Jeju Province in the Republic of Korea is the host location of the World Environment Day 2025 official celebrations. As the first province in the Republic of Korea to introduce a disposable cup deposit system and with a vision to become plastic pollution-free by 2040, Jeju set the perfect stage for this year’s celebrations. 

From the World Environment Day commemoration ceremony to the Korea Environment Institute Global Forum and the Jeju Youth Forum, here’s a visual recap of what happened. 

Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon writing in the Korean Kukmin Daily emphasized the urgency of addressing plastic pollution, calling it a global crisis that demands unified international action.  

“In my 10 years as Secretary-General of the UN, I realized that plastic pollution is a global problem, and that a universal effort of the international community is needed to solve it,” he wrote.  

Ban called on governments, civil society, companies, the scientific community, and the future generation to use World Environment Day on 5 June to act collectively. “World Environment Day should be a turning point,” he wrote. 

On #WorldEnvironmentDay, UNEP’s Executive Director, Inger Andersen, emphasized the importance of bridging science and policy to address the triple planetary crisis.   

Speaking at the Korea Environment Institute (KEI) Global Forum on World Environment Day, Andersen commended KEI’s contributions to the Global Environment Outlook (GEO-7) and called for inclusive, solutions-driven science:  

“The future depends on inclusive, incisive and insightful science that provides real-world, actionable solutions to environmental challenges,” Andersen said.  

Andersen highlighted global efforts, including plastic pollution negotiations, and stressed that timely, accessible science is key to driving environmental policy and sustainable action. She also welcomed progress on establishing a new science-policy panel on chemicals, waste, and pollution aimed at closing knowledge gaps and accelerating action to end the pollution crisis. 

In support of World Environment Day, the United Nations in India and the PayTM Foundation, India's largest universal payment interface platform, have launched the Plastic Pollution Literacy Kit. 

PayTM announced the launch on the home screen of its app. More than 300 million users rely on the app for payment services daily. 

The Plastic Pollution Literacy Kit aims to educate stakeholders on reducing plastic waste and pollution through accessible, relatable information. The kit was prepared with technical guidance from the United Nations Environment Programme.