"Extracting Plastic from Discarded Clothes" Kolon Industries and Goyang City Collaborate

Kolon Industry-Goyang City, Business Agreement
"Producing Eco-friendly Plastic from Waste Fibers"

Hansungsoo, Head of Future Technology Institute at Kolon Industries (left in photo), and Jaejun Lee, Mayor of Goyang City, are posing for a commemorative photo after signing a written business agreement for eco-friendly recycling of waste textiles. Photo by Kolon Industries

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] Kolon Industries has decided to collaborate with Goyang City in Gyeonggi Province to produce eco-friendly plastics using waste textiles as raw materials. After initially selecting some areas as samples to assess suitability, they have decided to conduct a survey covering the entire Goyang City area.

On the 10th, Kolon Industries and Goyang City signed a business agreement outlining this plan. Accordingly, waste textiles from daily life will be used as raw materials to produce eco-friendly plastics (PET). Waste textiles include chemical fiber-based products discarded not only from clothing but also from furniture and interior goods. Since recycling is difficult, most of these are incinerated or landfilled.

Previously, the company and the city investigated the amount of waste textiles discharged and their suitability as raw materials for recycling methods in some multi-family housing complexes in December last year. Under this agreement, they will survey the amount generated throughout Goyang City and proceed with data digitization. The company expects to secure a stable supply of raw materials for recycled plastics production in this special city with a population exceeding one million.

Recycled PET can reduce energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 30-40% compared to conventional PET made from crude oil. Kolon Industries has focused on eco-friendly polyester recycling technology using waste plastics. The existing mechanical method through heat treatment has limitations in removing impurities contained in waste raw materials, resulting in lower usability. The chemical recycling method, which the company is focusing on, can extract high-purity raw materials regardless of the type or contamination level of the waste. The company announced that full-scale mass production is expected to be possible by 2025.

Han Seong-su, head of Kolon Future Technology Institute, said, "The development and commercialization of plastic waste recycling technology is a field where we have long worked responsibly to achieve both environmental protection and business success." He added, "Starting with this collaboration, we will expand the supply network to local governments nationwide to grow the eco-friendly waste plastic recycling business and pursue multifaceted cooperation with domestic and international partners."

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