Hand Towels Once Discarded After Single Use... 100 Tons Recycled Over 2 Years

Yuhan-Kimberly 'Bicycle' Campaign
Participated by 5 Companies and Institutions Nationwide

Yuhan-Kimberly announced on the 27th that the cumulative recycled amount of hand towels has surpassed 100 tons just two years after fully launching its hand towel resource circulation project.

Yuhan-Kimberly began the hand towel resource circulation project in September 2022 to promote a circular economy. Although hand towels are recyclable after use, they have long been incinerated or landfilled due to the lack of a recycling system. Yuhan-Kimberly focused on the fact that hand towels, used for wiping moisture, can be recycled as raw materials and has been researching ways to establish a hand towel resource circulation system since 2014.

After eight years of research, a resource circulation system was established covering the use, disposal, collection, sorting, transportation, reintegration into production, and consumption of finished products containing recycled raw materials. Subsequently, with growing corporate and local government commitment to ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) management and increasing social interest in the climate crisis, the hand towel recycling project gained momentum. The related activities were named the ‘BI:CYCLE’ campaign. To expand the BI:CYCLE campaign nationwide, Yuhan-Kimberly has repeatedly improved the systems for regional separate collection, drying, collection, and transportation, establishing a stable system with a process yield exceeding 90%. Thirty-five companies and institutions nationwide participate in the hand towel resource circulation.

Through this project, the cumulative recycled amount of hand towels over two years has reached approximately 108 tons. This has resulted in a greenhouse gas emission reduction effect of about 104 tCO2eq, equivalent to the carbon absorption of approximately 11,398 30-year-old pine trees in the central region. If the resource circulation system continues to expand at the current pace, the annual recycled amount is expected to reach about 300 tons by 2025.

The BI:CYCLE representative said, “The hand towel resource circulation project, which was started to contribute to responding to the climate crisis, has been able to create meaningful effects through joint efforts with the industry and others,” adding, “We will strive to ensure the campaign gains greater momentum and makes a bigger contribution.”