(Summary) Korea has been operating green public procurement policies (GPP) including the Mandatory Purchase of Green Products Program (MPG) of public institutions since 2005 and the Minimum Green Standard Product Purchase Program (MGS) since 2010, which have shown relatively successful outcomes in terms of the number of green products purchased. However, the measurement of the results is limited to procurement size (in financial terms), which does not provide information on other aspects of the environmental impact. Moreover, although projects to reduce industrial GHG emissions are becoming urgent, no study has been conducted on whether the public procurement policies in Korea significantly encourage the production of low-carbon steel in reality. Moreover, as stronger international regulations being imposed on traded products, a government must play a greater role in incentivizing the domestic industries to decarbonize and thereby maintain and strengthen their competitiveness. This brief aimed to analyze the effects of the current GPP programs in Korea on creating demand for low-carbon steel and to propose policy suggestions to enhance these effects. In addition, it proposes a new standard for low-carbon steel, which has not yet been defined clearly.

※ The research was jointly conducted between NEXT Group and the Solutions for Our Climate.

※ The Policy Brief was updated on October 25, 2022, with new research methodologies.  

 - Revised pages: pp.18-20, pp.27-28.