Covering Latest Trends in Bioplastic Technology and More
The Korea Petrochemical Industry Association announced on the 9th that it held the 'Plastic Sustainable Future Academy' at the Korea Economic Association Hall in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, with over 120 attendees from the domestic petrochemical and plastics industries.
The Korea Petrochemical Industry Association hosted the academy as part of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's project to establish a support center for plastic alternative materials, components, and equipment industries.
Under the theme of 'A New Paradigm for Plastics, Sustainable Strategies for the Future,' four experts gave lectures on petrochemical sustainability strategies, trends in international agreement promotion, circular economy policies, and the latest technologies in bioplastics.
In his opening remarks, Eom Chan-wang, the full-time vice chairman, emphasized the urgency of addressing the climate crisis and plastic pollution issues, stating that efforts such as recycling waste plastics and developing alternative materials will become new opportunities to save the petrochemical industry, which is in crisis.
Kim Tae-hyun, Consulting Manager at Standard & Poor's Global (S&P GLOBAL), forecasted that the global petrochemical oversupply will continue until 2028. He emphasized the importance of efficient carbon management, including raw material diversification, carbon capture, and the use of renewable energy, as future industry responses. Recycling waste plastics was suggested as a sustainable strategy.
Professor Kim Jun-seok of Kyonggi University stated, "Bioplastics, which have lower carbon emissions than petrochemical raw materials and degrade naturally, are the solution to carbon neutrality and plastic pollution problems." Professor Kim introduced the types and raw materials of bioplastic materials and their applications, explaining domestic and international corporate commercialization trends and the process of PHA material, a type of bioplastic.
Kim Go-woon, Research Fellow at the Seoul Institute, presented the current status and outlook of waste plastic generation and greenhouse gas emissions. She emphasized the necessity of simultaneous transition to a circular economy and carbon neutrality, and discussed ways to overcome the global crisis through a plastic circular economy system and related Seoul city policies.
Choi Jae-yeon, Team Leader at the Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute, who is closely cooperating with the Ministry of Environment in the negotiation process of the international plastic agreement, shared the latest trends related to the agreement negotiations.
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