Recognized in the Life Below Water category, CJ CheilJedang was recognized for contributing to the protection of the marine environment by manufacturing the biodegradable polymer, PHA, and supporting its use across consumer goods categories.
SEOUL, Korea – September 29, 2025 – CJ CheilJedang announced today that it won the Grand Prize in the ‘Life Below Water’ (Marine Ecosystem Conservation) category at the 2025 SDGs Awards hosted by the United Nations Korean Peninsula Peace & Prosperity Foundation (UN-PISCO), a UN partner NGO and a non-profit public organization that discovers and supports leaders and organizations in various fields for global peace and sustainable development, highlighting their contributions to the international community.
Life Below Water is the 14th of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations It covers key issues facing humanity and the earth, such as poverty, hunger, education, gender equality, climate change, environmental conservation, peace, and international cooperation.. CJ CheilJedang received the honor for its recognized contribution to marine environmental protection through the development and production of PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate) biodegradable materials.
Leveraging their world-class fermentation capabilities, CJ CheilJedang began commercial-scale manufacturing of PHA at a dedicated production site located in Pasuruan, Indonesia in 2022. CJ launched this material under the specialized material brand, PHACT™, and now commercializes the technology under the CJ Biomaterials business division.
PHA is a naturally occurring polymer that microorganisms accumulate inside their cells by consuming plant-derived components including sugars. It has the unique property of biodegrading completely in soil and marine environments, as well as in industrial and home composting facilities. Because it leaves behind no persistent microplastics, PHA is increasingly seen as a viable alternative for replacing petroleum-derived plastics. Only a few companies globally, including CJ CheilJedang, are capable of manufacturing PHA at commercial scale.
The CJ Biomaterials division is accelerating the expansion of PHA commercialization. Recently, the company signed an MOU with Cosmax, the world’s number one cosmetics ODM company, for the development of cosmetic containers using PHACT™ PHA. The two companies will cooperate, with CJ Biomaterials developing and supplying PHACT materials with properties suitable for cosmetic containers, and Cosmax using them to develop various containers and packaging materials.
In addition, CJ Biomaterials is collaborating with partners throughout the supply chain including CJ Olive Young, Yuhan-Kimberly, and Banila Co., to introduce diverse solutions such as cosmetic containers, disposable packaging materials, and paper coatings that use PHACT™ PHA. Last year, the company expanded their applications development focus to include textiles, participating in the ‘Preview in Seoul’ textile and fashion fair. The company continues to invest in technology development to expand the application of PHA in many applications including their recently announced home compostable PHA paper coatings platform.
Allan (Hyuk Sung) Chung, Head of the CJ Biomaterials division, stated, “This award is a meaningful achievement that recognizes CJ CheilJedang’s efforts in eco-friendly management and sustainable development, which we have pursued through collaboration with various companies based on our differentiated technology. We will further expand the application range of PHA into diverse consumer goods sectors so that consumers can use products safely without concerns about persistent microplastics.”
In line with CJ Group Chairman Lee Jae-hyun’s management philosophy to ‘Contribute to the nation and society by creating the greatest value with ONLYONE products and services,’ CJ CheilJedang has set the ‘Nature to Nature’ virtuous cycle system as its sustainability goal. The company is committed to laying the foundation for sustainable growth and fostering an ecosystem that can coexist with future generations.
About CJ BIOMATERIALS
CJ Biomaterials, a business unit of global lifestyle company CJ CheilJedang, is a leading manufacturer of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) biopolymers. The company’s proprietary PHACT™ PHA technology transforms carbon dioxide sequestered in plant sugars into innovative biopolymers through a unique, highly efficient fermentation process that produces both amorphous and semi-crystalline PHAs. These PHAs are certified biobased, compostable in home and commercial composting conditions, and biodegradable in marine and soil environments, and do not create persistent microplastics. CJ Biomaterials partners with brands across packaging, consumer goods, food service, nonwovens, and other industries to develop new materials and applications that reduce environmental impact while meeting rigorous performance standards. With headquarters in Seoul, Korea; offices in Woburn, MA, USA, and Frankfurt, Germany; and manufacturing facilities strategically positioned to serve global markets; CJ Biomaterials is committed to scaling sustainable material solutions that accelerate the transition to a circular bioeconomy. To learn more about CJ Biomaterials visit cjbiomaterials.com.
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