SK Chemicals, Estée Lauder to co-work for eco-friendly packaging

South Korea's SK Chemicals Co. announced on Tuesday a partnership with Estée Lauder, the leading global cosmetics brand, to integrate circular recycling solutions into the brand's cosmetic packaging.

As part of the deal, SK Chemicals will provide Estée Lauder with its eco-centric materials, ECOTRIA CR, SKYPET CR, and ECOZEN CLARO, with a commitment to address the pervasive plastic waste issue.

Esteemed for its luxury cosmetic and skincare products, Estée Lauder, alongside its 30 renowned subsidiary brands such as Bobbi Brown and Clinique, aims to increase the recycled content in its product packaging. This initiative aligns with the global push towards sustainability and reducing the carbon footprint.

Circular recycling, the transformative process of converting waste plastic back into its basic constituent units, stands at the forefront of tackling the global plastic waste dilemma.

SK Chemicals and Estée Lauder plan to gradually increase the recycled material content in their products and use recyclable materials to replace other plastic materials like ABS, SAN, and glass.

SK Chemicals anticipates that with this agreement, not only Estée Lauder but also several subsidiary brands will apply SK Chemicals' recycling solution, accelerating the low-carbon movement in the global cosmetics container market.

SK Chemicals has consistently pursued the supply of recycled materials to the cosmetics container market, not only with Estée Lauder.

Earlier this year, SK Chemicals has collaborated with major industry players, including Yonwoo and Cosmax Inc., to develop and market recyclable cosmetic containers.

In a strategic move last March, the company established a subsidiary, SK Shantou, and also acquired assets related to circular recycling raw materials and circular recycling PET business from Shuye, a Chinese green material specialist company, laying a global foundation for their recycled plastic business.

Write to Hyung-Kyu Kim at khk@hankyung.com