Hyosung, Pleats Mama set sail with Regen Ocean
South Korea-based fibre producer Hyosung TNC and Korean fashion brand Pleats Mama recently signed a memorandum of understanding, together with the local port authority for the southern cities of Yeosu and Gwangyang.
The agreement marks the start of Hyosung’s Regen Ocean initiative, which will effectively take its domestic rPET (recycled polyethylene terephthalate)-derived Regen yarn project, already established in the city of Seoul and on the island of Jeju, to the seas.
For Regen Ocean, the port authority will provide bags for the separation and disposal of transparent PET bottles and then collect these from returning ships. Hyosung’s role will be to transform the bottles into Regen Ocean yarn, which Pleats Mama will subsequently use in the creation of clothing and accessories.
The aim is to mitigate against ocean plastic pollution, local media said.
It is also hoped that, through its recycling efforts, Hyosung will be able to obtain Control Union’s Ocean Bound Plastic (OBC) certification. If successful, the company will reportedly be the first organisation to achieve OBC status for recycling on the Korean Peninsula.
Image: Pleats Mama via Instagram.
