From Discarded Bottles to Fibers... SK Chemicals Develops Chemically Recycled Fiber Products

SK Chemicals-Art Impact-Korea Textile Development Institute
Agreement on Development and Sale of 'Chemical Recycling' Fabrics

On the 20th, SK Chemicals, Art Impact, and the Korea Textile Development Institute signed a "Business Agreement for the Development of Chemically Recycled Fiber Products." Kim Hyun-seok, Head of Green Chemicals Division at SK Chemicals (left), Song Yoon-il, CEO of Art Impact (center), and Ho Yo-seung, Director of the Korea Textile Development Institute (right) are posing for a commemorative photo. Photo by SK Chemicals

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghoon Jung] SK Chemicals is set to actively supply chemically recycled materials to the sustainable fiber and fashion market.

On the 21st, SK Chemicals announced that it signed a business agreement for the "Development of Chemically Recycled Fibers (Yarn and Fabric)" at its headquarters in Pangyo the previous day. The signing ceremony was attended by Song Yoon-il, CEO of Art Impact, Ho Yo-seung, President of the Korea Textile Development Institute, and Kim Hyun-seok, Head of SK Chemicals’ Green Chemicals Division.

The three parties plan to actively collaborate to develop and sell high-quality recycled fibers using SK Chemicals’ chemically recycled material, "SKYPET CR." Under this agreement, SK Chemicals will supply "SKYPET CR" necessary for yarn and fabric development to the Korea Textile Development Institute, which will use it as raw material to produce various yarns. Art Impact will sell fabrics developed from chemically recycled fiber yarns produced by the Korea Textile Development Institute through its online platform and also use them for producing products under its own fashion brand.

Chemical recycling is a technology that breaks down waste plastics to return them to pure raw material form for manufacturing polymer plastics. Unlike physical recycling materials, the chemically recycled PET material "SKYPET CR" contains fewer micro-impurities, enabling the production of high-quality fibers used in suits, casual wear, functional sportswear, as well as curtains and bedding.

This collaborative project is being promoted through SK Chemicals’ plastic circular ecosystem platform "Eum," marking a successful outcome in SK Chemicals’ efforts to build a plastic circular ecosystem. SK Chemicals aims to continuously connect stakeholders in the plastic circular ecosystem through Eum, as demonstrated in this collaboration with eco-friendly social enterprises and textile specialized production technology institutes, to achieve a virtuous cycle of plastics.

Art Impact is a social venture company that produces and sells eco-friendly fashion materials and products. Last year, it launched the online platform "FabricQ," which facilitates the purchase of eco-friendly fabrics for designers and brands. Through this platform, it plans to sell chemically recycled material fabrics developed jointly.

The Korea Textile Development Institute was established in 1983 to support Korean textile companies in preparing for new trends and enhancing competitiveness in the textile industry through application and process technologies. Recently, it has been focusing on revitalizing the eco-friendly textile industry, including promoting the "PET Bottle Recycling Green Fiber Platform" in cooperation with Daegu City.

The global textile and fashion market is expected to expand significantly due to stricter environmental regulations in developed countries and the growing eco-consciousness of consumers. According to global market research firm Statista, the global apparel market size is projected to reach $1.95 trillion (2,528 trillion KRW) by 2026, with the sustainable apparel market accounting for 6.1%, or $119 billion (154 trillion KRW).

Ho Yo-seung, President of the Korea Textile Development Institute, stated, "We will strive to lead the development of the eco-friendly textile industry together with our partner companies by securing fiber manufacturing technology using chemically recycled raw materials."

Kim Hyun-seok, Head of SK Chemicals’ Green Chemicals Division, said, "Not only fashion companies but also automotive, furniture, and home appliance manufacturers are focusing on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, so the demand for chemically recycled fibers with differentiated properties will grow rapidly. As value consumption that considers the environment increases, interest in recycled yarns is expected to rise further."

Meanwhile, SK Chemicals is jointly developing eco-friendly toothbrushes with KNK through its Green Project, which discovers markets and applications with potential for green material conversion and proposes green materials and design concepts suitable for those applications.

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