LG Chem Unveils CO2 Plastic for the First Time at the World's Largest Beauty Expo

An R&D marketing manager at LG Chem is holding a cosmetic container made from CO2 plastic. Photo by LG Chem

LG Chem is pioneering the carbon dioxide plastic market.

LG Chem announced on the 20th that it will showcase eco-friendly plastic materials made from carbon dioxide at 'Cosmoprof Bologna 2024,' held in Bologna, Italy, aiming to secure customers.

The Cosmoprof exhibition, starting on the 21st, is the world's largest beauty industry fair, featuring about 3,000 cosmetic companies involved in materials, packaging, ODM (Original Design Manufacturing), and branding.

LG Chem will debut cosmetic containers applying 'PEC (Poly Ethylene Carbonate),' a next-generation eco-friendly material made from carbon dioxide, at the eco-zone of its eco-friendly partner, Cosmax. PEC is an innovative next-generation eco-friendly plastic made using carbon dioxide captured from factories and ethylene oxide.

To manufacture PEC, LG Chem independently developed the catalyst and process technology, which are core materials for converting carbon dioxide into plastic, achieving the highest productivity among existing CO2 plastics. PEC is mainly used for cosmetic containers and food packaging materials and can be mixed with other plastics for various applications, from soft films to hard cases.

In particular, there is a growing movement in the cosmetics industry to switch to eco-friendly containers. In fact, due to strengthened eco-related regulations such as the recent introduction of the EU carbon border tax, many global cosmetic companies have announced plans to attach carbon footprints to their products and increase the use of recycled plastics by 2030. The carbon footprint is an indicator representing the total amount of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide) generated during the production and consumption of a product.

An LG Chem official said, "Based on PEC, a next-generation material made by capturing carbon dioxide, we will strengthen partnerships with cosmetic clients and contribute to preventing global warming."

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