[Gettyimages Bank]
Lotte Chemical said it would collect waste vinyl used by Samsung Electronics Logitech for packaging to produce high-quality packaging materials and supply them back to the logistics company. They would recycle waste packaging materials at a logistics center in Suwon on a trial basis, expand cooperation to other areas, and increase recycling items.
Lotte Chemical makes stretch films for packaging through a technology that turns discarded plastic into an initial form of pellets through the process of selecting, pulverizing, and cleaning. Physical recycling uses post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials by grinding collected polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles and other materials into little pieces. Chemical recycling, which breaks down and returns plastic to its pure, raw material form, is an attractive way to address the explosive growth of plastic waste and disposal problems.
PET is the most common thermoplastic polymer resin used in the creation of fabrics and plastic bottles. Researchers and companies have tried to develop technologies for recycling PET bottles to use them as raw materials for new eco-friendly products.
The accumulation of plastic waste has become a serious global problem. South Korea nurtures the white biotechnology industry that focuses on the creation and distribution of biodegradable bioplastics. Lotte Chemical aims to produce one million tons of recycled bioplastics by 2030. In August 2022, the company launched the pilot production of chemically recycled PET as part of efforts to convert its PET production plant into an outpost for chemical recycling that breaks down and returns plastic to its pure, raw material form.
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