[Distribution Hot People] "Guksan PET Bottles Are the Secret to Eco-Friendly Clothing"

Jeong Hoeuk Black Yak New Lifetex TF Team Deputy Manager

Jung Hoe-wook, Deputy Manager of BYN Black Yak New Lifetex TF Team

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] BYN Black Yak's outdoor brand Black Yak is gaining attention for establishing a PET bottle resource circulation system. The recycled fibers, which had been made by recycling imported PET bottles, have been reborn as domestically produced recycled fibers by recycling domestic PET bottles through Black Yak's resource circulation system.

Turning Domestic PET Bottles into Recycled Fibers

On the 29th, Jung Hoe-wook, Deputy Manager of Black Yak New Life Tex TF Team, said, "We have established an unprecedented resource circulation system to produce clothing by recycling PET bottles from our country instead of recycled raw materials from imported PET bottles," adding, "It is a sustainable system that connects separate collection, collection, recycled raw materials, yarn, and products."

Black Yak established the New Life Tex TF Team in 2019 to solve the fundamental problem that domestic collected PET bottles are difficult to recycle into recycled fibers due to mixing and contamination issues. Deputy Manager Jung has been responsible for overall practical work, researching the problems of PET bottle recycling and seeking solutions from the early days of the TF team’s establishment to the present.

To build the resource circulation system, the TF team partnered with mineral water brand Sparkle, Doosan E&T, and TK Chemical, who share the same vision. They also participated in the Ministry of Environment’s mandatory transparent PET bottle separate collection project to ensure sustainability.

Expanding the Share of Eco-Friendly Products to Over Half

Black Yak introduced products made from recycled domestic PET bottles in July last year, marking the first case in Korea. Starting with just one T-shirt product at that time, Black Yak has been actively expanding materials and products since this year. They have incorporated outdoor functionalities such as antibacterial and cooling effects into recycled fibers and recently increased the use of eco-friendly materials derived from corn.

Deputy Manager Jung explained, "Last year, eco-friendly material utilization products in the clothing sector accounted for only 1%, but we plan to expand this to 30% for the upcoming fall and winter seasons," adding, "We also plan to increase the share of eco-friendly products in shoe and gear production to 60% and 55%, respectively, this year."

The TF team was selected as ‘Korean New Deal of the Month’ last month. The Korean New Deal is selected through evaluation by a judging committee after candidates are recommended by central administrative agencies promoting the Korean New Deal project. The TF team was recognized for realizing the ideology of the Green New Deal, which is the coexistence of environment and economy, by developing eco-friendly products recycled from domestic PET bottles.

Deputy Manager Jung stated, "Our goal moving forward is to expand domestic PET bottle recycling into a nationwide movement," and added, "We will continuously improve quality and diversify products so that consumers can trust and purchase eco-friendly products."

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