SKGC-Aekyung, First Results of One-Year Eco-Friendly Plastic Collaboration
SKGC "Creating Easily Recyclable Packaging to Accelerate 'Carbon Zero'"
AK Holdings' 'Spark' product featuring single-material packaging developed and created by SK Geocentric. (Photo by SK Geocentric)
[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] SK has supplied single-material packaging for Aekyung's famous laundry detergent 'Spark.' Unlike the previous packaging, which could only be disposed of as general waste, the new packaging is recyclable, and it is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 1.7 tons (t) annually.
SK Geocentric announced on the 17th that it supplied single-material packaging for 'Spark,' produced by Aekyung Industrial. The key change is switching the packaging of the 3kg Spark refill product from composite materials to single materials made by SKGC. Composite packaging materials cannot be recycled due to their mixed composition of nylon, polyethylene film, and others. By switching to single-material packaging made of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) produced by SKGC, separate disposal and recycling become possible.
The two companies plan to replace approximately 450,000 Spark refill packaging units annually with single-material packaging. This is expected to reduce carbon emissions by more than 1.7 tons per year. They also anticipate contributing to plastic resource circulation by increasing the recycling rate. Jang Namhoon, head of SKGC Packaging Division, emphasized, "We will continuously increase the development of sustainable eco-friendly materials and easy-to-recycle packaging to accelerate the execution of the 'Zero Plastic Waste & Carbon' strategy."
Last March, the two companies signed a memorandum of understanding for "Developing Eco-friendly Packaging and Creating a Plastic Ecosystem." They agreed to collaborate in areas such as single-material packaging for household and cosmetic products, development of white and transparent packaging, and campaigns for collecting and recycling plastic containers. The replacement of Spark packaging is one of the key outcomes of this cooperation. It is the first result produced from a one-year partnership under the slogan "Creating an Eco-friendly Plastic Ecosystem in Korea." The companies have also introduced recyclable packaging (PIR-LLDPE) for the refill products of the smart liquid detergent brand 'LiQ.' They plan to strengthen cooperation for eco-friendly packaging development and plastic recycling ecosystem creation.
SKGC is accelerating the development of '3R' (Reduce·Replace·Recycle) products as part of its 'Zero Plastic Waste & Carbon' strategy. The goal is to reduce plastic usage (Reduce), promote environmentally friendly product substitution and packaging unification for recycling (Replace), and increase the recycling rate of plastics that would otherwise be incinerated or landfilled (Recycle), thereby contributing to carbon emission reduction.
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