SK Chemicals Accelerates Supply of Eco-Friendly Materials to Textile Market

Collaboration with Art Impact and Project1907
Launch and Sale of 'Chemical Recycling' Material Fabrics

Polyester fabric made from chemically recycled raw materials. Photo by SK Chemicals

SK Chemicals is set to expand its supply of 'Chemical Recycle' materials into the textile and apparel markets, following its entry into the eco-friendly container market.

On the 27th, SK Chemicals announced that recycled material textile fabrics jointly developed with eco-friendly social enterprises such as ‘Art Impact’ and ‘Project 1907’ through the plastic circular ecosystem platform 'Eum' have been launched and sales have begun.

These fabrics, including ‘100% polyester’ and ‘span blend’, are commercialized by Art Impact and Project 1907 using chemical recycled PET (CR-PET) supplied by SK Chemicals as raw material. Chemical recycling involves breaking down waste plastics at the molecular level to create raw materials again, reducing the use of virgin plastics derived from petroleum.

Art Impact is a social venture company producing and selling eco-friendly fashion materials and products. Project 1907 is an eco-friendly lifestyle fashion brand. Both companies plan to use the newly developed fabrics in their own fashion brand products and expand marketing tailored to the diverse needs of apparel companies requiring eco-friendly fabrics.

SK Chemicals led this collaboration through ‘Eum’ and plans to establish a ‘B2B2C (business-to-business-to-consumer)’ sales network connecting the supply chain of chemical recycled textiles with consumers. On the Eum site, visiting customers are offered a ‘Textile Material Experience Kit’ containing fashion products such as scarves made from recycled material fabrics free of charge to raise market awareness. Through this, SK Chemicals aims to expand cooperative structures with various textile fashion companies handling fabrics for apparel, household goods, camping supplies, and packaging materials.

According to the 'Eco-friendly and Recycled Textile Fashion Industry Development Strategy' published by the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade, the global recycled polyester textile market is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 4.9%, reaching approximately $3.7 billion (about 4.8 trillion KRW) by 2026.

Kim Hyun-seok, Head of Business Development at SK Chemicals, stated, "Through the acquisition of the Shoe factory, we have secured a stable chemical recycled PET supply chain with a capacity of 50,000 tons," adding, "We will strive to lead the global recycled textile market, which is expanding not only in the sustainable fashion-centered textile market but also in industrial applications."

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