Oil refineries with high carbon emissions lead carbon reduction efforts... from plant oils to detergent packaging materials

GS Reduces 0.51kg Carbon Emissions per 1kg Lubricant Base Oil

SK and Aekyung Recycle Laundry Packaging
Annual Carbon Emission Reduction of 1.7 Tons

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] Refining companies, identified as major carbon emitters and accelerating their transition to eco-friendly industries, are drawing attention by launching new carbon reduction products. They are concretely presenting projected carbon emission reduction figures by producing plant-based engine oils and releasing recyclable laundry detergent packaging.

GS Caltex announced on the 16th that it has launched 'Kixx BIO1,' an eco-friendly engine oil using 100% renewable plant-based base oil, the first of its kind in Korea. Through this, it is expected to achieve 'carbon negative,' where the amount of carbon absorbed during the production of 1kg of base oil exceeds emissions by 0.51kg. Carbon negative is a concept that goes beyond 'carbon neutrality,' where carbon absorption and emissions are balanced. This product features base oil made from 100% renewable plant materials such as palm, coconut, soybean, and canola seeds. Base oil is a key ingredient that accounts for more than 80% of engine oil. GS Caltex succeeded in implementing the technology through a partnership with Novi, a U.S. biofuel developer.

The company explained that carbon negative is realized during the base oil production process. According to Novi, the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed during the cultivation of plant materials for producing 1kg of base oil is 3.12kg, while the amount of carbon dioxide emitted during the production process is 2.61kg. Thus, producing 1kg of base oil effectively reduces carbon dioxide by 0.51kg.

GS Caltex declared this year as the inaugural year for 'Deep Transformation (fundamental innovation).' To this end, it is accelerating the execution of its ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) management strategy. It is participating in the circular economy and resource efficiency by developing sustainable eco-friendly products from raw material procurement, production, sales and consumption, to recycling. A GS Caltex official said, "The flagship lubricant brand Kixx has been striving to launch eco-friendly products such as 'Kixx HYBRID,' an engine oil dedicated to hybrid vehicles, and 'Kixx EV,' an engine oil for electric vehicles, in line with recent value consumption trends. We will continue to do our best to develop products that minimize environmental impact and contribute to carbon reduction."

Meanwhile, SK announced on the 17th that it supplied single-material packaging for 'Spark,' a popular laundry detergent by Aekyung. The packaging for the 3kg Spark refill product is being changed from composite materials to single materials made by SK Geocentric. Composite packaging materials, which mix nylon, polyethylene film, etc., are not recyclable.

By switching to single-material packaging made of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) produced by SKGC, separation and recycling will be possible. Approximately 450,000 Spark refill packaging units will be replaced annually with single-material packaging. This is expected to reduce carbon emissions by more than 1.7 tons annually. Jang Namhoon, head of SKGC Packaging Division, emphasized, "We will continuously increase the development of sustainable eco-friendly materials and easy-to-recycle packaging to accelerate the execution of the 'Zero Waste Plastic & Carbon' strategy."

SKGC is intensifying the development of '3R' products as part of its 'Zero Waste Plastic & Carbon' strategy execution plan. The goal is to reduce plastic usage (Reduce), induce environmentally friendly product substitution and packaging unification for recycling (Replace), and increase the recycling rate of plastics that would otherwise be incinerated or landfilled (Recycle), thereby contributing to carbon emission reduction.

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