Existing packaging materials, made by layering multiple materials, are virtually non-recyclable
"Utilizing manufacturing experience and technology... will create high-performance single-material flexible packaging"
SK Geocentric is embarking on the development of sustainable high-performance plastic packaging materials that will significantly increase the plastic recycling rate in collaboration with Yulchon Chemical, a packaging specialist affiliate of the Nongshim Group.
On the 31st, SK Geocentric and Yulchon Chemical announced that they recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to develop recyclable plastic packaging manufacturing technology and to revitalize the ecosystem.
The two companies plan to leverage their experience and technological capabilities in plastic packaging manufacturing to develop single-material high-performance plastic flexible packaging.
Flexible packaging in the form of films and sheets, commonly referred to as vinyl, is made by layering multiple materials to prevent product deterioration caused by temperature and humidity changes. In reality, such packaging has been virtually impossible to recycle.
An SK Geocentric official stated, "In Korea, 360,000 tons of plastic flexible packaging are used annually, but since separation by material is rarely done, most of it is incinerated or landfilled. If high-performance pouch-type packaging is made from a single material, recycling will become much easier, greatly aiding the activation of the resource circulation ecosystem."
For this reason, the Ministry of Environment introduced the 'Packaging Recycling Ease Grading Evaluation' standard in 2019 to promote the use of single-material packaging. The Japanese government has been enforcing the 'Plastic Resource Circulation Promotion Act' since 2022 to encourage the manufacture of single-material plastic packaging.
SK Geocentric employees are introducing a packaging prototype made by Yulchon Chemical using SK Geocentric's single plastic material. [Photo by SK Geocentric]
Additionally, the two companies plan to develop plastic lightweight packaging with improved physical properties such as the same strength despite thinner thickness. By utilizing technologies like foamed film, they aim to create packaging that maintains the same functionality while significantly reducing plastic usage.
They also intend to develop packaging made from materials recycled through chemical technologies such as pyrolysis of waste plastics. SK Geocentric has supplied plastic pouches made from polyethylene (PE) single material for packaging detergents and frozen foods to the market. The company has also been focusing on developing lightweight and chemically recycled plastic packaging. Yulchon Chemical is expanding its business scope from food packaging materials to advanced materials used for protecting electrical and electronic products.
Jae-sung Cho, head of SK Geocentric’s Packaging Solution Division, said, "By collaborating with Yulchon Chemical, a packaging specialist company, we will contribute to the development of recyclable high-performance packaging materials as well as the activation of the plastic recycling ecosystem."
Kyung-taek Yang, head of Yulchon Chemical’s Packaging Business Division, stated, "Based on decades of accumulated packaging technology and expertise, we will take the lead in developing sustainable future-oriented high-performance packaging materials together with SK Geocentric."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
