Hyosung TNC Participates in 'ISPO Munich'... Targeting the European Eco-Friendly Outdoor Market

“We Will Continue Investing in Eco-Friendly Projects Such as Underwater Polymerization Facilities”

'ISPO Munich 2022' exhibition hall, Hyosung TNC booth. Photo by Hyosung

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seoyoon] Hyosung TNC announced on the 29th that it has launched an attack on the European eco-friendly outdoor market.

Hyosung TNC participated in ‘ISPO Munich 2022,’ the world’s largest outdoor fashion exhibition held in Munich, Germany from the 28th to the 30th, showcasing a large number of eco-friendly fibers for outdoor fashion.

ISPO is the world’s largest outdoor and sportswear exhibition held annually since 1970, with about 500 companies from over 110 countries participating.

At this exhibition, Hyosung TNC exhibited ‘MIPAN regen ocean,’ the world’s first nylon recycled fiber developed and commercialized to proactively respond to the rapidly increasing demand for eco-friendly fibers in the global outdoor and sportswear market, and ‘creora® bio-based,’ a bio spandex fiber.

Hyosung TNC succeeded in developing recycled nylon fiber by recycling discarded fishing nets for the first time in the world in 2007. Discarded fishing nets are considered a major cause of environmental pollution, accounting for 46% of the large garbage islands floating in the Pacific Ocean.

As global outdoor and fashion companies that mainly use nylon fibers increase their eco-friendly needs, Hyosung TNC has been promoting the establishment of a depolymerization facility for nylon recycling at its Ulsan plant to secure market dominance. The production line with an annual capacity of 3,600 tons is scheduled to be fully operational from December.

The depolymerization facility chemically decomposes discarded fishing nets to produce caprolactam, the raw material of nylon. Once this facility is fully operational, Hyosung TNC will establish an integrated system that produces recycled nylon fiber from raw materials made from discarded fishing nets.

At this exhibition, Hyosung TNC introduced bags and clothing made with MIPAN regen ocean in collaboration with ‘Pleatsmama,’ a domestic eco-friendly fashion and accessory startup. The Pleatsmama Discarded Fishing Net Edition products are made by collecting discarded fishing nets floating in the Namhae Sea and will be available for general consumers starting December.

The world’s first bio spandex made from corn extract, ‘creora® bio-based,’ was introduced to the European market for the first time in collaboration with the global sportswear brand ‘PANGAIA.’ The product shown this time is ‘Activewear 3.0,’ which is expected to lead the full-fledged eco-friendly trend in the sportswear market. Previously, creora® bio-based was verified for its eco-friendly effects such as carbon reduction, resource saving, and ozone layer protection through the US eco-friendly evaluation method LCA (Life Cycle Assessment).

Kim Chi-hyung, CEO of Hyosung TNC, said, “ISPO is a great opportunity to introduce Hyosung’s advanced technology in the field of eco-friendly fibers,” adding, “Through continuous investment, relentless research and development, and proactive demand response including the depolymerization facility, we will establish ourselves as a leading company in the global eco-friendly market.”

Meanwhile, at this exhibition, Hyosung TNC also introduced products applying the high-strength recycled nylon ‘MIPAN regen robic’ to global backpack brands such as Osprey and Mystery Ranch, attracting attention from key global company officials and exhibition visitors.