With South Koreans consuming an estimated 416 cups of coffee per year – the highest rate in Asia – and more than 80,000 coffee shops serving a population of 51 million, disposable cup waste has become one of the country’s most pressing environmental concerns
According to South Korea’s Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, the number of single-use cups disposed of across the country surpassed one billion in 2021 and, by the Ministry’s most recent estimates, exceeds five billion annually, a trajectory driven by the rapid expansion of the country’s coffee shop and fast-food operators.
To address the problem, the ministry has signed a new agreement with some of the country’s largest coffee chains, QSR operators, and more than 150 independent cafés, covering approximately 22,000 outlets nationwide.
The guidelines, which take effect in September 2026, require participating businesses to transition to reusable cups for on-site dining and to offer financial incentives for customers who bring their own cup or tumbler for takeaway orders.
Customers can save up to ₩800 ($0.60) per beverage: store-level discounts of ₩300 to ₩400 for bringing a reusable cup, topped up by points awarded through the government's Carbon Neutrality Action Points scheme, which rewards individuals for verified low-carbon behaviours.
Additional measures include a ban on ‘double-cupping’ – the common practice of nesting one cup inside another for insulation – and a restriction on single-use straws, which will only be provided when specifically requested at a kiosk or from a member of staff.
Participating businesses have also pledged to phase out PET cans, which combine plastic and metal in ways that impede recycling. The scheme remains open to additional operators beyond those who signed the initial agreement.
The agreement was formalised at an event at the Seoul Upcycling Plaza on 14 July 2026. It is backed by Ediya Coffee, South Korea’s largest coffee chain with more than 4,200 stores, alongside Paris Baguette and Starbucks, which together operate a further 6,000-plus outlets.
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Fast-food operators Burger King, McDonald’s and KFC, which between them run more than 1,100 restaurants across the country, are also among the signatories.
Speaking at the event, Minister for Climate, Energy and Environment Kim Sung-hwan said: “The transition toward a plastic-free circular economy begins with changes in everyday spaces such as cafés. Beginning with this agreement with the café industry, we will work with businesses and civil society organisations to expand these practices throughout society.”
He also indicated that the government will monitor the programme over the next three years to shape future legislation.
South Korea has been grappling with disposable cup waste for the better part of a decade. In 2018 it became one of the first countries to ban the use of plastic cups for dine-in customers in coffee shops, a measure that remains in force.
In December 2022, the government introduced a deposit scheme for disposable cups at cafés and fast-food chains, with additional state incentives in Jeju and the city of Sejong designed to accelerate adoption.
However, resistance from small business owners undermined its effectiveness and the scheme was subsequently wound down.
A further proposal emerged from the Ministry’s December 2025 public consultation on a Comprehensive Plastic Reduction Plan: a ‘Separate Cup Pricing’ mechanism that would have required operators to itemise the cost of a disposable cup separately on a customer’s receipt, making the environmental cost visible at the point of purchase.
That proposal was also withdrawn following backlash from café owners concerned about its effect on pricing and margins. The current discount-based model is its replacement – the third significant attempt to shift takeaway cup behaviour at scale, and the most industry-supported to date.
The agreement sits within South Korea’s wider ambition to reduce plastic waste by at least 30% from projected levels by 2030, a target formally confirmed by the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment.
The government has separately mandated that bottled water must be label-free throughout manufacturing and distribution and required non-alcoholic beverage producers to incorporate recycled plastic into their packaging from this year.
