On February 20 and 21, 2025, ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ-FLORES and Korea Environment Corporation (K-eco) reaffirmed their joint commitment to for advancing the sustainable management of environmental resources through key events in South Korea. Most notably, this included a workshop on the and projects, as well as through the Global Environmental Leadership Program (GELP) under which K-eco has so far dispatched 31 interns to ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ-FLORES.
Strengthening international partnerships: The GELP internship programme
On February 20, 2025, ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ-FLORES took an active role in the GELP Academy, an initiative designed to provide the next generation of environmental leaders' insights into emerging environmental challenges and international collaboration towards their solution. Professor Daniel Karthe and Minjeong Choi, representatives of ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ-FLORES, delivered two extensive lectures to the 17th cohort of students in the programme at Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul, South Korea. Professor Karthe presented an online lecture focusing on the impact of waste, particularly plastic waste and waste batteries, under the topic "Managing the Hazards of Waste: A Key Challenge for Addressing the Triple Planetary Crisis." He underscored the critical importance of #ResourceNexus approaches in the management of plastic and battery waste, which are major contributors to environmental degradation.
Minjeong Choi, an alumna of the GELP, shared her experiences as a former intern at ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ-FLORES in 2020 and her ongoing work as a senior environmental professional. Her talk aimed at inspiring the students, encouraging them to pursue careers in environmental sustainability and to contribute to the vision set forth by ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ and the GELP program.
The longstanding cooperation between ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ-FLORES and K-eco since 2014 has been instrumental in facilitating such exchanges, with K-eco regularly dispatching Korean interns to ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ-FLORES. This partnership continues to be a cornerstone for fostering young talent and advancing global environmental expertise.
Night for Future Environmental Experts: honoring collaborative achievements
On February 21, 2025, the Korea Environment Corporation and the Ministry of Environment jointly hosted the Night for Future Environmental Experts event, celebrating the achievements of the GELP and promoting further collaboration between ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ-FLORES and K-eco. Professor Edeltraud Guenther, Director of ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ-FLORES, sent a pre-recorded video message to congratulate the 17th GELP students and emphasize the ongoing importance of the partnership between the two institutions. In her message, she reflected on the success of 31 interns who have been dispatched to ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ-FLORES over the past decade and the impactful contributions made through five key projects on plastic and battery waste management.
The TRANS-PLAST project: A call for reducing plastic waste, increasing recycling and the recirculation of recycled plastics
The final workshop of the project ¡°Resource Nexus Approaches to Sustainability Transformations in Plastic and Packaging Material Use, Reuse and Reduction (TRANS-PLAST)¡± was held on February 21, 2025. TRANS-PLAST was the fifth collaborative research project between ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ-FLORES and K-eco. Launched in June 2024, the TRANS-PLAST project focused on understanding plastic and packaging waste from the perspective of resource linkages, specifically examining materials and waste management systems. The research team analyzed the use of recycled materials, along with laws, regulations, and case studies related to plastic packaging in Germany, France, and the Netherlands. This comparative analysis led to the development of policy recommendations for Korea, aiming to improve plastic waste management through enhanced recycling practices and circular economy principles.
As the project concluded in January 2025, Minjeong Choi presented the final report to researchers, experts, and K-eco management. Her presentation encapsulated the project's findings and provided actionable insights into improving plastic recycling strategies in Korea, aligning with global best practices.
In addition, Professor Karthe offered an online update on the 2023 NABATE project, further promoting knowledge-sharing on integrated resource circulation.
The successful conclusion of TRANS-PLAST and its alignment with international efforts to tackle plastic pollution and promote recycling marked a significant milestone in ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ-FLORES and K-eco¡¯s long-standing collaboration. The workshop emphasized the importance of fostering circular economy solutions to reduce plastic waste, promote resource efficiency, and create a more sustainable future for the global community.
Looking Ahead: Continuing the Path Towards Environmental Sustainability
The TRANS-PLAST final workshop and the GELP program lectures are just a few examples of how ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ-FLORES and K-eco work together to create a sustainable future through education, research, and international cooperation. As both institutions continue their mission to address global environmental challenges, their efforts to promote plastic recycling, resource circularity, and the prevention of plastic pollution is an important element in addressing the growing problem of plastic waste in Germany, South Korea and the UN system.
The long-standing cooperation between ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ-FLORES and K-eco is an outstanding example of our institutions¡¯ collaborative contributions to SDG17 (Partnerships for the goals), but also to SDG 4 (Quality Education) and the planetary goals, especially SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and SDG 13 (Climate Action).
