SK Chemicals, World's First 'UL Low Carbon' Certification for Plastic Recycling

Reduction of 1921t Greenhouse Gases by Replacing 1000t of Plastic
Effect Equivalent to Creating Forests on 1304 Soccer Fields
Most UL EPD Certified Products in the Chemical Industry

Cosmetic container made from 'Ecotria CR,' a chemically recycled material certified by UL Low Carbon. Photo by SK Chemicals

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seoyoon] SK Chemicals has become the first in the world to be recognized by the global safety and environmental certification organization UL Solutions for its carbon reduction effects through plastic recycling.

On the 23rd, SK Chemicals announced that it had obtained the ‘Environmental Product Declaration Optimization (EPD Optimization)’ certification from UL Solutions, recognizing the carbon reduction effects of two chemical recycling copolyester product lines for the first time worldwide.

Additionally, SK Chemicals acquired the ‘UL Environmental Product Declaration (UL EPD)’ certification for nine copolyester product lines (79 grades), including chemical recycling copolyesters, securing the largest number of product certifications for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in the global chemical industry.

The UL Environmental Product Declaration Optimization certification system compares two EPD certifications and certifies products with confirmed reductions in greenhouse gases and other impacts as environmentally improved, i.e., low-carbon products. This requires conducting an LCA evaluation by a third party and obtaining an EPD certification recognized by an authorized certification body.

Based on third-party verified LCA, SK Chemicals received UL EPD certification for a total of nine copolyester product lines and 72 grades, including ▲two SKYGREEN eco-friendly resin product lines ▲five ECOZEN product lines made with bio-based raw materials ▲and two ECOTRIA CR product lines using chemically recycled raw materials. On this basis, SK Chemicals was recognized for achieving a 15-17% carbon reduction effect compared to conventional petroleum-based copolyesters for the world’s first chemically recycled copolyesters (ECOTRIA CR and Claro CR, two products).

The chemically recycled material ‘ECOTRIA CR,’ which received the EPD Optimization certification, has an average carbon emission of 0.892 kgCO2/kg (cradle to gate basis), making it an eco-friendly material that emits 68% less carbon dioxide during production compared to average conventional plastics. Replacing 1,000 tons of general plastic with ‘ECOTRIA CR’ can reduce carbon emissions by 1,921 tons, equivalent to the effect of cultivating a forest the size of 1,304 soccer fields. This has attracted attention from industries with high interest in low-carbon materials, such as cosmetic containers, food packaging, home appliances, and daily necessities.

SK Chemicals stated that the low-carbon certification was achieved as a result of systematic energy and carbon management systems, including the use of recycled raw materials, steam recycling necessary for factory operations, and methane gas utilization from wastewater treatment processes, along with continuous improvements.

Kim Hyun-seok, Head of SK Chemicals’ GC Business Division, said, “Due to global warming and environmental pollution issues, domestic and overseas customers are increasingly interested in eco-friendly product certifications and environmental impact assessment results. We plan to actively respond to customers’ carbon dioxide emission requests and secure LCAs for all green material business products by 2025 according to the established LCA roadmap.”

Meanwhile, SK Chemicals published the ‘TCFD Report’ last month, outlining its climate change response strategy covering the entire life cycle of its products. Furthermore, additional revenue is expected from carbon credits generated by greenhouse gas reduction achievements secured through the green materials business.

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