Lotte Chemical Partners with LAR to Produce Bags and Shoes from Waste Plastic

Plastic Resource Circulation 'Project LOOP' Launches Eco-Friendly Products

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] "Making bags and sneakers from discarded PET bottles was a significant challenge for social venture companies like us. It is highly meaningful that seven companies, including Lotte Chemical, have each pondered and made efforts from their respective positions to create products that can coexist with the environment."

Lotte Chemical announced on the 17th that it produced products as part of 'Project LOOP,' a project aimed at improving awareness of plastic resource circulation culture and promoting a recycled plastic circular economy, in collaboration with the domestic eco-friendly product manufacturer LAR.

'Project LOOP,' led by Lotte Chemical, aims to minimize environmental impact and realize the value of coexistence. Through 'Nephron,' developed by Superbean, the project collects discarded PET bottles and transforms them into other products.

LAR, which participated this time, crushed and processed PET bottles collected from Kumho Fibers Industrial into raw materials, and the Korea Textile Development Institute produced yarn and fabric to manufacture bags and shoes. In the first half of next year, startups Beyond and Revelop plan to additionally produce clothing and pouches.

CEO Kim Gyo-hyun said, "This eco-friendly product launch has become a meaningful first step for each company," adding, "As a leading chemical company in Korea, Lotte Chemical will actively discover and implement eco-friendly initiatives to coexist with the environment and supply valuable product materials to customers."

Meanwhile, the limited edition Project LOOP products produced this time will be sold on the LAR website and at a pop-up store in the Seongsu-dong Simo Office Building.