2022/06/14     Dresden, Germany

Image: Eric Siegmund/UNU-FLORES

UNU-FLORES and K-eco have continued to collaborate and worked closely since the renewal of their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2019.

By Minjeong Choi and Serena Caucci

On Wednesday, 18 May 2022, UNU-FLORES welcomed the Korea Environment Corporation (K-eco) at its premises in Dresden, Germany. The meeting aimed to strengthen cooperation and knowledge exchange between the two organisations.

The members of the K-eco delegation were Chanho Park (Executive Director, Headquarter of Management & Planning, K-eco), Dr Sung Hoon Lee (General Manager, International Cooperation Division, K-eco), and Eunjung Ko (Assistant Manager, International Cooperation Division, K-eco) while UNU-FLORES was represented by Dr Daniel Karthe, Dr Serena Caucci, Bastian Nebel, Minjeong Choi, and Halim Lee.

Image: Eric Siegmund/UNU-FLORES

UNU-FLORES and K-eco discussed the successful completion of a research project related to plastic taxation and nexus solutions in 2021. Building on this success, UNU-FLORES signed an agreement with K-eco for a second research project related to plastics in 2022.

With plastic pollution being one of the biggest environmental problems caused by humankind, the project “Plastic Pollution and Nexus Governance Solutions for Regulating the Use of Plastic” – at the request of the government of the Republic of Korea and financed by K-eco – sought for common approaches to better govern the management of plastic waste and establish new economic-based instruments. In particular, the project is rooted in the need for developing plastic taxation guidelines for a more sustainable design of the Korean legislation on plastic management.

Building on this project, the upcoming research aims to examine the Resource Nexus through specialised topics such as plastic recycling technology, especially chemical recycling technology in Germany and Republic of Korea. Altogether, the projects contribute to a range of Sustainable Development Goals such as SDG 3 (Good health and well-being) and 12 (Responsible consumption and production).

UNU-FLORES and K-eco also discussed the ongoing collaboration in promoting young scientists through the Global Environmental Leaders Program (GELP). Since 2014, UNU-FLORES has hosted a total of 22 interns through GELP in consultation with K-eco. GELP, formerly known as IEETP (International Environment Expert Training Program), is a programme dedicated to educating and supporting young Korean researchers and nurtures international environmental experts through placements at international organisations. K-eco confirmed the continued collaboration with UNU-FLORES through this programme.

The in-person visit fostered continued meaningful collaboration between the two institutions and further cooperation is expected.