[ENG] 전자공고 입니다.
Launched ‘SK TBMGEOSTONE,’ a j/v with TBM, Japan and developed eco-friendly ‘Biodegradable LIMEX’ technology with outstanding economic feasibilityNew material reduces plastic usage and curbs environmental pollution; SKC to mass-produce it starting 2023 to accelerate its ESG management SKC (CEO Lee Wan-jae) has started the development/commercialization of Biodegradable LIMEX material technology that can dramatically reduce the quantity of non-perishable plastics. Biodegradable LIMEX, which is an eco-friendly new material that mixes stone powder (limestone) with biodegradable resins PBAT and PLA, can replace a variety of general purpose plastics. On September 16, SKC launched SK TBMGEOSTONE, a joint venture with TBM (CEO Yamasaki Nobuyoshi), a Japanese eco-friendly materials company. The joint venture will conduct R&D and make facility investment required to commercialize eco-friendly Biodegradable LIMEX with a goal of starting mass-production in 2023. Biodegradable LIMEX to be developed by the joint venture is a new material to be created through the combination of TBM's existing LIMEX technology with SKC's biodegradable materials technology.LIMEX made by mixing more than 50% of limestone with general plastic resins such as PE and PP is eco-friendly as it uses less plastic. Biodegradable LIMEX, which goes a step further by using biodegradable materials such as PBAT and PLA that decompose in nature in a brief period of time instead of general plastic resin products, will become a vast improvement in eco-friendliness. Biodegradable LIMEX is particularly noteworthy in that it can play a leading role in vitalizing the biodegradable materials market. Despite the recent increasing demand for biodegradable materials, their market expansion has been limited by the prices hovering 2-3 times higher than those of general plastic materials. As it uses up to 80% of limestone, which is abundant in nature, Biodegradable LIMEX has unrivaled price competitiveness. SKC, which commercialized the world's first biodegradable PLA film packaging material in 2009, has been expanding its biodegradable materials business by supplying PLA film to Starbucks Korea and others. Most notably, SKC has continued its diversification efforts, including its success in securing high-strength PBAT technology, which is another biodegradable material, from the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology in 2020. Through the joint venture, SKC will be able to upgrade its biodegradable materials to the next level as it can deploy TBM's unique limestone utilization technology. TBM, a unicorn company established in 2011, has succeeded in Japan in commercializing LIMEX which boasts highly dependable processability and durability despite its inclusion of limestone in excess of 50%. The company’s technology involved in the new material is superior to that of the rival company using limestone content of 30% or less. In July 2021, SK Japan Investment made an equity investment of about 140 billion won in the company. With Biodegradable LIMEX, the joint venture is planning to enter the processed food container and disposable market and then expand its market presence into interior materials for construction and automotive industries. An SKC official said, “We will continue expanding our presence in the eco-friendly materials market by commercializing high-quality Biodegradable LIMEX soon in a bid to help solve plastic issues and reduce environmental pollution,” adding “By expanding our eco-friendly business portfolio including waste plastic pyrolysis oil business, we will achieve ‘Net Zero Plastic 2030’ while continuing to improve our ESG performance.
2021-09-15