TotalEnergies Corbion partners with Posco International and ESOL to recycle PLA in South Korea

SOUTH KOREA – TotalEnergies Corbion, Posco International and ESOL are partnering to develop recycling infrastructure and technology for polylactic acid (PLA) in South Korea, in line with the government’s framework for carbon neutrality.

Hoping to expand its portfolio by entering the biobased plastic recycling sector, POSCO International will oversee and finance the project.

The trading company has been working with bioplastics since 2019 and aspires to fully develop post-consumer recycling technology for PLA by 2026.

While TotalEnergies Corbion is set to contribute its own knowledge and experience of advanced PLA recycling, ESOL will source the PLA waste from post-consumer recycling and work towards advancing the necessary technology to collect, sort, clean, purify, and reuse the PLA.

The latter is already producing PLA-based products in Korea and aims to establish recycling infrastructure throughout its supply chain for more sustainable use of plastics in the country’s growing PLA market.

Thomas Philipon, TotalEnergies Corbion CEO said: “TotalEnergies Corbion is already supplying Luminy rPLA, a recycle-based PLA, to the South Korean market. Creating a local plan to reprocess PLA waste will accelerate the transition to an even more circular economy.”

With the global bioplastic market said to be expanding at an annual growth rate of over 20%, the companies aspire to promote the use of PLA in various foodservice and packaging products, such as bottles and containers, through the mechanical and advanced recycling of TotalEnergies Corbion’s Luminy PLA.

Recycling a material that is already biobased is expected to facilitate a low carbon footprint and increased circularity.

ESOL is also collaborating with POSCO International through the Green Butterfly campaign, which seeks to promote the retrieval of used PLA.

Last year, TotalEnergies Corbion announced that it aimed to contribute towards the widespread collection, sorting, and cleaning of PLA waste and stimulate a market for PLA recycling streams in the packaging industry by purchasing reprocessed PLA waste to recycle into its Luminy rPLA brand.

Recently, the South Korean Ministry of Environment announced its plans to introduce a fine of up to ₩3 million (US$2,300) for companies that mislead the public about their environmental impacts.

While the ministry can fine companies that commit greenwashing, it must follow a complex process to determine the penalty amount.

The new regulation is expected to simplify the process and allow the ministry to take a stronger stance on greenwashing.

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