SK Chemicals is developing a regional recycling system in South Korea that will collect discarded plastic banners and use chemical recycling to convert the material into feedstock for new banner production.

The South Korean chemical company formed a consortium with recycling and manufacturing partners and a local government to establish a collection, preprocessing, recycling and product-manufacturing system. The company estimates that more than 1,000 metric tons of waste banners are generated annually in the regions participating in the project.

Under the model, collected banners will undergo preprocessing before being converted into feedstock using SK Chemicals' depolymerization technology. The recycled material then will be used to produce new banner fabric, creating a closed-loop pathway for the material.

Depolymerization breaks waste plastics down to their molecular components before they are converted back into feedstock for polymer production. Unlike mechanical recycling, which involves processes such as shredding, washing and remelting, chemical recycling can process waste streams that may be difficult to recycle mechanically because of color, impurities or prior use.

Waste banners are commonly discarded after relatively short periods of use, with many ending up in landfills or incinerators. SK Chemicals said the project is intended to demonstrate a recycling model that can return the material to its original application rather than converting it into lower-value products.

The company plans to develop standardized collection and sorting systems and expand the model to additional regions.

SK Chemicals has previously worked with local governments and other organizations in South Korea to develop collection and recycling systems for waste banners, including agreements dating to 2024.