100% Biodegradable Wet Wipes Released This Month
Growing New Material Business Recycling Styrofoam
Paper and household goods company Kkaekkeutan Nara is focusing on ‘eco-friendly management.’ The strategy is to attract consumers seeking eco-friendly products by keeping pace with the global standard of ‘carbon neutrality’ through the development of new materials.
Kkaekkeutan Nara announced on the 14th that it launched the ‘Kkaekkeutan Nara Biodegradable Wet Tissue Eco’ this month. The biggest feature is that it is 100% biodegradable within 45 days. The fabric contains plant-based rayon extracted from wood. It has also completed biodegradability testing by KOTITI Testing & Research Institute, a nationally accredited testing agency. This product applies fabric free of microplastics, yuzu peel extract ingredients, a no-label cap made from 100% recycled plastic from instant rice containers, and green-certified packaging using non-toxic substitute ink. It also considers sustainability for the planet.
Kkaekkeutan Nara has been actively expanding its eco-friendly new materials business since last month. A representative example is the development of ‘EPS Micro Pellet’ technology, which recycles 100% of styrofoam in collaboration with partner companies. Styrofoam is easy to process and lightweight, so it is widely used as cushioning material for packaging. However, it is difficult to decompose naturally, accumulating as waste and adversely affecting ecosystems. The EPS Micro Pellet technology helps reduce carbon emissions while solving the waste styrofoam problem. The process involves melting used styrofoam with heat and removing gas twice, then breaking it into small pieces, coating the surface with new styrofoam raw material to make ‘beads,’ and then re-foaming the beads to reproduce new styrofoam. Kkaekkeutan Nara expects that using this technology will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 72% compared to conventional styrofoam production.
Kkaekkeutan Nara plans to secure export competitiveness through eco-friendly management. Styrofoam produced with 50% EPS Micro Pellet content meets the European Union (EU) regulations, which set a recycling raw material ratio of 35% or more for packaging materials starting in 2030. A Kkaekkeutan Nara official said, “We will continue to build a business model that considers the environment in line with the global eco-friendly trend and consumers’ ‘value consumption’ trend.”
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