SK Chemical-Huvis, Korea's First Producer of 'Chemical Recycle Polyester' Yarn

Opening a New Chapter for Eco-Friendly Yarn with the First Commercialization of 'Chemical Recycle'

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] SK Chemicals and Huvis are collaborating to produce the nation's first 'chemical recycle polyester yarn.' 'Chemical recycle' is a technology that decomposes waste plastics and clothing back into pure raw materials to manufacture polymer plastics. With the ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) management trend and the increasing use of eco-friendly materials by global apparel brands, demand for chemical recycle yarn is expected to rise.

SK Chemicals and Huvis announced on the 28th that by combining their long-accumulated polyester manufacturing and yarn technologies, they will launch a high-quality chemical recycle polyester yarn, 'ECOEVER CR,' within the third quarter of this year.

SK Chemicals produces and supplies chemical recycle PET (CR PET), and Huvis plans to use this to manufacture 'chemical recycle' yarn products. The 'chemical recycle' material contains fewer micro-foreign substances than physically recycled materials, preventing yarn breakage during production and enabling uniform dyeing, resulting in higher-quality yarn.

Huvis will receive chemical recycle PET (CR PET) from SK Chemicals and produce the nation's first chemical recycle polyester yarn, 'ECOEVER CR.' Upon its launch, the lineup of recycled yarns will expand with ▲ 'ECOEVER CR' using chemical recycle raw materials and ▲ 'ECOEVER' using recycled PET raw materials (PCR), while securing a stable supply chain necessary for recycled yarn production.

SK Chemicals is expanding its chemical recycle product portfolio from copolyester to PET. Following the chemical recycle copolyester 'ECOTRIA CR,' they plan to launch and supply chemical recycle PET (CR PET) 'SKYPET CR.' To this end, SK Chemicals secured exclusive rights to the Korean market for chemical recycle raw materials and chemical recycle PET (PET) products through equity investment in a Chinese waste plastic (PET) recycling company last May.

Jung Jae-joon, Head of New Business Development at SK Chemicals, stated, "Recently, eco-friendly materials have become an important factor in consumers' purchasing decisions," adding, "We plan to accelerate the expansion of the chemical recycle PET (CR PET) business, starting with the eco-friendly fiber and apparel market that the chemical fiber industry is focusing on."

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