SK Geo Centric switches to recycled materials for petchem packaging

South Korea’s SK Geo Centric Co. is using recycled materials for product packaging as it aims to transform itself into a green petrochemical producer by introducing eco-friendly processes throughout the production chain. 

SK Geo Centric, formerly known as SK Global Chemical, said on Monday it has decided to mix post-industrial recycled materials -- residual plastics generated while manufacturing various products -- with new polypropylene to make packing materials. The subsidiary of the country’s top energy company SK Innovation Co. did not previously use recycled ingredients for the materials.

The company expects the move to reduce the consumption of new plastics by 264 tons annually as it had been using about 16 million 15-kilogram polypropylene bags a year to pack petrochemical products.

“We will continue efforts to contribute to the environment throughout the plastic value chain,” said Choi Woo-hyuk, SK Geo Centric’s head of solution business division, in a statement.

SK Geo Centric has been expanding the plastic recycling business at home and abroad.

Last year, the company announced a plan to invest 600 billion won ($461.1 million) in building South Korea’s largest plastic waste recycling factory, which can process 184,000 tons of trash a year, about 60% of the country’s total plastic waste.

Write to Hyung-Kyu Kim at khk@hankyung.com
 
Jongwoo Cheon edited this article.