Eco-friendly cosmetic containers made by CTK using biodegradable plastic materials developed by CTK Bio Canada.
[Asia Economy Reporter Junho Hwang] A South Korean small and medium-sized enterprise has developed a method to manufacture biodegradable plastics using various waste materials. This method not only overcomes the drawbacks of existing biodegradable plastics but also reduces production costs to about half, already attracting love calls from global manufacturers.
CTK Bio Canada, a Canadian subsidiary of the cosmetics platform company CTK (with an 87.22% stake), announced on the 2nd that it has developed technology to produce eco-friendly biodegradable plastics using discarded hemp, bio solids, and agricultural waste as the main raw materials.
By utilizing this technology, plastics that compensate for the shortcomings of existing biodegradable plastics can be manufactured. Using waste as raw materials reduces wastewater discharge, and by-products can be used as compost. Above all, the plastic is naturally decomposable, and the production cost can be lowered to about half of that of existing biodegradable plastics, which is considered a major advantage.
Among eco-friendly plastics, bioplastics refer to plastics made using microorganisms and biomass. Biodegradable plastics, a subset of bioplastics, are broadly divided into plastics made from food sources such as corn or potato starch that require decomposition processes upon disposal (PLA) and plastics that naturally decompose but are made using fossil fuels (PBAT, PHA).
CTK Bio Canada stated, "We plan to commercialize PBAT and PHA, which are gaining attention as biodegradable plastics that can replace the shortcomings of PLA, sequentially next year," adding, "We also plan to develop various biodegradable plastics such as PVA and Starch Blends."
They continued, "Through this technology, biodegradable plastics, which have been limited by high costs, processing difficulties, and low durability, will be applicable across various industries," emphasizing, "We are currently testing plastic resins and samples suitable for various product groups with many global companies."
Companies collaborating with CTK Bio Canada on product development include global IT firms, global toy companies, food companies, and medical device companies. Notably, CTK Bio Canada has developed a fire-resistant biodegradable plastic electric circuit board and has applied for related global patents.
The parent company, cosmetics platform company CTK, is developing biodegradable plastic cosmetic containers using this manufacturing method. CTK plans to unveil these containers on its global digital cosmetics development platform, 'CTK Clip.' CTK Clip is a B2B platform designed to enable cosmetics production anywhere.
Jinyong Jeong, CEO of CTK, explained, "The cosmetics industry is a sector that uses a lot of plastic, so we have been making efforts to minimize plastic use and switch to eco-friendly materials," adding, "With recent completion of technology development, we have begun product development discussions with leading European cosmetics groups."
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