[Climate Tech Heatwave②] Jecklin Creates New Products from 'Discarded Bed Sheets' at Jeju Island Hotel

Jeju Waste Bedding Circular Resource Fiber Recycling Service

412 tons is the amount of bedding discarded annually from accommodation facilities in Jeju Island. Jeju has about 80,000 rooms, which means that 5.2 kg of bedding waste is generated per room each year. This exceeds the national average of 3.2 kg by more than 60%. The more tourists there are, the shorter the usage cycle of bedding and the more is discarded. Cha Seung-su, CEO of Jeclin, started a business to solve this problem by collecting discarded bedding and turning it into recycled raw materials. The bedding is shredded to produce recycled yarn and fabric. These are then made into towels, pillow covers, socks, clothes, and shoes. Jeclin plans to collect 50 tons of accommodation waste this year, five times more than last year.

Cha Seung-su, CEO of Jacqueline, is explaining the circular resource-based textile recycling service.

On the 9th, CEO Cha said, "There is too much textile waste being discarded, and it is impossible to solve all the problems at once, nor can one company do it all," adding, "It is important to create and maintain an ecosystem." Having worked at large corporations such as Samsung C&T and SK Planet, Cha established Jeclin in Jeju at the end of 2017 and started the business after noticing that 99% of bedding and clothing waste discarded on this island is incinerated.

Jeju, with its many accommodation facilities, was where Jeclin's first business model was to build a laundry management system based on service-type software while providing bedding laundry services. CEO Cha judged that tackling the accommodation waste problem discovered during this process could be an opportunity for business expansion. He explained, "There were too many normal products among the items hotels wanted to discard," and "solving this issue could also address textile waste problems in corporate uniforms, factory work clothes, and more, not just in accommodation facilities."

Jeclin decided to create an upcycling solution that recycles cotton-based raw materials. The process does not end with just one recycling. The goal is to establish a circular ecosystem where discarded textiles are recycled into products, and after these products are fully used, they can again become recycled raw materials.

Jeclin Factory Storing Used Bedding for Recycling

The work of about 20 employees at Jeclin’s Jeju office begins when bedding is discarded at accommodation facilities. They inspect the condition on-site, collect the items, and sort them at the factory. Then, the bedding goes through a washing process and is dismantled to leave only 100% cotton fabric. Next, it is shredded and sent to a factory that produces yarn. The yarn is then used to make fabric, which is supplied to become products. Jeclin handles the shredding, while the yarn and fabric production is done in collaboration with partner companies.

To manage the textile recycling process, Jeclin introduced a recycling platform called ‘REFeat’. CEO Cha said, "We created a blockchain system to track the history of recycled yarn," explaining, "For example, bedding shredded in Jeju is made into yarn at Ilsin Textile in Gwangju, fabric is produced in Daegu, and shoes are manufactured in Busan."

Products such as towels made from recycled yarn processed by Jeclin are again supplied in large quantities to hotels. As the quality of recycled products improves and using eco-friendly products becomes a trend, supply opportunities are expanding. Sales were in the 1 billion KRW range until last year but are projected to reach 4 billion KRW this year.

With concrete results domestically, Jeclin is now aiming for global market entry as the next goal. Although used clothing is exported to South America, Africa, and other regions, 90% of it is discarded locally, indicating many markets where Jeclin’s solution can be applied. CEO Cha said, "In situations where bedding waste discarded in developed countries flows into developing countries, a recycling structure tailored to each country is necessary," adding, "If the process is properly implemented domestically, opportunities to export the solution to the global market will also open."