We have expanded the list of climate policies we assess company engagement with to incorporate land-use related policy, referring to legislative or regulatory measures to enhance and protect ecosystems and land where carbon is being stored. Assessments under this category are currently underweighted in terms of their contribution to the overall company metrics. This weighting will be progressively increased over the next 6 months.
We adjusted the terminology used to describe the queries running down the left-hand side of our scoring matrix and added additional explanatory text to the info-boxes. This has no impact on the scores and methodology. It has been done following user feedback to improve clarity.
Climate Policy Engagement Overview: The Korea Petrochemical Industry Association (KPIA) appears to have limited engagement with climate policy in South Korea. The association has expressed broadly negative positions on the need for drastic emissions reductions and policy mechanisms to respond to climate change. KPIA has engaged negatively with one specific climate regulation in South Korea – the Korea Emissions Trading Scheme (K-ETS).
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: Although KPIA has not recently disclosed its position on the need for climate action and policy in its top-line messaging, the association appears to have previously taken partially-positive positions on the issue. In an interview with Aju Business Daily in February 2021, Moon Dong-joon, the Chairman of KPIA, appeared to support the 2050 carbon neutrality target, and asked for financial support from the South Korean government, such as investments in R&D. At the second meeting of the Net-zero Committee of the petrochemical industry in June 2021, Song Yu-jong, the Vice President of KPIA, also appeared to support government investments and incentives, but it was unclear whether the association supported increased regulations.
Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: KPIA has limited but negative engagement on the K-ETS in South Korea, and has displayed a mixed position on South Korea’s raised ambition for the 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) emissions targets.
As reported by Chosun Ilbo in March 2023, KPIA appeared not to support the implementation plans for the 2030 NDC GHG emissions reduction target of South Korea, stating that “it is impossible to reduce GHG emissions by 20%” in the petrochemical industry while increasing production scale in the industry. In October 2021, KPIA stated an ambiguous position on the upgraded 2030 NDC of South Korea directly to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, highlighting that carbon neutrality would be a challenging task for the petrochemical industry and emphasizing the necessity of government support for industry in achieving this target.
In an August 2022 article by Maeil Business Newspaper, KPIA did not support the regulation on not only direct emissions but also indirect emissions in the K-ETS, stating that it would put ‘a heavy burden’ on the petrochemical industry.
Positioning on Energy Transition: KPIA appears to have minimal but largely negative engagement with the transition of the energy mix. In a June 2023 article by Biz Herald, KPIA appeared to support increasing renewable power supply in the energy mix, stating that “the use of renewable energy will increase in the future” and “there should be more renewable energy suppliers.” However, the association has often advocated for lowered tariffs on fossil fuels. In the same June 2023 Biz Herald article, KPIA advocated for tariff exemptions on flammable oil (naphtha), citing ‘difficulties’ for petrochemical businesses. According to Electronic Times article in April 2022, KPIA advocated for tariff exemptions on imported crude oil and fewer regulations on oil field projects.