국내 자원순환지표 변화 추이

Abstract

Trends of Resource Circulation Indicator in Korea Korean economy needs a strategy to enhance efficiency of material management (e.g., recycle and reuse) for sustainable economic growth because its economy highly depends on use of material imported. The Fourth Plan of Resource Recycling presented indicators of material use efficiency―resource recycle rate and Resource Productivity. The Fourth Plan of Resource Recycling shows not only the current status of both indicators but also sets target goal based on the 2005 data. Resource Recycle Rate, Resource Productivity are updated in this study in order to understand status of input of waste material into domestic economy, to show development of material use efficiency of Korean economy. Resource Productivity is calculated as ‘Gross Domestic Product (GDP)/Domestic Material Consumption (DMC)’ which indicates how the industry and consumers use material efficiently in a specific economy. Resource Recycle Rate which is determined by ‘amount of recycled waste/Domestic Material Consumption (DMC)’ shows how much waste material substitute natural resources in a specific economy. In this study, Resource Productivity is 1,260,000 won/ton (1,240 $/ton) in 2007, which is bigger than the Fourth Plan projection, 1,245,000 won/ton (1,225 $/ton). Material productivity had increased about 50.3% from 1991 to 2007 better than that from the major countries such as OECD and EU-15. Resource Recycle Rate is 15.8 percent in 2007, which is higher than original project in the 4th resource recycling plan. This trend shows a positive sign for meeting the target level. Resource Recycle Rate has increased about 55% from 2000 to 2007 in Korea compared to the Japan’s increase rate of 35 per cent. Both domestic indicates of Resource Recycle Rate and Resource Productivity show optimistic view for achieving the goals suggested in The Fourth resource recycling plan. Improvement in material productivity is due to stable level of DMC despite of GDP increase, specifically decreasing dependency on mineral resource intensity. As an material consumption efficiency indicators, both Resource Recycle Rate and Resource Productivity well capture the impact of resource management on the domestic economy. However, both indices are influenced by macro economic system and industrial structure instead of the change of environmental sector. Therefore, it may not be appropriate to decide efficiency of resource consumption based on these indicators only, and further efforts to develop complementary indicators are necessary.