BlackYak, South Korean government sign K-rPET deals
Seoul-based outdoor brand BlackYak recently signed an agreement with its home city’s Mapo district, involving the collection and recycling of the area’s waste PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles.
The agreement, which also involves Mapo being given the first opportunity to purchase the resulting wares, marks the latest move by the brand to expand its feeder base for transparent K-rPET bottles, part of its ongoing efforts to create eco-responsible garments from domestic rPET-derived yarn.
In related news, the country’s ministries of environment and national defence, the national police agency and the Korea Federation of Textile Industries (KOFOTI) held a pledge ceremony in mid-March, during which the four bodies agreed to purchase K-rPET-derived apparel for their uniforms at the expense of other materials as often as possible.
It is hoped that this will in turn influence and inspire increased demand for K-rPET garments among citizens.
According to local media reports, the South Korean government intends to roll out the obligation to purchase rPET products across local governments, public institutions and other central ministries. It also plans to introduce a recycling certification system for these items in order to better motivate government procurement agents to purchase recycled materials.
Image: Unsplash. Credit: Jonathan Cooper
