How will SK Chemicals’ depolymerization technology recycle discarded banners?

The technology chemically breaks plastic waste into molecular building blocks and converts them into raw materials for new banner fabric. It can remove previous-use effects, colorants and impurities, allowing the resulting materials to be recycled repeatedly without losing quality.

Why is SK Chemicals creating a regional banner recycling system in Korea?

The company aims to address Korea’s annual banner waste problem by turning locally generated waste into materials reused in the same region. It plans to tailor collection, sorting and supporting policies to local conditions before expanding the model nationwide.

SK Chemicals to turn discarded banners into new banner fabric

Q: Which organizations are participating in SK Chemicals’ banner recycling consortium?

SK Chemicals is working with MOA and Daehan Media in the Gyeongsang region, Upcloth in the Jeolla region and the resource-circulation team of Seogwipo City on Jeju Island.

Listen

Summary

SK Chemicals will establish a regional partnership network in Korea to recycle discarded banners into new banner fabric. The company formed a consortium with four partners in the Gyeongsang, Jeolla and Jeju regions to create localized recycling systems. Using depolymerization, SK Chemicals plans to convert banner waste into reusable raw materials and standardize regional collection and sorting before expanding the model.

Key Facts

Korea generates about 6,000 tons of discarded banners annually, and around 70 percent is landfilled or incinerated, according to the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment.
The consortium includes MOA and Daehan Media in the Gyeongsang region, Upcloth in the Jeolla region and Seogwipo City’s resource-circulation team on Jeju Island.
Each targeted region generates more than 1,000 metric tons of banner waste annually, according to SK Chemicals.
Depolymerization chemically breaks plastic waste into molecular building blocks and removes the effects of previous use, colorants and impurities.
SK Chemicals plans to develop supporting policies based on local conditions and existing collection infrastructure before expanding the recycling model to other regions.

By Hyun Jin-hyeok

Published Oct 6, 2026 4:08 pm KST

SK Chemicals' headquarters in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province / Courtesy of SK Chemicals

SK Chemicals said Tuesday it will establish a regional partnership network to recycle discarded banners into new banner fabric using its depolymerization technology as part of efforts to tackle the nation’s mounting waste problem.

According to the company, it has formed a banner recycling consortium with four partners — MOA and Daehan Media in the Gyeongsang region, Upcloth in the Jeolla region and the resource-circulation team of Seogwipo City on Jeju Island — to establish a regional recycling system.

The partnership comes as Korea generates about 6,000 tons of discarded banners annually, with around 70 percent ending up in landfills or being incinerated, according to the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment. Each of the targeted regions generates more than 1,000 metric tons of banner waste annually, according to the company.

SK Chemicals will use its depolymerization technology as the core of the project, chemically breaking down plastic waste into molecular building blocks and converting it back into raw materials for producing new banner fabric.

The technology can eliminate the effects of previous use, colorants and impurities, allowing a wider range of waste plastics to be recycled and the resulting materials can be recycled repeatedly without losing quality, making the technology particularly well suitable for banner recycling.

Through the project, SK Chemicals aims to develop a model for turning locally generated banner waste into materials for reuse in the same region. It plans to establish and standardize provincial-level collection and sorting systems, and develop supporting policies based on local conditions and existing collection infrastructure before expanding the model to other regions.

“Discarded banners are a waste problem shared by many local communities, but conditions and approaches vary by region,” an SK Chemicals official said. “Working with our partners, we will expand the system across the provinces and demonstrate how discarded banners can be recycled into new ones.”

Explore More