[Climate Tech Heat ③] Plastic Made from Sugarcane... EcoMass Leading the Eco-Friendly Movement

Utilizing Sugarcane Bagasse for Bioplastics
Resource Recycling, Over 80% Reduction in Carbon Emissions
Non-Wood Pulp Business Also Underway... Leading Carbon Neutrality Efforts

"To achieve 'net zero' by 2050, bioplastics will become a necessity, not a choice." There is a company that makes plastic from sugarcane. This is so-called 'bioplastics.' Compared to conventional plastics made from fossil fuels, bioplastics can reduce carbon emissions by 80%, but in Korea, securing raw materials has been difficult, making it a sector even large corporations hesitate to enter. However, the small and medium-sized enterprise Ecomass has entered this market to prepare for the upcoming carbon-neutral era.

Han Seung-gil, CEO of Ecomass, is posing in front of the bioplastic production facility.

Han Seung-gil, CEO of Ecomass, emphasized on the 17th that "to realize net zero, the conventional plastics currently in use must be replaced by bioplastics." Net zero means carbon neutrality where carbon emissions and absorption balance out to '0' to prevent the increase of greenhouse gas concentrations. South Korea aims to achieve net zero by 2050.

Ecomass, a climate tech specialized company, was established in 2007. After producing various eco-friendly products, it has focused on bioplastics for the past four years. The bioplastics produced by Ecomass utilize the residue left after processing sugarcane. In the past, after extracting sugar from sugarcane juice, all the remaining residue was discarded. However, by introducing microbial strains into the leftover residue and undergoing certain processes, high-purity bioethanol can be produced. Ecomass uses this to manufacture bioplastics. Bioplastics are applied in products such as containers, sanitary gloves, and packaging films.

CEO Han explained that since bioplastics are not based on fossil fuels and are made using discarded resources, they also contribute to resource conservation. The challenge lies in cost competitiveness. Since sugarcane production areas are in South America and the bioplastics market itself is in its early stages, achieving economies of scale is difficult. Nevertheless, CEO Han expresses confidence in the bioplastics business. He said, "Four years ago, when interest in bioplastics was just beginning, I traveled around the world to proactively secure raw materials at production sites, partially securing cost competitiveness. For bioplastics to be competitive, the market size itself must grow, and since the whole world is participating in carbon neutrality, I believe market formation is not far off."

According to data from the Science and Technology Information Council, the global bioplastics market size is expected to grow from 13 trillion KRW in 2020 to 35 trillion KRW by 2025. The domestic market is also expected to grow at an average annual rate of 13%, reaching 370 billion KRW by 2025.

EcoMass Non-Wood Sugarcane Copy Paper.

Ecomass is also engaged in the non-wood pulp business. Pulp, the raw material for paper, is mainly derived from wood. However, Ecomass possesses technology to produce pulp using waste left after making bioplastics. CEO Han said, "In climate tech, how robustly you build the supply chain is crucial," adding, "We have established a mass production system for bioplastics, and non-wood pulp has business competitiveness, so we expect this year's sales to more than double from last year to about 30 billion KRW."

Ecomass is genuinely committed to carbon neutrality, having already achieved net zero independently in 2020. Through rainwater recycling and solar power installation, the factory operates on self-generated electricity for an average of 3.5 hours per day. Since the factory must operate 24 hours a day, this alone is insufficient, so they also participate in a 'carbon offset forest' project. This is an eco-friendly afforestation project where trees with high carbon absorption rates are planted voluntarily, and the amount of CO2 absorbed is officially certified by the Korea Forest Service. Ecomass employees regularly participate in forest care activities.

CEO Han said, "We disclose our carbon emissions daily on our website, which is not an easy task for a small and medium-sized enterprise, but we have taken the lead in doing so," adding, "Once large corporations manage their supply chains, all small and medium-sized enterprises will have to participate in the future."