Strategic Partnership Forged with KEITI in South Korea

On Monday, November 11, a significant Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Yonggook Kim, Executive Director of KEITI, and Sebastiaan Stiller, CEO of EPD International. This partnership represents a pivotal step in fostering collaboration to achieve mutual recognition of PCRs and EPDs between the two organisations.

KEITI currently manages approximately 1,000 valid EPDs, with half focusing on construction products and the other half spanning a diverse spectrum, including everyday goods, food and beverages, electronics, and services. This robust portfolio reflects the growing demand for EPDs in South Korea, supported by national priority on carbon and resource footprint under the 2050 Carbon Neutralisation Promotion Strategy. This initiative, supported by government funding, underscores South Korea’s commitment to a net-zero economy.

The signing of this MoU signals a shared vision and intent to develop a formal Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA). Such an agreement would not only streamline EPD development in KEITI through existing PCRs in IES, but also empower IES to support the advancement of high-quality EPDs in South Korea.

This collaboration is poised to strengthen global sustainability efforts by driving transparency and consistency in environmental reporting, setting a new benchmark for cross-border cooperation.

The signing ceremony of the MoU. In the photo from left to right, Jaesik Lee, Program officer at the Ministry of Environment of Korea, Yonggook Kim, Executive Director of KEITI, Sebastiaan Stiller, CEO at EPD International AB, Intae Jeong, Lead Research specialist at KEITI, and Yunbin Kang, Research specialist at KEITI.