The government and industry put their heads together to tear down on-site regulations and boost small businesses' ability to pursue carbon neutrality.
The Korea Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises and the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment said they held the 40th Small Business Climate, Energy and Environment Policy Council at KBIZ in Yeouido on the 15th to discuss plans to innovate on-site regulations.
The Small Business Climate, Energy and Environment Policy Council is a consultative body jointly formed and operated semiannually by KBIZ and the ministry. It seeks communication and cooperation between the government and small businesses, and identifies and improves regulations and difficulties in the climate and environment fields related to small businesses.
About 30 people attended the meeting, including Oh Gi-woong, standing vice chair at KBIZ; Geum Han-seung, first vice minister at the ministry; and heads of cooperatives and associations by small business sector.
Yoo Young-jin, chair at the Jeonbuk Automobile Inspection and Maintenance Cooperative, proposed administrative innovation in step with the adoption of smart technologies. Currently, small business sites in categories 4 and 5, which have the lowest air pollutant emissions, attach Internet of Things (IoT) measuring devices and use self-measurement systems for air emissions and control facilities.
While data measured by the devices can be transmitted in real time to the Korea Environment Corporation (K-eco) for management, operators are currently required to conduct self-measurement at least once every half year or commission a measurement agent. There are also administrative burdens of recording on separate forms every day.
Yoo said, "Please devise ways to reduce administrative burdens in line with the industrial trend toward scientific and automated processes alongside technological advances."
The ministry answered, "We will review whether and to what extent to ease the self-measurement cycle through expert reviews of on-site conditions and operational performance by industry and by gathering stakeholder opinions."
Management crises in root industries such as the foundry sector were raised due to hikes in industrial electricity rates. Jang Yong-hwan, chair at the Gyeongin Foundry Industrial Complex Business Cooperative, noted, "Electricity rates, especially for industrial use, have recently increased, piling up burdens on corporations," and added, "A systematic overhaul of the electricity rate system is needed so that time-of-use pricing is operated to fit industrial sites."
Other small business environmental issues discussed included: ▲ expanding support for small businesses' use of renewable energy and improving related regulations ▲ rationalizing the system to verify exemptions from registration or reporting for chemicals that are entirely exported ▲ improving regulations related to waste management and treatment systems and preparing government support programs.
Oh Gi-woong, standing vice chair at KBIZ, urged, "Do not spare support and your role as a 'support ministry,' not a regulatory ministry."
First Vice Minister Geum Han-seung also said, "We will carefully design policies so that small businesses are not left out in the process of implementing the 2035 national greenhouse gas reduction target, and so they can seize the opportunity to develop technology and strengthen competitiveness to grow into strong small firms and mid-sized companies."