Baek Byung-yeul is a journalist at The Korea Times focused on cultural content, including films and cultural events in South Korea. You can contact him at baekby@koreatimes.co.kr to share your insights.
SK Chemicals to produce chemical-recycled polyester yarn
Polyester yarn produced by SK Chemicals / Courtesy of SK Chemicals
By Baek Byung-yeul
By Baek Byung-yeul
SK Chemicals is intensifying its eco-friendly business strategy, joining hands with fiber materials maker Huvis to produce polyester yarn products using chemical recycling technology.
The chemicals manufacturer arm of SK Group said Monday it will jointly roll out a high-quality polyester yarn called ECOEVER CR in the third quarter of this year with Huvis, as part of their moves to expand into the eco-friendly fiber market.
The company also said the two parties accordingly signed an agreement recently.
Under the agreement, SK Chemicals will produce and supply recycled plastic bottles, and Huvis will manufacture polyester yarn products from the recycled materials.
Chemical recycling is a process that breaks down waste plastics or clothes and turns them into raw materials that can be reused. Thread manufacturers are able to produce more durable products using the recycling technology, SK Chemicals said.
After receiving recycled plastic bottles from SK Chemicals, Huvis will produce ECOEVER CR polyester yarn for the first time in the local industry. The company has built its own production line at its factory in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, for producing ECOEVER yarn products from used plastic bottles.
When ECOEVER CR hits the market, Huvis will expand its recycled yarn lineup to chemical-recycled ECOEVER CR and ECOEVER yarn products, and will be able to secure a stable raw material supply chain for the production of recycled yarn, SK Chemicals said.
SK Chemicals will also be able to expand its chemical recycling product portfolio. The company has already announced its plans to roll out recycled copolyesters ECOTRIA CR and recycled plastic bottles.
“With the growing social interest in plastic wastes, using eco-friendly produced materials has been regarded as an important factor to consumers,” an SK Chemicals official said. “The company will accelerate the expansion of the chemical-recycled plastic bottles business, starting with the eco-friendly textile and clothing business.”
To achieve its goal, the company in May acquired a 10 percent stake in Chinese company Shuye Environmental Technology, which is known for recycling plastic bottles. With the investment, SK Chemicals has secured the right to purchase 20,000 tons of recycled raw materials and exclusive rights to raw materials and related products in the Korean market.