Jeju Samdasoo Launches Eco-Friendly Recycled PET Bottled Water... "Leading the Way in Building a Circular Economy"

Leading Environmental Contribution through Development of Various Containers Using Recycled PET
Certified by Domestic and International Authorities, Meeting Water Quality and Leaching Standards of the Ministry of Environment and US FDA

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Development Corporation, which produces and sells Jeju Samdasoo, announced on the 6th that it has launched ‘Jeju Samdasoo RE:Born,’ applying recycled PET (CR-PET).

Jeju Samdasoo RE:Born is a recycled PET using SK Chemicals' chemically recycled PET called ‘SKYPET-CR,’ and it is a ‘Bottle to Bottle’ type, which is considered a core technology for PET bottle resource circulation.

Following the 'Korean (K)-Circular Economy Implementation Plan' announced by the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy at the end of last year, the food and beverage industry is seeking ways to create a sustainable society, such as diversifying containers using recycled plastics.

Amid this, Jeju Development Corporation has taken the lead in environmental contribution as a leading brand in the bottled water industry by succeeding in developing various containers using circular resources such as recycled PET and bio PET (BIO-HDPE) through continuous research and investment.

As regulations on plastics made from fossil fuels are strengthened to achieve carbon neutrality, the bottled water industry is actively building a circular economy through practical ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) management activities such as recycling waste plastics.

Waste plastic recycling methods are divided into physical recycling and chemical recycling. Physical recycling involves shredding collected PET into flakes and reproducing them, but it has the limitation of unsustainable continuous production. On the other hand, chemical recycling melts shredded collected PET and produces it into a completely different molecular structure, complementing the drawbacks of physical recycling, which has recently attracted attention.

Jeju Development Corporation succeeded in developing a prototype applying chemically recycled PET for the first time in the bottled water industry in October last year. Recycled PET is an eco-friendly material attracting attention as a core technology of the K-circular economy to reduce plastic usage. In particular, it can maintain safety as a food contact container even after repeated recycling, allowing it to be used as a food container under the Food Sanitation Act.

Jeju Samdasoo RE:Born proved its safety as a bottled water container by passing water quality and elution tests conducted according to the standards of the Ministry of Environment and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) at domestic and international accredited institutions.

Additionally, Jeju Samdasoo plans to start mass production of eco-friendly products such as the no-label ‘Jeju Samdasoo Green,’ recycled PET, bio PET, and nitrogen filling by completing the eco-friendly smart factory (L6) in 2025.

Kim Jeonghak, president of Jeju Development Corporation, said, “We will continue to strive to lead the creation of a resource circulation ecosystem through ongoing research and investment. Having grown alongside the bottled water market and now leading an industry worth over 1 trillion won, we will maintain and develop both environmental and quality values to become a sustainable brand.”

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