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Bangkok – 25 February 2026: Marking the first-ever collaboration of three industry leaders, Taokaenoi Food & Marketing Public Company Limited, or TKN, a manufacturer of seaweed snacks distributed domestically and internationally, SCG Chemicals, or SCGC, a leading integrated polymer and solutions provider for sustainability, and Dow Thailand Group, or Dow, a global leader in materials science, have jointly announced the signing of a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to revolutionize the snack industry through the “Food-Grade Circular Packaging by Advanced Recycling Technology” project. This initiative aims to sustainably address plastic waste challenges under the concept of closed-loop recycling. This collaboration entails utilizing multi-layer packaging waste from the production processes of Taokaenoi, which was previously difficult to recycle. This waste will be processed using the advanced recycling technology of SCGC and converted back into circular feedstock. Following this, Dow will utilize the feedstock to produce new, clean, and food-grade plastic resins. These resins will then be safely used to manufacture food packaging for the Taokaenoi brand once again. It is anticipated that the packaging will be ready for commercial distribution by the end of 2026. Ms. Orrapat Peeradechapan, Chief Executive Officer of Taokaenoi Food & Marketing Public Company Limited, said, “Taokaenoi is committed to creating happiness for consumers through high-quality snacks, alongside prioritizing ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) principles by emphasizing sustainable economic, social, and environmental development. This collaboration represents a significant milestone that transforms the ‘challenge’ of hard-to-recycle packaging into an ‘opportunity’ to establish a practical circular economy. It is not merely about waste disposal, but rather about creating new value from used plastic. We do not only deliver great-tasting products, but we also aim to deliver a better world to consumers through eco-friendly packaging innovations that are clean, safe, and tangibly reduce environmental impacts. This will drive our business to grow alongside genuine sustainability.” Dr. Suracha Udomsak, Chief Operations and Innovation Officer of SCGC, said, “This collaboration reflects the capability of SCGC in utilizing advanced recycling technology to manage plastic packaging composed of multiple materials, which is difficult to recycle, and converting it back into circular feedstock. This feedstock can be used to produce new plastic resins (Certified Circular Polyolefin Resin), which possess properties and quality entirely equivalent to standard virgin plastic resins in all respects and are safe for direct food contact. As a result, the materials can be reused to manufacture food packaging for Taokaenoi. In addition, our process has achieved the globally recognized sustainability certification, ISCC PLUS (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification), throughout the entire supply chain, making SCGC the first company in ASEAN to achieve such certification. This partnership is considered a crucial step in driving SCGC’s goal of reintegrating used plastic into the circular economy system at a volume of 500,000 tons per year by 2030, through collaborations with business partners across the entire value chain.” Meanwhile, Mr. Vichan Tangkengsirisin, President of Dow Thailand, added, “As a materials science leader, Dow is proud to support this collaboration in Thailand by applying our technology to produce circular plastic resins from used flexible packaging feedstock with performance equivalent to fossil-based plastics. Dow Thailand Group’s polyethylene facility in Rayong is ISCC PLUS certified for its capability of converting advanced recycled feedstock into high quality, food grade circular resins. This initiative represents an important step toward closing the plastics loop in Thailand and advancing Dow’s sustainability ambition to transform the waste through collaboration with customers and value chain partners.” This collaboration serves as a model for the comprehensive management of used multi-layer plastic packaging. It reduces the accumulation of plastic waste in the country and decreases the consumption of new resources. This aligns with the sustainability goals of Taokaenoi, SCGC, and Dow, reinforcing the role of the business sector in tangibly driving the circular economy to build a sustainable future together.

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SK chemicals' Breakthrough Circular Recycling Technology Gains Recognition in Europe

DOUAI, France, 3 Jun, 2024 – European industries recognize SK chemicals’ groundbreaking circular recycling technology. SK chemicals announced on the 29th that it participated as a presenter at the Plastic Industry & Environment Congress 2024, held in Douai, France from the 22nd to the 23rd.

The Plastic Industry & Environment Congress is an annual event organized by the French Society of Plastics Engineers bringing together plastic material producers, plastic manufacturers, recycling companies, and brand owners from various industries to discuss solutions for building a circular economy.

This year’s Plastic Industry & Environment Congress featured participation and technology presentations from leading chemical companies worldwide, including SK chemicals, EASTMAN, and SABIC.

Although SK chemicals established its European subsidiary in 2008 and has been targeting the European market, this is the first time it has officially participated as a presenter at an event held by a plastic association. This shows SK chemicals’ recent focus on its recycling business is gathering interest in the EU region that leads the regulatory trends.

On the first day of the congress, SK chemicals presented its recycling solutions in a session with its European client Albis, highlighting the superiority of its unique circular recycling technology.

Circular recycling is the term for SK chemicals’ proprietary chemical recycling process. Unlike physical recycling which involves shredding and cleaning waste plastic to reuse as raw material for plastic, chemical recycling breaks down plastic to a molecular level, allowing it to be reused infinitely without quality degradation, e.g., maintaining transparency.

In March of last year, SK chemicals acquired the chemical recycling and chemically recycled PET business assets of Shuye, a Chinese green materials specialist, for approximately 130 billion won, establishing SK Shantou. This enabled SK chemicals to acquire the world’s first commercialized raw material and production facilities for polyester chemical recycling.

In its presentation, SK chemicals also introduced its portfolio of materials, combining rapid commercialization facility development with its experience in applying circular recycling technology. SKYPET CR, a PET material with circular recycling technology, and ECOTRIA CLARO CR, a recyclable copolyester classified as post-consumer PET, were introduced, drawing attention from the attendees.

SK chemicals plans to diversify its collaborations with industry stakeholders based on the recognized excellence of its circular recycling technology.

Kim Eung-soo, head of the Green Materials Business Division at SK chemicals, said, “Global brand owners are showing great interest in using circular recycling materials. We plan to actively promote and provide SK chemicals’ recycling solutions and develop customized eco-friendly products with our clients.”

Source:prnewswire.com