Republic of Korea leads this year’s World Environment Day, spotlighting international efforts to end plastic pollution.
5 JUNE 2025 – This year’s World Environment Day, hosted by the Republic of Korea in Jeju Province, brings the global spotlight to one of the most pressing and fixable environmental challenges: plastic pollution. Under the theme #BeatPlasticPollution, the 2025 observance calls for urgent, collective action to curb plastic waste and accelerate the shift towards sustainable materials and practices.
Plastic waste has become pervasive across all ecosystems—from oceans and rivers to soil and even human bodies. Scientific studies have shown that microplastics are now found in drinking water, food supplies and the air. Despite the scale of the problem, solutions are within reach. This year’s campaign promotes concrete actions such as refusing unnecessary plastics, rethinking design, and improving recycling systems.
About The Host Country
The Republic of Korea, which last hosted the global event in 1997, has made significant strides in environmental management over the past 28 years. Today, the country is recognised for its full life-cycle plastic strategy, which unites government, industry and consumers to address plastic use from production through to disposal. The initiative supports the broader transition to a circular economy by limiting waste at its source and enhancing reuse and recycling.
Jeju Province, the event’s host location, exemplifies this commitment. With a goal of becoming plastic pollution-free by 2040, Jeju is the only province in South Korea where all household waste must be processed through designated recycling centres. Jeju was also the first province to implement a disposable cup deposit system in the Republic of Korea, encouraging sustainable consumption behaviours.
About World Environment Day 2025 Theme
This year’s World Environment Day aligns with international momentum to address the global plastic crisis. The Republic of Korea hosted the fifth session of treaty negotiations in 2024, with follow-up talks set to continue in August 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland.
The annual cost of plastic pollution is estimated at between US$300 billion and US$600 billion, encompassing environmental damage. Tackling plastic pollution is essential to addressing the triple planetary crisis: climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.
World Environment Day 2025 serves as both a reminder of the urgency and a platform to drive action towards a cleaner, safer and more sustainable planet.
Source: World Environment Day
