-..110 commercialized finished products made with SK Chemicals’ materials, displayed across Life, Beauty, Move, and Fashion theme zones

- First public unveiling of actual feedstock from each process stage at the Feedstock Innovation Center (FIC), the company’s waste-plastics processing facility

 

 

SK Chemicals will participate in Chinaplas, held in China, Asia’s largest plastics market.

 

SK Chemicals (CEO Ahn Jae-hyun) announced on April 20 that it will take part in Chinaplas 2026, a four-day event running from April 21 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (NECC) in Hongqiao, Shanghai.

 

Alongside NPE in the United States and K Show in Germany, Chinaplas is recognized as one of the world’s three largest plastics and rubber exhibitions and the largest event of its kind in Asia. This year’s edition, themed around Transformation, Collaboration, and Sustainability, is expected to draw more than 4,500 companies from approximately 150 countries.

 

At Chinaplas, under the slogan “On-hand solution for sustainable tomorrow,” SK Chemicals will display approximately 110 commercialized finished products that incorporate its materials, spanning cosmetic containers, kitchen appliances, automotive interior and exterior parts, and functional apparel and footwear. This marks the company’s largest exhibition lineup ever by number of items displayed.

 

At the exhibition, SK Chemicals has organized its booths into four theme zones reflecting familiar aspects of everyday life: Life, Beauty, Move, and Fashion.

 

The Life and Beauty zones will showcase wine chilling buckets and makeup products made with the recycled material ECOTRIA CLARO CR, alongside cups, airtight food storage containers, blender bottles, water bottles, and cosmetics made with ECOZEN, a copolyester noted for its exceptional clarity and heat resistance.

 

The automotive-themed Move zone will feature vehicle floor mats, headlamp bezels, and actuators made with SKYPET CR, a circular-recycled PET resin produced via depolymerization technology.

 

The Fashion zone will present spandex fibers as well as shoes and bags made from artificial leather, all derived from ECOTRION, a 100% plant-based bio-polyol. The zone will also include an interactive demonstration area where visitors can drop balls onto ECOTRION and competing materials and compare the rebound heights, allowing them to experience the material’s superior elasticity firsthand.

 

In addition, SK Chemicals will operate a dedicated exhibit for its upcoming Feedstock Innovation Center (FIC) in China, showcasing the actual feedstock produced at each stage of the process, from sorting and pre-processing to feedstock conversion, using inputs such as waste blankets and fine powder. The company will also unveil a newly established zone dedicated to CHDM (Cyclohexanedimethanol), a core raw material for copolyester, aimed at highlighting its upstream competitiveness in key product lines, including recycled plastics and copolyesters.

 

Ahn Jae-hyun, CEO of SK Chemicals, said, “Through Chinaplas, we aim to make clear that the adoption of recycled plastics is not a distant future goal but a solution that is ready to be deployed today. By actively communicating our technologies across the entire value chain, from feedstock to finished materials, and the progress we have achieved in a wide range of applications, we will further solidify the global standing of Korea’s circular recycling solutions.”

 

Meanwhile, SK Chemicals continues to expand its track record of commercialized applications across diverse industries in the global market with its circular-recycled and bio-based materials. SKYPET CR has been applied to food and beverage containers, including traditional Korean liquor bottles by Kooksoondang and sauce bottles by Ottogi, as well as to vehicle floor mats co-developed with European automotive carpet manufacturer Durmont. ECOTRIA CLARO CR has been adopted in cosmetic compact cases through a partnership with global cosmetic packaging firm TOLY. At the same time, ECOZEN is being supplied to the market in products including LocknLock airtight food storage containers.

 

 

[Reference 1] SK Chemicals’ Circular Recycling Business

In 2021, SK Chemicals developed its depolymerization-based chemical recycling technology and launched commercial production of copolyester made with recycled feedstock. In 2022, the company became the first in Korea to supply circular-recycled PET (CR PET), and it has since steadily expanded commercial applications across a wide range of industries, including food containers, cosmetic packaging, textiles, and automotive. In 2023, SK Chemicals also established a depolymerization-based production site in Shantou, Guangdong Province, China, securing early mass-production capabilities for circular-recycled feedstock (r-BHET) and CR PET.

