Personal bio
Hanbi Kim is a sustainability certification specialist at the Institute of Global Sustainability Certification (IGSC) and an accredited Mentor at MiZA. Since 2021, she has managed and audited Zero Waste, Plastic-Free, and Upcycle certification programs, while also serving as Korea’s Relationship Manager for EarthCheck.
She developed the partnership between IGSC and Zero Waste Japan and co-organized the International Zero Waste Forum in 2024. In addition, she has extensive experience in auditing Zero Waste certifications for organizations and products, as well as verification work on Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and Product Category Rules (PCR).
Since August 2025, she has participated as a certification body in the monthly Zero Waste Cities Advanced Seminar, collaborating with Zero waste activists, and businesses to adapt Zero Waste Europe’s Masterplan for Korea and prepare the introduction of Zero Waste Cities Certification.
MiZA accreditation type
- Zero Waste Cities Accredited Mentor
- Zero Waste Businesses Accredited Mentor
Zero Waste expertise
- Climate
Project experiences
- Zero Waste Product & Organizational Certification Audit Date: 2021 – Present Organization: IGSC Key Achievements: • As IGSC’s Zerowaste auditor, evaluating organizations and products against the 5R framework (Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rot), Zero waste policy and innovation, ensuring applicants meet stringent zero waste criteria. • Provided guidance and feedback to improve clarity and compliance of certification standards, helping applicant organizations to understand and implement necessary changes. • Supported growth in number of certified entities, helping increase adoption of zero waste measures such as packaging minimization, waste prevention, and transparent reporting.
- Partnership Agreement & International Zero Waste Forum Date: June 2024 Organization: IGSC & Zero Waste Japan Key Achievements: • Negotiated and formalized a partnership agreement between IGSC and Zero Waste Japan, enabling joint efforts in zero waste advocacy and certification protocols. • Co-hosted the forum "Practicing Zero Waste, Achieving Circular Economy in Businesses – Best Practices from Korea & Japan”, gathering over 50 stakeholders including companies, NGOs, and certified organizations. • Shared case studies and certification experiences, facilitating knowledge transfer and strengthening commitment among businesses to adopt zero waste and circular economy practices.
- Zero Waste Cities Advanced Seminar & Introducing Zero Waste Cities Certification Date: August 2025 – Present Organization: IGSC + Zero Waste Activist Community Key Achievements / Activities: • Participated in a monthly seminar series since August 2025 focused on Zero Waste Cities, using Zero Waste Europe’s Zero Waste Cities Masterplan to guide discussions on localization, citizen participation, waste prevention, and circular economy models. • Established collaboration between MiZA and IGSC to design a roadmap for introducing Zero Waste Cities certification in Korea; coordinating stakeholders from government, civil society, and business. • Planning pilot city candidates, developing localized implementation plans, and setting evaluation metrics based on seminar inputs for future certification and city-level execution.