soup, prepared by GS Shop for delivery, are frozen water bottles that keep the product cold. Courtesy of GS Shop

Twelve of the companies that responded said they have set an internal policy to use only eco-friendly icepacks, or that they plan to do so within this year.

"An increasing number of the country's online delivery firms are switching refrigerants to use more eco-friendly icepacks," said an official at the ministry's resources recycling department. "But unfortunately, there is still a significant number of SAP icepacks being used."

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic forced many people to stay at home, there had been a steady increase in customers who were ordering food products online. Due to changing shopping practices, more icepacks in Korea have been made to be eco-friendly.

More than 110 million ice packs were manufactured in Korea in 2016, weighing 33,000 tons. That number increased to 210 million ice packs in 2019. Also, that year, around 46 million eco-friendly icepacks were made, accounting for about 29 percent of all locally made icepacks. In 2020, the figure jumped to 103 million, or 51 percent.

The ministry said that, based on the survey results only a small number of delivery companies voluntarily chose to use eco-friendly icepacks. That's because it's difficult for the delivery firms to control which icepacks product makers should use. The other reason is the additional cost of switching to eco-friendly icepacks: 37.9 won per icepack, according to a study conducted in January 2020.

"To broaden the use of eco-friendly icepacks among companies, we plan to start regularly surveying local producers and delivery firms using the icepacks and informing consumers about them, as well as charging treatment fees to those companies who still use SAP icepacks," the ministry official said. "

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