TotalEnergies Corbion establishes PLA recycling partnership in South Korea

From left to right: Kevin Cho, head of TotalEnergies Corbion Korea, Lee Sang-hoon, executive VP at Posco International and Oh Hong-ki, president at Esol (Image credit: Posco International).

04 Apr 2023 --- TotalEnergies Corbion, Posco International and ESOL are partnering to develop recycling infrastructure and technology for polylactic acid (PLA) in South Korea, in line with the government’s framework for carbon neutrality.

While Posco International will oversee and finance the project, ESOL is responsible for retrieving the post-consumer recycle (PCR) PLA waste and further advancing the technology to collect, sort, clean, purify and rework the PLA. Additionally, TotalEnergies Corbion will support the project with data and experience in advanced PLA recycling.

The companies share that the PLA market is rapidly expanding as a low-carbon footprint alternative to conventional plastics, with the global bioplastic market growing at an annual rate of over 20%.

“TotalEnergies Corbion is already supplying Luminy rPLA, a recycle-based PLA, to the South Korean market. Creating a local plan to reprocess PLA waste will accelerate the transition to an even more circular economy,” says Thomas Philipon, TotalEnergies Corbion CEO.

With the advancement of PLA recycling, bio-based and low carbon footprint materials will be more available for the production of bottles, containers and other foodservice and packaging products.(Image credit: TotalEnergies Corbion).

Scaling Korean bioplastics
Korean company ESOL has an established supply network of PLA-based products in the region. The new partnership aims to establish a PLA recycling structure, leveraging TotalEnergies Corbion’s existing advanced recycling technology and infrastructure.

Posco International intends to enter the bio-based plastic recycling sector to expand its green portfolio. The company’s executive vice president Lee Sang-hoon, states, “We expect to enhance our ESG business and to help our society to transform to a circular economy.”

Playing a significant role in the eco-friendly conversion of the plastic industry, Posco International plans to finish developing the PCR of PLA technology by 2026. It also has launched a campaign dubbed Green Butterfly with ESOL to promote the retrieval of used PLA.

With the expected growth of the PLA market in Korea, the material contributes toward the environmentally sustainable use of plastics.

Korean plastic waste crackdown
Recently, the South Korean ministry of environment announced its plans to introduce a fine of up to ₩3 million (US$2,300) for companies that mislead the public about their environmental impacts.

While the ministry can fine companies that commit greenwashing, it must follow a complex process to determine the penalty amount. The new regulation is expected to simplify the process and allow the ministry to take a stronger stance on greenwashing.

As the country powers toward a plastic-free society, last November, Montbest unveiled a no-label beverage packaging designed by Gentlebrand. The company said they had to create “a new product identity” only using the logo, purple colorway and the details embossed directly onto the bottle to convey the brand’s core values, to go labelless as an environmental decision.

To follow the national mandate to enhance plastic bottle recyclability by eradicating plastic bottle labels, Coca-Cola launched its first-ever labelless PET bottles in South Korea, Coca-Cola Contour Label Free.

Edited by Radhika Sikaria

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