As the government moves again to push measures to reduce the use of disposable paper cups inside stores, including cafes, anxiety is growing among the self-employed and related industries. The government says it is not an outright ban, but given that disposable policy has changed multiple times before, businesses are on alert over how future rules will take shape on the ground.
According to the industry on the 13th, the Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy recently proposed in a presidential briefing to expand the scope of in-store disposable cup restrictions to include paper cups.
Under current rules, disposable plastic cups are restricted in food service venues such as cafes, but paper cups were not regulated. In particular, as officials review setting the threshold by floor area rather than franchise status, independently run cafes above a certain size could also fall under the rules.
◇ "Barely keeping up with coffee orders, now dishwashing too"… cafe owners sigh
Self-employed owners were most concerned that a paper cup restriction would raise labor costs and operating burdens. A business owner in their 30s who runs a roastery cafe in Songpa District, Seoul, said, "Cafes like ours that use paper cups are busy responding quickly to orders and don't have enough staff to do the dishes," adding, "If paper cups are banned, we will have to consider whether to hire more people for dishwashing and how many more mugs to stock."
A person running a cafe alone in Dongdaemun District, Seoul, also said, "When customers flood in, I'll have to do all the dishes at closing, but the sink is small, so I'm already worried," and added, "Once the timing for the rules is set, I think I'll have to adjust my paper cup orders first."
Employees also worried their workload could increase. A person surnamed Kim (28) who works at a cafe said, "Tasks like dishwashing and equipment management will increase, but I don't know if the employer will add staff to match that."
A plan to set the threshold by store floor area also came under scrutiny. Floor areas of 33㎡ or 100㎡ and above are being discussed as criteria for prioritizing enforcement, but nothing has been decided.
In an online community of cafe owners, one reaction said, "Small, takeout-focused cafes that sell a few hundred cups a day would be excluded, while a large 50-pyeong cafe would be regulated even if it sells 100 cups a day—how effective would that be in actually reducing paper cup use?" Others argued that using indicators reflecting actual operation size, such as paper cup consumption or sales, would be more reasonable.
◇ "Regulate → withdraw → regulate" back-and-forth policy confuses small businesses
One reason self-employed owners are voicing anxiety even before the system is finalized is the past zigzagging on disposable-related policies.
The disposable cup deposit program is a prime example. The system, which refunds a 300-won deposit when a disposable cup is returned, began pilot operations in Jeju and Sejong in 2022, but as fairness disputes arose between independent and franchise cafes, the government shelved a nationwide rollout and shifted to leaving it to local governments' discretion.
Plastic straw policy likewise announced usage restrictions in 2022 but effectively extended the grace period indefinitely, leading to a mix of paper and plastic straws in use today. Late last year, a plan to restrict disposable straws of all materials was floated, but discussions have not progressed since.
◇ Paper cup industry also sighs… "Hard for small firms to survive"
Paper cup manufacturers are also on edge. With low-cost Chinese products continuing to flood the market, a sharp drop in demand would inevitably hit sales. Given the nature of their equipment, it is not easy to switch production lines to other products quickly to match policy changes.
An official at a paper cup processing company said, "Small manufacturers are effectively in a position where survival is difficult," adding, "Only companies with production lines above a certain scale remain, engaging in cutthroat competition with low-priced imports."
The head of a company that has made paper cups for over 40 years said, "Paper cups, too, can reduce environmental burdens if an appropriate collection and recycling system is in place," and added, "It may be easy to regulate based only on simple material types or whether an item is disposable, but the effect will be minimal."
Paper cup manufacturers and processors are already contracting rapidly. According to the Korea Paper Association, there were an estimated 85 small and midsize domestic paper cup processors as of the end of last year. The number has fallen by nearly half in six years from around 150 in 2019.
Seong Gitae, Deputy Minister at the Korea Paper Association, said, "Previously, due to the government's anti-plastic policy, paper straw factories increased to about 17, but most have since closed as the stance changed," adding, "If revenue hits materialize for paper cup processors as well, the industry itself could be shaken."