HYOSUNG TNC

Eco-Friendly Trend in the Fashion Market

Fashion is one of the most expressive ways to identify oneself. Although there are considerations when buying clothes, such as design, color, practicality, and comfort, young people use fashion to reflect their thoughts, values, and personal preferences. Recently, environmentally friendly products have gained interest globally and become a trend in the fashion industry, especially among Generation Z.

Due to the emerging eco-friendly fashion trends in textiles, the consumer have begun to pay attention to eco-friendly fiber. Such fiber reduces carbon emissions to protect the global environment by limiting fossil fuel consumption throughout the cycle of production, distribution, and purchase. regen®, Hyosung’s eco-friendly fiber brand is 100% recycled fibers, and is recently leading this trend.

regen® Sources its Raw Materials from 100% Used PET Bottles

The ‘OECD's Global Plastics Outlook’ states that plastic waste will triple from 353 billion tons in 2019 to 1.14 billion in 2060. Are there any contingency plans to reduce the amount of plastic waste? The answer could be discovered in the plastic waste itself.

Hyosung TNC launched its textile business in the 1960s and has contemplated resolutions to reduce plastic waste by recycling them. The company found a clue from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles, a standard waste product. PET bottles are created from polyester, thus, they can be recycled into polyester yarn, one of the synthetic fibers produced by Hyosung TNC. In 2008, Hyosung TNC became the first and foremost recycled polyester fiber provider in Korea, successfully presenting their recycled polyester fiber after five years of R&D. It is called “regen®,” which abbreviates the word regeneration. regen® recycles products that have been used and discarded, to create an entirely new product.

Transformation of post-consumer waste PET bottles into regen® starts from collecting and thoroughly cleaning used bottles. Then, the cleaned bottles are crushed and melted into plastic chips, the size of a small rice grain. These chips are then melted and extruded at high temperature, transforming the waste plastic bottles into regen®, a 100% recycled polyester yarn. Since recycled yarns use waste bottles as the raw material, maintaining the same quality as existing virgin product is highly challenging. However, Hyosung TNC made a breakthrough with their superior technology. regen® demonstrates quality at par with existing standard polyester yarn, featuring an even, luxurious appearance; it also maintains vivid colors when dyed.

regen® minimizes not only microplastic waste but also reduces plastic waste in landfills, reducing additional carbon dioxide emissions which could have come from burning used bottles. One ton of regen® yarn requires about 866 500ml plastic bottles; hence, it is one of the most representative types of eco-friendly yarn technology.

regen® Ocean, regen® Seoul, and regen® Jeju: Named after the Origin of Used PET bottles

Hyosung TNC strives to reduce plastic waste in the ocean. Hyosung TNC reinforces its recycling technology for post-consumer PET bottles, launching regen® Polyester and regen® Ocean Polyester. As for the regen® Ocean Polyester, it is strictly sourced from discarded waste bottles collected from the seashore within 200 meters or 10 km from the coastline, where there is no waste collection facility nearby. In other words, it either utilizes the floating waste PET bottles collected in the ocean or submerged waste – ocean waste that cannot be reached from the facility on the shore. In collaboration with Yeosu Gwangyang Port Authority, regen® Ocean Polyester was developed from recycled PET bottles and yarns discharged from vessels near the port area. The regen® Ocean Polyester has been accredited the Ocean Bound Plastic (OBP) certification for the first time in Korea from the Control Union, a prestigious eco certification body in the Netherlands.

Hyosung TNC also introduced regional editions that specify the regions where the waste PET bottles were collected. Since 2020, the company has been producing regen® Seoul and regen® Jeju, utilizing recycled PET bottles collected from the city of Seoul and Jeju, respectively.

regen® Ocean Nylon Protects the Marine Environment by Recycling Discarded Fishing Nets

One of Hyosung TNC's recycled yarns, regen® Ocean Nylon, is “the world's first technology of its kind.” This eco-friendly yarn from waste fishing nets is a recycled fiber that requires more advanced technology compared to regen® Polyester.

Hyosung TNC is profoundly interested in the aquatic ecosystem, recognizing that 46% of discarded garbage into the sea is waste fishing gear, such as fishing nets and lines. Abandoned fishing nets do not decompose well in the sea and endanger sea creatures. To help save the sea creatures, Hyosung TNC developed regen® Ocean Nylon, the world's first post-consumer recycled nylon fiber made by recycling waste fishing nets collected from the ocean. Hyosung TNC plans to facilitate marine environment protection by increasing regen® Ocean Nylon sales and introducing recycled yarns in more diverse fields.

Contributing to Creating a Virtuous Cycle for Plastic – Regen Has It Covered

Hyosung TNC’s regen® products are examples of post-consumer recycled (PCR) products used by end-users and recycled into entirely new products. These products of Hyosung are currently leading the economic cycle of the textile industry.

As a sustainable fiber that contributes to reducing waste, the regen® products directly practice circular economy by recycling used resources. regen®, pursuing both environmental protection and high-quality performance, is used in various fields, from outdoor to fashion brands to the automobile industry, through collaboration with leading global brands.

regen® is the cornerstone of circular economy for plastics that contribute to creating a healthy environment. For consumers who value eco-friendliness and sustainability, please remember regen® when shopping.