HYOSUNG TNC

An island in the vast Pacific has been ridiculed as a seventh continent, an island made of plastic. This enormous trash island, known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, stretches 1.6 million square kilometers, roughly seven times the area of the Korean peninsula and three times the size of France, weighing in at an astounding eighty thousand tons. A tragic monument of human avarice, the island is an amalgamation of discarded nets, plastic bottles, cups, straws, tires, and other refuse. Though plastic brings convenience to our lives, it does not biodegrade and continues to drift, causing the death of marine creatures. Reduced to microscopic size, microplastics have become a menace, even infiltrating our meals. We have begun to feel the necessity to find ways to protect the ecosystem so our health is not threatened by microplastics and creatures living on Earth do not lose their habitats.

'Conservation of Biodiversity' for the Earth and Our Survive

Barely 15% of untouched forests and a meager 3% of oceans remain untouched by human hands on Earth. We are facing extinction crisis comparable to that which occurred 65 million years ago. The relentless pursuit of convenience has resulted in severe ecological destruction.

The absence of a single species in an ecosystem, where diverse life forms coexist organically, disrupts the ecological chain, endangering the entire ecosystem. Dr. Jane Goodall, who likens biodiversity to the web of life, emphasizes that the disappearance of one species, akin to a few strands of a spider's web being cut, creates a hole in Earth's safety net, upsetting the balance. A species’ extinction could cause a butterfly effect, shaking the entire food chain and threatening human existence. Knowing the importance of preserving biodiversity, Hyosung has initiated the RE:GEN Guardian activity to ensure all species live safely on Earth, starting with a marine forest project.

RE:GEN Guardian

By leveraging its technological expertise, Hyosung is committed to delivering a sustainable future for all generations through its ESG brand, RE:GEN (Reply to every generation’s future). This brand advocates circular economy, carbon neutrality, new energy, and resource conservation. Having launched its marine forest management project in 2022 to preserve marine habitats, Hyosung has been working to restore and protect biodiversity and ecosystems. Hyosung and its subsidiaries Hyosung TNC and Hyosung Heavy Industries initiated the project, which was expanded in 2023 to include all group companies. As part of its conservation effort, Hyosung Heavy Industries restores marine habitats, purifies wetlands, and creates resting areas.

Seagrass, a blue carbon species designated as a protected marine organism under the Marine Ecosystem Protection Act, is the only type of underwater plant that produces flowers in the ocean. Since 2009, the Korea Fisheries Resources Agency has been managing a seagrass bed near Geoje-Si in Gyeongsangnam-Do. Hyosung has established a fund to cultivate and preserve marine forests for seagrass survival. This includes monitoring seagrass distribution and habitat, transplanting it to necessary areas, and collecting discarded fishing gear from the sea. Seagrass is crucial breeding ground, habitat, and refuge for various marine organisms, making it essential to conserving marine ecosystems as a quintessential blue carbon species.

Blue carbon refers to the carbon absorbed by marine ecosystems, including organisms that live near the sea, like seagrass and shellfish, and coastal forests, mangroves, and salt marshes. Since they absorb carbon up to 50 times faster than terrestrial ecosystems such as forests and pose fewer risks, such as forest fires, they have gained attention as carbon reservoirs.

To improve the marine ecological environment and take an active step towards carbon neutrality, Hyosung has launched RE:GEN Guardian to protect the ecosystem, ensuring that all life has a right of exist in peace and harmony. As biodiversity conservation becomes increasingly important, RE:GEN Guardian will undertake various activities to prevent species disappearance due to human-induced ecological destruction, thereby fostering a sustainable planet.

Hyosung's Commitment to Earth Through Its RE:GEN Guardian Activities

Hyosung, considering ESG management as its core value, continues various activities for the environment due to concerns about climate change and ecosystems. It has been recognized as an the "Endangered Species Conservation Sponsorship Recognition System" company by the National Ecological Institute for its efforts to preserve endangered species. In response to climate change and to conserve biodiversity, it conducts company-wide online education.

RE:GEN Guardian activities are also underway in each business area. Through the restoration of Jeonju Dysophylla yatabeana Makino habitats and companion beach purification activities, Hyosung Advanced Materials is working to prevent and restore ecosystem destruction. A habitat has been created in the nearby Girin Park near Jeonju-Si for the endangerd Jeonju Dysophylla yatabeana Makino, a wild plant designated as a class II endangered species. Meanwhile, 2,000 Jeonju Dysophylla yatabeana Makino have been donated. In the companion beach cleaning activity, they removed harmful plants as part of a plant diversity conservation program.

In addition, Hyosung Chemical conducts various activities to protect the ecosystem. In 2022, they worked with Cheongju Zoo, an ex-situ (off-site) conservation agency, to enrich animal behavior. To protect animals that have lost their habitat and ensure their wildness, they create special food using pumpkins and kudzu vines and feed it directly to protected species such as Asiatic black bears and Himalayan tahrs.

In addition to each business’s effort, Hyosung Advanced Materials and Hyosung Chemical have also collaborated on environmental protection. They conducted a plogging event at Han River Park near Mapo-Gu to protect the environment and reduce trash threatening marine life, like plastic islands.

In addition to technological research and development, Hyosung is engaged in various activities to create a sustainable Earth. They strive to protect nature and the environment so that future generations can enjoy the Earth we have today or a better one.

By forming the RE:GEN Alliance, Hyosung hopes to create synergy in environmental protection with companies that share the same environmental values. By promoting substantial ESG management, they intend to share and execute the core values of RE:GEN, such as the circular economies, carbon neutrality, hydrogen and renewable energy, and energy redesign. Under the name RE:GEN Alliance, they hope to make our planet safer and more sustainable by partnering with sincere and capable eco-friendly businesses.

Hyosung incorporates the ESG value of RE:GEN into its products and businesses and takes steps to further enhance ESG management. Hyosung has formed the RE:GEN Alliance in collaboration with partner companies to achieve this. Moreover, Hyosung has expanded its commitment to the well-being of the Earth and ecosystems by establishing RE:GEN Guardian, broadening the scope of its ESG initiatives.

Hyosung is committed to safeguarding the Earth and future generations and actively engages in various initiatives. These include establishing a resource-virtuous cycle through upcycling and recycling, commercializing eco-friendly technologies and energy, and addressing the climate crisis through carbon reduction efforts. Hyosung recognizes the interconnectedness of all life on our planet and values the preciousness of every living being. To protect all life on Earth, the focus begins with safeguarding creatures, life in all forms, and future generations. Through the endeavors of RE:GEN Guardian, Hyosung aims to protect a sustainable Earth by promoting activities that allow the environment to naturally rejuvenate itself without excessive intervention while maintaining its vitality.