Annual 3,000t Scale Composite Material Recycling... Expected 19,000t CO₂ Reduction Effect
[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] Maeil Dairies, Tetra Pak Korea, Jushin Trading, and SK General Chemicals have joined forces as the first in Korea to recycle plastic-aluminum composite materials from aseptic packs. This collaboration is significant as it encompasses the entire industrial ecosystem, including material production, finished product manufacturing/distribution, and usage companies. It is expected to have a major impact on establishing a recycling ecosystem for aseptic packs and other waste plastics in the future.
On the 6th, the four companies signed a business agreement for aseptic pack recycling at the SK Seorin Building in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Tetra Pak is the world's leading manufacturer of aseptic packs and supplies 75% of the domestic aseptic pack distribution volume. Maeil Dairies is the largest user of aseptic packs in Korea.
Through this cooperation, the four companies plan to open the way to recycle composite materials from waste aseptic packs and establish a broad resource circulation system. These composite materials have excellent oxygen and ultraviolet blocking functions, making them widely used in aseptic packs where long-term distribution of contents such as milk and juice is important. Until now, aseptic packs have been composed of paper and composite materials, and even when separated for disposal, there were limitations in recycling each material separately. The paper component of waste aseptic packs was mainly recycled into kitchen towels and hand towels, but the composite materials were entirely incinerated or landfilled.
The participating companies expect that if this project is successfully completed, about 3,000 tons of composite materials will be recycled annually, resulting in an annual CO₂ reduction effect of 19,000 tons. This is equivalent to planting 250,000 trees.
Under this business agreement, Maeil Dairies will develop and operate an aseptic pack collection program and consider introducing food and beverage transport boxes made from composite materials. Tetra Pak Korea will support sorting and separation recycling facilities for aseptic packs, Jushin Trading will recycle paper extracted from waste aseptic packs and collect the byproduct composite materials to supply to SK General Chemicals. SK General Chemicals will develop the supplied composite materials into recycled plastics for logistics pallets and food and beverage transport boxes.
Recently, the Ministry of Environment decided to apply the 'coating and lamination' separate disposal guidelines to products like aseptic packs that are difficult to recycle due to multiple combined materials since 2022. As a result, aseptic packs could only be incinerated or landfilled, but through this joint effort by the related industries, aseptic packs will now be fully recyclable.
Kang Dong-hoon, head of the Green Biz Promotion Group at SK General Chemicals, said, "SK General Chemicals will accelerate the establishment of a waste plastic circulation system by providing technology-based solutions so that various business partners can engage in eco-friendly businesses."
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