• Replacing 1,000 tons of plastic reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 1,921 tons; It is a forestation effect equivalent to 1,304 soccer fields.
  • Received UL EPD certification for the most significant number of products in the chemical industry; It is leading the response to the climate crisis in the global chemical industry.


SK chemicals was recognized by UL Solutions as the world's first company to receive certification for its carbon reduction effect through plastic recycling.

SK chemicals (CEO Jeon Kwang-hyun) announced on the 23rd that its two product groups of chemically recycled copolyesters obtained the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) Optimization certification from UL Solutions, a global safety and environmental certification agency, as the world's first such products to be recognized for their carbon reduction effect. In addition, SK chemicals also acquired the UL EPD certification for 9 product lines (79 grades) of copolyesters, including chemically recycled copolyesters, achieving the most product certifications for LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) in the global chemical industry.

The EPD Optimization certification system certifies that a product with reduced environmental impact, that is, a low-carbon product, is confirmed when the reduction effect, such as greenhouse gas emissions between products, is confirmed by comparing two environmental product labeling certifications. The LCA by a third party must be conducted following the EPD certification, which is recognized through an accredited certification body.

SK Chemicals received the UL Environmental Product Declaration certification for 9 product lines and 72 grades of copolyester based on LCA that completed third-party verification, including ▲ 2 SKYGREEN product lines ▲ 5 ECOZEN product lines with bio-derived raw materials ▲ 2 ECOTRIA CR product lines using chemically recycled materials. Based on this, the two chemically recycled copolyester products, ECOTRIA CR and CLARO CR, were the world's first to be recognized for their 15-17% carbon reduction effect compared to existing petroleum-based copolyesters.

The average carbon emission of ECOTRIA CR, a chemically recycled material that has been certified for optimization of the Environmental Product Declaration, is 0.892 kgCO2/kg (based on the cradle-to-gate), which is an eco-friendly material with 68% less carbon dioxide emitted during the production process than the average emission of general plastics. If 1,000 tons of general plastics are replaced with ECOTRIA CR, carbon emissions can be reduced by 1,921 tons. This is equivalent to cultivating a forest the size of 1,304 soccer fields. This drew attention from industries highly interested in low-carbon materials for producing cosmetics containers, food packaging materials, home appliances, and household goods. SK chemicals said that it could receive this low-carbon certification as a result of pursuing continuous improvement with a systematic energy and carbon management system, such as the use of recycled raw materials for the production of low-carbon products, the recycling of steam required for plant operation, and the use of methane gas generated in the wastewater treatment process.

Kim Hyun-seok, SK chemicals Head of GC Business Division, said, "Due to global warming and environmental pollution issues, domestic and overseas customers are increasingly interested in products with eco-friendly certification and environmental impact assessment results." He also said, "We plan to actively respond to the carbon dioxide emission request of our customers and secure LCA for all products in the green material business by 2025 according to the established LCA roadmap."

Last month, SK chemicals published the TCFD Report, which contains strategies to respond to climate change covering the entire life cycle of manufactured products. Additional profits are expected from carbon credits based on greenhouse gas reductions secured through the green material business.


#Photo description: Cosmetic containers made of ECOTRIA CR, a chemically recycled material that has received UL low-carbon certification



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SK Discovery Co. Ltd. published this content on 24 November 2022 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 04 December 2022 17:06:05 UTC.