녹색구매 대상제품의 화학적 안전성 제고를 위한 정책연구

Abstract

In our industrial society, chemicals provide much convenience in our daily life. It is also used to produce hundreds of thousands of different goods. Recently, many countries have been attempting to develop and implement various product-oriented policies in order to prevent the risks caused by the release and exposure of hazardous chemicals during consumption of such products. Many countries have already implemented green procurement and it poses to be an effective policy measure for reducing the risks resulting from chemical products. This study was carried out in order to diagnose the current status of enhancing chemical safety consideration with green procurement in Korea. The outcomes of this study were presented at the "OECD Workshop on the Chemical Products Policy - Consideration of Chemical Safety in Green Procurement" held from November 8 to 10 in Seoul, Korea. The results of this study are summarized in the following; (1) Since 1992, the Korean government has been implementing ’Eco-label program’ and introducing the ’Mandatory procurement of eco-products by public agencies’ from 2005. It is expected that the eco-product market will rapidly expand due to the implementation of such mandatory programs. (2) As of now, a total of 107 product categories in 7 product groups are included in the Korean eco-label program and 2,743 products are certified as eco-products from 683 producers. A total of35 product categories out of 107 product categories involve certification criteria regarding chemical safety. And, the number of certified eco-products - products with less hazardous chemicals - is rapidly increasing due to the ’Well-being’ trend prevailing in Korea. (3) Currently, products related to indoor-air pollution occupy the majority of product categories involving chemical safety criteria. Thus, it is necessary to expand the existing list of product categories to include more products by considering factors such as ’content and/or properties of hazardous substances’ and ’possibility of exposure to users’. (4) A questionnaire survey with domestic experts was carried out. The survey results show that current chemical safety is not yet sufficiently considered in green procurement. Barriers which should be resolved prior to enhancing chemical safety in green procurement were characterized by a ’lack of information’ and ’lack of practical tools‘(e.g. manuals, handbooks). Other barriers were identified in the survey: ’lack of incentives’, ’lack of motivation’, and ’lack of support for the small and medium sized enterprises’. (5) In order to overcome the existing barriers and enhance chemical safety considerations of green procurement in Korea, future recommendations are listed in the following: ’expand the list of product categories’ ’reinforce the chemical safety criteria’, ’give more support for R&D’, ’develop green procurement guideline and/or educational programe’, ’facilitate information exchange’, ’develop tools for risk assessment of products’, and etc. In conclusion, it is our hope that the outcomes and suggestions of this study will contribute to enhancing the awareness of consumers and producers, and promoting the green procurement of eco-products with reduced hazardous substances.