 

In Korea, the company has built the Recycle Innovation Center (RIC), a research and demonstration facility that validates the chemical recycling and commercialization potential of various waste plastics. In addition, late last year SK Chemicals established the Feedstock Innovation Center (FIC) with Kelinle, a plastics recycling specialist based in Shaanxi Province, China, to directly convert waste plastics into feedstock and secure a stable supply. Through this infrastructure that spans from feedstock to finished materials, SK Chemicals is advancing its vertically integrated circular recycling system.

 

Depolymerization is a chemical recycling technology that breaks down waste plastics into their molecular units and reconstitutes them into plastic feedstock. It delivers physical properties and quality on par with petroleum-based materials. It enables the recycling of a wide range of waste plastics beyond clear PET bottles, including colored containers, films, trays, and textiles.

 

 

[Reference 2] SK Chemicals’ Exhibit Product Lineup

1) SKYGREEN: A high-performance copolyester that offers superior physical properties and functionality compared with general-purpose materials, delivering glass-like clarity while also providing excellent chemical resistance and processability. It is primarily used in cosmetic containers, where premium transparency must be combined with refined design. With no risk of bisphenol A (BPA) leaching, it is also used in household and kitchenware items, such as showerheads and wine glasses.

 

2) ECOZEN: A copolyester-based material that retains the key characteristics of SKYGREEN, including clarity and BPA-free safety, while incorporating up to 15% biomass content by carbon mass. With enhanced heat resistance compared with SKYGREEN, it can withstand boiling water at 100°C and is dishwasher-safe. ECOZEN is widely used in kitchen and household products that require both high heat resistance and safety, including blender bottles, airtight food storage containers, infant tableware, and sports water bottles.

 

3) SKYPET CR: A circular-recycled PET product based on depolymerization technology. Although produced from waste plastics, it delivers physical properties and quality on par with petroleum-based PET, offering a significantly broader range of applications than mechanically recycled PET, which is often restricted to limited uses. It is well-suited for personal care packaging, including shampoo, body wash, and cleansing foam bottles, as well as large-volume food and beverage containers. Its applications also extend across automotive interior and exterior components, from textile-based interior parts such as floor mats and seat fabrics to safety devices, including airbags and seat belts.

 

4) ECOTRIA CLARO CR: A circular-recycled copolyester produced using SK Chemicals’ depolymerization-based chemical recycling technology. While derived from recycled waste plastics, the material can be discarded through standard PET recycling streams after use, earning recognition as a high-performance material designed for recyclability. Unlike conventional PET, it can be molded into thick-walled forms without whitening while maintaining full transparency, making it widely adopted in premium cosmetic containers such as skincare and lotion bottles, cream jars, and compact cases.

 

5) SKYPEL: A polyester-based elastomer that combines the flexibility of rubber with the strength and durability of engineering plastics. With outstanding elastic recovery and stable performance over time, it is primarily used in industrial applications that require elasticity, including automotive parts, industrial hoses, submarine cables, and breathable films.

 

6) ECOTRION: A bio-polyol based on PO3G (polytrimethylene ether glycol), derived from 100% bio-based feedstock. Compared with petroleum-based polyols, it offers a softer, more pliable feel along with superior elasticity and resilience. Typically supplied as an intermediate material in forms such as urethane spandex, it is used in functional apparel, footwear, gloves, and bags where stretchability is essential. It has also been applied as a coating material for golf balls.

 

[Photo caption: SK Chemicals will participate in Chinaplas 2026, a four-day event running from April 21 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (NECC) in Hongqiao, Shanghai. Pictured is a rendering of the SK Chemicals booth.]