SK Chemicals and Kooksoondang have developed and commercialized alcoholic beverage containers based on circular recycled materials.
On the 25th, SK Chemicals announced that it applied circular recycled PET (CR-PET·Circular Recycle PET) to Kooksoondang's premium traditional liquor containers. This is the first time that hydrolysis-based circular recycled PET material has been used in traditional liquor containers.
To replace the petrochemical-based PET material previously used in traditional liquor containers, SK Chemicals and Kooksoondang signed an MOU in July and began joint development of containers using circular recycled PET material. The two companies selected 'SKYPET CR,' a circular recycled plastic, as the material for developing traditional liquor containers and conducted tests on injection moldability, heat resistance, impact resistance, and other quality factors necessary for manufacturing and distributing alcoholic beverage containers. As a result, they developed containers that maintain their shape without deformation even when passing through the equator during overseas export, preserving the taste and quality of traditional liquor for both domestic distribution and export.
Traditional liquor, made using traditional fermentation methods, requires strict management and maintenance of its unique taste, aroma, and color quality until it reaches consumers after production. Therefore, it is necessary to achieve physical properties equivalent to those of existing petrochemical materials. SK Chemicals' circular recycled PET 'SKYPET CR' is a material based on hydrolysis technology that breaks down waste plastic to the molecular level and returns it to raw material form. Although made from waste plastic, it can achieve the same quality and physical properties as petroleum-based PET materials.
Moreover, hydrolysis-based circular recycling technology allows plastics to be continuously reused by making new plastics from decomposed raw materials. Several countries, including the European Union (EU), are known to gradually increase the recycling usage rate, making the development of recycled plastic containers an essential task for overseas exports.
The container jointly developed by SK Chemicals and Kooksoondang has been applied to the premium traditional liquor product 'Yennal Makgeolli 古.' Starting with the application of this container to domestic traditional liquor mass production, Kooksoondang plans to expand the use of 'SKYPET CR' to containers for export product lines.
A Kooksoondang official stated, "Advanced countries such as the European Union are expanding the use of recycled plastics to solve plastic problems," adding, "Efforts to reduce plastic, such as developing containers made from circular recycled materials and applying labels that facilitate separation and disposal, are essential tasks for solving environmental issues and advancing overseas."
Since developing the world's first hydrolysis-based circular recycling technology and starting commercial production in 2022, SK Chemicals has created commercialization cases across various industries including cosmetics, food, beverages, fashion, and automotive. Kim Hyun-seok, Head of Business Development at SK Chemicals, said, "Through cooperation with Kooksoondang, we have secured a broad portfolio in the food and beverage market, from sauce, bottled water, and beverage containers to alcoholic beverage containers," and added, "We will continue technology development to realize the physical properties required by each industry and actively collaborate with manufacturers across various industries to expand the use of recycled materials."
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