Ministry of Environment (MOE), Hyosung, Jeju Provincial Government and Pleatsmama Establish a Resource Circulation System
Green Partnerships | April 15, 2020
In a mission to transform the growing amount of plastic waste polluting the beautiful shores of Jeju Island, a UNESCO World Heritage site that draws millions to its beautiful habitat each year, the Ministry of Environment (MOE), Hyosung, Jeju Provincial Government and a startup Korean-based fashion brand named Pleats Mama, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on April 13, 2020 for the ‘Return to be Reborn Project’ and set out to establish a new resource circulation system.
The Return to be Reborn project will establish a Recycle Eco-system on Jeju whereby the Jeju Development Corporation collects PET bottles on Jeju Island. The bottles are fully cleaned and turned into recyclable chip. Hyosung TNC, which has technology to manufacture recycled fiber, uses this chip make regen® jeju. Pleatsmama Co., Ltd., an eco-friendly bag manufacturing startup, will produce the final product with this regen jeju, which is scheduled to be launched on June 5, 2020. One eco-friendly bag can be made with 16 500ml PET bottles!
Although the global eco-friendly fashion market has grown rapidly, PET bottles collected in Korea have been recycled primarily as packaging materials rather than for apparel due to problems such as color or foreign substances mixed in with the PET. Since textiles for clothing have must have the highest purity, the recycled (PET) materials used for apparel have been imported from abroad, including Japan and Taiwan, where the recycling system is well established. Hyosung now has a system in place to domestically source the highest quality PET bottles appropriate for recycling into apparel.
Jeju Samdasoo, a brand of mineral water produced by Jeju Province Development Corporation, will collect its discarded transparent PET bottles on Jeju Island in order to secure raw materials suitable for clothing and bags.
Hyosung TNC and the Ministry of Environment expect the Return to be Reborn project to increase the use recycled products, such as PET bottles, nationwide to replace the need of recycled plastic imports.
Hyosung plans to continue its sustainable management practices based on our strong commitment to various projects designed to expand circulation systems at its home base in Korea and abroad. Stay tuned!