SK Geo Centric announced today it has participated in a global fair for plastics held in Germany, introducing the world’s first “plastic waste recycling cluster” to be completed in 2025. The company’s new unified brand for eco-friendly products also made its debut.
On October 21, SK Geo Centric announced that it participated in K 2022, the world’s largest trade fair for plastics and rubber, which is held in Düsseldorf, Germany, from October 19 to 26. This triennial fair in Germany is known as one of the world’s three major fairs for plastics.
Using interactive touchscreen content, SK Geo Centric delivered the information about its recycle cluster in Ulsan to global clients and visitors. SK Geo Centric is currently constructing the world’s first comprehensive complex that can utilize three major technologies for the chemical recycling of plastics in one spot.
These three technologies include the extraction of ultra-pure polypropylene by melting waste plastics in solvents, the depolymerization where the polymerized polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is broken down into its original source material, and pyrolysis of waste plastics to refine them into chemical fuel. When the facility is finished, it can dispose about 250,000 tons of waste plastics annually.
At the booth, the company displayed recycled plastic materials in which the technologies of PureCycle Technologies (US) and LOOP Industries (Canada) have been applied. The two companies are in strategic partnerships with SK Geo Centric for the recycling cluster project. Products that were already commercialized, such as L’Occitane’s shampoo containers and Evian’s water bottles, were also displayed.
Additionally, SK Geo Centric introduced “CYCLUS,” which is to serve as both the ESG brand and eco-friendly integrated brand, at the fair. Cyclus means “circulation” in Latin, and it also holds the meaning of “cycle” + “us (or earth).”
The shape of earth in the brand logo means three categories, which are: ▲Recycled plastic products (Recycle), ▲Biodegradable materials (Bio), and ▲Functional materials (Technique). These concepts have also been applied as the three themes for the fair’s exhibition.
In particular, the company focused on introducing ethylene acrylic acid (EAA), a high-value-added chemical material, at the Technique theme of the exhibition. SK Geo Centric and three to four other major global chemical manufacturers are responsible for more than 80% of the worldwide supply for EAA, as the material requires high-end technologies for production.
The EAA-coated paper cups showcased by SK Geo Centric at the fair consume only a third of the plastic in their production process compared to the ordinary paper cups coated with low-density polyethylene (LDPE), which means that EAA-coated paper cups could effectively reduce plastic use.
Not only that, but SK Geo Centric also displayed various eco-friendly materials including ethylene acrylate copolymers, the demand for which is expected to increase following the expansion of the recycled plastic market.
In addition, since K 2022 is an international fair that attracts visitors from all over the world, it is a good opportunity to promote Busan’s bid to host World EXPO 2030. As a participant of this event, SK Geo Centric played a promotional video and distributed brochures about the bid as an effort to back Busan.
Jang Nam-hun, Head of Packaging Division, SK Geo Centric said, “At this K 2022 fair, we aimed to showcase SK Geo Centric’s strong will toward resource circulation, as well as its portfolio of eco-friendly and high value-added products based on the concepts of the new brand, ‘CYCLUS.’” He added, “With our technology as the foundation, we will continue to expand our influence and partnerships in the global market.”
