CJ CheilJedang Wins 'Life Below Water' Grand Prize at 2025 UN Peaceko Awards

Various Consumer Goods Utilizing Biodegradable Material PHA
Recognized for Contributions to Marine Environment Protection

On September 29, CJ CheilJedang announced that it had received the grand prize in the 'Life Below Water' category at the '2025 SDGs Awards' hosted by the UN Peaceko (Korean Peninsula Peace and Prosperity Foundation).

CJ CheilJedang CI. [Photo by CJ CheilJedang]

'Life Below Water' is the 14th goal among the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) announced by the United Nations. CJ CheilJedang was honored with the award in recognition of its contributions to marine environment protection through the development and production of biodegradable materials.

In 2022, CJ CheilJedang established a dedicated production line for the biodegradable biomaterial 'PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate)' at its Pasuruan plant in Indonesia, leveraging world-class technological competitiveness, and began mass production. The company launched this under its specialized biodegradable materials brand, 'PHACT.'

PHA is a polymer material that is naturally accumulated inside microbial cells after consuming plant-derived substances. It can be decomposed not only in industrial and home composting facilities but also in soil and marine environments. As it leaves no microplastics behind, it is attracting attention as a next-generation material to replace petroleum-based plastics. Only a handful of companies worldwide, including CJ CheilJedang, are capable of mass-producing it.

CJ CheilJedang is accelerating the commercialization of PHA. Recently, the company signed a business agreement with Cosmax, the world's leading cosmetics ODM company, to develop cosmetic containers using PHA. Under this collaboration, CJ CheilJedang will develop and supply PHACT PHA materials suitable for cosmetic containers, and Cosmax will use these materials to develop a variety of products and packaging.

In addition, CJ CheilJedang is collaborating with several companies, including CJ Olive Young, Yuhan-Kimberly, and Banila Co, to introduce various solutions such as cosmetic containers, disposable packaging, and paper coatings using PHA. Last year, the company expanded its application to textiles and participated in 'Preview in Seoul,' a textile and fashion exhibition. Currently, CJ CheilJedang continues to develop technologies to expand the use of PHA in various fields that can replace petroleum-based materials.

Jung Hyuksung, head of the Biomaterials (BMS) Division at CJ CheilJedang, stated, "This award is a meaningful achievement that recognizes CJ CheilJedang's efforts in eco-friendly management and sustainable development, achieved through collaboration with various companies based on our differentiated technological capabilities. We will further expand the application of PHA to a wider range of consumer goods so that consumers can use our products with peace of mind, free from concerns about microplastics."

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