Hanjungae Visits Recycled PET Production Site: "Will Focus on Expanding Use of Recycled Materials"

Visit to Yarn Production Factory Using Recycled PET Raw Materials
"Expanding Recycled Raw Materials is a Measure to Accelerate Carbon Neutrality"

Minister of Environment Han Jeong-ae. (File photo) [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] Minister of Environment Han Jeong-ae stated on the 4th, "We will focus on promoting measures to expand the use of recycled raw materials this year."

Minister Han made these remarks during a visit to 'TK Chemical Polyester Factory,' a recycled PET yarn production plant located in Chilgok, Gyeongbuk.

At the site, representatives from companies such as Sparkle, Doosan E&T, TK Chemical, and Black Yak, which participated in the pilot project for separate collection of transparent PET bottles last year and the development of recycled clothing and cosmetic container prototypes, were present.

Sparkle, a bottled water producer, has been collecting used PET bottles since November 2019 when delivering bottled water orders. Since December last year, they have introduced bottled water without labels.

The used PET bottles collected by Sparkle are processed into flakes by Doosan E&T*, and TK Chemical produces recycled containers or recycled yarn from these PET flakes.

Black Yak has been producing and selling summer T-shirts and jackets using this recycled yarn since July last year. Recently, they have been attempting to expand the product range to include dress shirts.

Based on the 'Plastic Waste Reduction Measures' jointly announced by related ministries in December last year, the Ministry of Environment plans to focus on expanding the use of recycled raw materials this year. First, to supply high-quality recycled raw materials, separate collection of transparent PET bottles has been implemented in nationwide apartment complexes since December 25 last year. The sorting and recycling industries are also working on facility improvements to produce high-quality recycled raw materials. The Ministry of Environment plans to increase the annual supply of high-quality PET recycled raw materials from 28,000 tons in 2019 to over 100,000 tons by 2022, completely replacing the previously imported waste PET and recycled raw materials (78,000 tons in 2019).

The Ministry is also promoting institutional improvements to secure stable demand. The mandatory use system for recycled raw materials, currently applied only to paper, glass, and iron, will be newly introduced for plastics, gradually increasing the use ratio of recycled plastic raw materials to 30% by 2030. To encourage companies' voluntary use of recycled raw materials, a reduction in producer responsibility recycling fees proportional to the amount of recycled raw materials used by producers is being pursued.

Minister Han said, "As the use of recycled raw materials increases, plastic usage decreases, making this one of the important measures to accelerate carbon neutrality," adding, "This year will be a pivotal year for realizing a circular economy by establishing a stable demand and supply system for recycled raw materials and building a foundation for a circular economy that communicates with the public."

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