South Korea has one of the world’s highest plastic recycling rates at around 59%, second only to Germany. Back in 2020, South Korea banned the use of PVC and coloured PET bottles for food and beverage packaging. The measure was part of the country’s goal to double its plastic recycling rate from 34% in 2020 to 70% by 2030. Companies have since been adjusting their choice of materials accordingly.
Following that trend, South Korea-based PHA producer CJ Biomaterials has now launched PHA-based polybags to replace PVC in same-day delivery applications. It says the bags, which are made exclusively with biodegradable materials, have properties similar to fossil-based polybags.
The bags are durable enough to carry heavy or sharp-edged items without tearing and are opaque, preventing contents from being visible from the outside, CJ Materials said in a statement. The bags also have adhesive properties that allow shipping labels to be applied and easily remain in place.
South Korea-based health and beauty retailer CJ Olive Young will incorporate the new PHA-based bags into their same-day delivery service from two urban distribution hubs, with expansion to other regions currently under consideration. On average, CJ Olive Young makes 40,000 same-day deliveries a month, and that number reaches as high as 100,000 when there are sales and promotions.
“Through this partnership with CJ Olive Young, we are introducing this breakthrough development in sustainable delivery technology to a large consumer base, which we believe will accelerate its commercialisation,” said Seung-Jin Lee, White BIO Business Leader at CJ CheilJedang, the parent company of CJ Biomaterials. “Moving forward, we will continue to actively expand the application of our PHA biopolymers into various customer-centric fields through the development of various material application technologies.”