KOREA-EU NEW TRADE PARTNERSHIP & SUSTAINABILITY INNOVATION

KEY (Korea Europe & You) is proud to have co-organized the 2026 KEY Sustainability Forum alongside the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) at the Trade Tower in Seoul.

The Forum opened with remarks from Mr. Jin Sik Yun (Chairman of KITA) and Mr. Philippe Li (Chairman of KEY), alongside a congratulatory address from H.E. Ugo Astuto (EU Ambassador to the ROK) and Mr. Philippe van Hoof (Chairperson of ECCK).

Session 1: Sustainability Trends & Regulatory Outlook

The presentation by Mr. Walter Van Hattum (Minister Counsellor, EU Delegation to ROK) on the evolving regulatory landscape was followed by a roundtable moderated by Mr. Jaehoon Yoo (President of KEY), featuring Ms. Hyesung Kim (Attorney, Kim & Chang), Mr. Jeongwoo Lee (Director, Centennial Co. & Partners), and Mr. Hak Kyun Maeng (Director, Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment):

Compliance to Opportunity: Regulations like the Digital Product Passport (DPP) must be viewed as strategic entry points to capture new markets, focusing on the "spirit" of the law rather than just technical complexity.
Breaking Down Silos: While individual sectors are responding well, an integrated "hub" is missing to connect fragmented ESG efforts across government, finance, and corporations.
Global Alignment (G2G): Government-to-government (G2G) collaboration is critical to harmonize cross-border interoperability and build globally compatible local certification bodies.

Session 2: Corporate Best Practices in Sustainable Tech Innovation

Following technological insights from Mr. Nicolas Lejeune (CTO, Veolia Korea), a panel discussion was moderated by Mr. Yongjae Kim (Adjunct Professor, Hanyang University), featuring Mr. Hervé Péneau (CEO, Veolia Korea), Mr. Youngseok Kim (Managing Director, Endress+Hauser Korea), Ms. Han Young Chang (Team Leader, LG Energy Solution), and Ms. Hyunsuk Jang (Director, KITA):

Eco-Efficient AI: AI is a vital innovation catalyst; the industry must focus on developing "sustainable AI" to mitigate massive data center power consumption.
Continuous Value-Chain Data: Compliance is shifting from one-time reporting to real-time, continuous data updates, a paradigm shift heavily affecting Battery Passports ahead of July 2027 mandates.
Cost-Effective Solutions & SME Agility: True circular economy transitions require affordable green tech and data-driven participation from agile SMEs.

Reflecting on how far we have come, Mr. Hervé Péneau reminded us in his closing remarks that sustainability ultimately means reliability and security.

The event concluded with a dynamic networking session, bringing together Korean and European ESG leaders.

This successful gathering marked KEY’s 3rd Sustainability Forum, and we will continue to drive related activities.

Thank you to our esteemed partners for their support: Veolia Korea, Invest Gyeongnam, the Climate Change Center, and the Delegation of the European Union to the ROK.