MicroWorks Becomes First in Korea to Develop and Commercialize Beverage Bottle Labels with Recycled PET Bottles

MicroWorks, the nation’s largest polyester (PET) film manufacturer formerly known as SK MicroWorks, announced on April 13 that it has developed and commercialized a technology that applies 10% recycled PET bottle material to PET shrink labels for the first time in Korea. The label was first applied last month to Lotte Chilsung Beverage’s 'Trevi' PET bottles.

The technology developed by MicroWorks enables the recycling of used PET bottles to produce PET bottle product labels. PET bottles use plastic for both the bottle itself (container) and the label, which displays the brand and product name.

Until now, it was considered difficult to commercialize PET labels containing recycled PET bottle material because the properties of recycled and virgin materials differ. A MicroWorks representative stated, "The company has succeeded in achieving the same print quality and processability as conventional labels, even with a 10% blend of recycled material."

This technology also aligns with the government's policy mandating the use of recycled materials. The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment (referred to as the Ministry of Climate) has, starting this year, made it compulsory for companies that ship more than 5,000 tons of PET bottles annually for drinking water or non-alcoholic beverages to use at least 10% recycled PET material. According to a MicroWorks representative, the company is currently developing technology to further increase the proportion of recycled material in its labels.

Previously, the company developed 'EcoLabel,' the world’s first recyclable heat-shrink PET bottle packaging material. In 2023, it received the highest grade for packaging recyclability from the Ministry of Climate, being recognized as an eco-friendly packaging material. In addition, MicroWorks minimizes process waste by collecting by-products generated during PET film production, reprocessing them into raw materials, and reintegrating them into the film manufacturing process.

Meanwhile, MicroWorks is Korea’s first and largest PET film manufacturer, with nearly 50 years of business history. It began as the founding business of SKC in 1976 and has been managed by the domestic private equity fund operator Hahn & Company since 2022.

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