As the pandemic hit, the group moved into producing non-wovens and materials for personal protective equipment, including turning waste PET bottles into face shields and PET into blood collection tubes. 

Douglas Hsu, chairman of Far Eastern New Century Corporation, said: “To amplify the benefits of circular economy, we have been developing chemical recycling for polyester materials. In 2020, we had a breakthrough, which provides the solution we have been searching for to address environmental impact caused by waste apparel and textile products.” 

The breakthrough is its chemical recycling process of PET named TopGreen ChemCycle, which will be used by Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan, and was announced last August.

FENC has collaborated with adidas and Parley for the Oceans on the Ocean Plastic since 2016, keeping waste plastics from the ocean. In 2020, the scope of the project was expanded, capturing over 6,000 tonnes of ocean plastic, which were converted into new products.

FENC earned NT$32.77 billion (£852 million) in 2020 revenue, and donated NT$240 million to social projects.

 

Image: Pellets of recycled ocean plastic, used by Parley for the Oceans