Ulsan Takes First Step in Turning Biodegradable Plastics into Products

Ulsan City, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, and 12 Companies Sign Agreement for Biodegradable Bioplastic Demonstration

Ulsan City Hall building.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Kim Yong-woo] A project to drastically reduce environmental pollution by producing biodegradable plastics has entered the fast track.

Ulsan City announced on the 25th at 10:30 a.m. that it will sign a "Demand-tailored Biodegradable Bio-plastic Commercialization and Demonstration Project Business Agreement" at City Hall.

Disposable plastic waste causing environmental pollution is a major threat to the global environment, with 20,000 plastic bottles consumed every second and 6,300 tons discarded worldwide annually. Therefore, campaigns to ban or restrict usage are being promoted as vigorously as production control.

The agreement ceremony was attended by 12 organizations and companies, including Ulsan City, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Ulsan Facilities Corporation, SKC, BGF Ecobio, Ilkwang Polymer, Taekwang Industrial, Doil Ecotech, Dongmyung Technology, Daein Chemical, AB Nexeo, and AN Polymers, who joined forces.

This project, selected in April through the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s "Core Industrial Technology Development Project" competition, will invest a total of 17.8 billion KRW and is scheduled for completion in 2024.

Ulsan City will provide part of the landfill site, coordinate the enactment of ordinances related to the use of biodegradable products, offer administrative support for product satisfaction surveys, and support the expansion of the bio-plastic market and the development of the materials industry.

The Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology will oversee the project, and Ulsan Facilities Corporation will assist by providing space for pilot project implementation.

Participating companies and universities will be responsible for building pilot facilities, developing material blending and processing technologies, producing and developing biodegradable bio-plastic prototypes, evaluating product biodegradability, and promoting expansion.

They face the challenge of resolving serious environmental issues caused by dioxins emitted when incinerating microplastic waste. They are also tasked with processing PET bottles with hard-to-remove labels and those made with different materials and vibrant colors to enable recycling.

Song Cheol-ho, Mayor of Ulsan, said, "This demonstration project is expected to greatly help the bio-plastic industry grow and secure global competitiveness," adding, "We will establish Ulsan as a hub city for bio-plastic research and production."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.