- New venture will focus on development of differentiated eco-friendly materials to become a ‘global green product hub’ for building a circular plastic economy
- New South Korean-based compounding facility has annual production capacity of 11,000 tons
Woburn, MA – 25 January 2023 – CJ HDC biosol (biosol) and CJ Biomaterials, Inc., a division of South Korea-based CJ CheilJedang and a primary producer of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), will work together to accelerate the development and commercialization of ecofriendly bioplastics. biosol has completed construction of a new South Korean bioplastic compounding plant in Jincheon, Chungcheongbuk-do, which has capacity to produce 11,000 tons of bioplastics annually. CJ HDC biosol, established in February 2022, is the result of the joint venture between CJ CheilJedang and HDC Hyundai EP, South Korea’s largest plastic compounding manufacturer, to create an eco-friendly material compounding business.
Compounding is a process of mixing or blending polymers and additives together to create a customized plastic solution to meet specific color, property and performance requirements. biosol’s new facility will focus on developing sustainable solutions using a variety of biopolymers, such as CJ Biomaterials’ amorphous PHA, cellulose, polylactic acid (PLA) and others. CJ Biomaterials is the leading producer of amorphous PHA, which is a softer, more rubbery version of PHA that offers fundamentally different performance characteristics than crystalline or semi-crystalline forms of PHA and is a very good modifier for other bioplastics. It has strong biodegradability and compostability properties and can contribute to marine or soil biodegradable, or home compostable products in a variety of applications.
biosol has started production at its approximately 40,000 square-foot compounding facility, which will help bolster the success of CJ CheilJedang and HDC Hyundai EP commitments to a sustainable future. The new plant will allow CJ CheilJedang to expand its business area to encompass more eco-friendly materials beyond its PHA technology, introducing a new growth engine for the company, while HDC Hyundai EP is expected to further consolidate its position as South Korea’s leading compounding business.
“Global customers are setting aggressive environmental, social and governance goals, focusing on sustainable management amid the rising trend toward carbon neutrality,” said CJ CheilJedang CEO Choi Eun Seok, at a ribbon cutting officially opening the Jincheon site. “We are committed to devoting resources to support biosol and the goals of the joint venture to become a leading eco-friendly material solutions company by providing our differentiated PHA material to combine with the cutting-edge compounding capabilities of HDC Hyundai EP.”
Chung Joong Kyu, CEO of biosol, added: “We are focused on the development of differentiated eco-friendly materials and committed to moving forward as a ‘Global Green Product Hub’ to help establish a ‘plastic circular economy.”
About CJ BIOMATERIALS
CJ Biomaterials, a business unit of CJ BIO, is a part of CJ CheilJedang, a global lifestyle company with a vision to inspire a new life filled with health, happiness and convenience. CJ Group has organized its business portfolio into four core sectors: Food & Food Service, Bio & Pharma, Entertainment & Media, and Retail & Logistics. CJ BIO is the world’s leading supplier of fermentation-based bioproducts for animal nutrition, human nutrition, and biomaterials at its thirteen manufacturing facilities worldwide. It is the mission of CJ Biomaterials to develop meaningful solutions to the global problem of plastic waste and other sustainability challenges at scale. CJ Biomaterials has been working toward bio-based chemicals and biopolymers as part of a long-term vision to expand into technologies that can help create a more sustainable future. CJ Biomaterials is a leader in the manufacture of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) – both polymers and related chemistries. We have the core technology platforms necessary to implement PHA-based solutions at scale including bioscience, chemical engineering, materials innovation and applications development. We have the technology, expertise and capacity to make an impact with PHA in global markets and important applications, ranging from flexible and rigid packaging, 3D printing and agricultural films to coatings, personal care, and healthcare.
As a socially responsible company, CJ Biomaterials strives toward practicing carbon-neutral manufacturing operations by utilizing renewable raw materials and developing value-added coproducts to minimize environmental waste. Learn more about our amorphous PHA technology at: https://www.cjbio.net.
Media Contact
Resource Advantage
Dan Green
dgreen@resourceadvantage.com
Company Contact
CJ Biomaterials
Heidi Lebel
cj.biomaterials@cj.net
