SK Chemicals partners with Estee Lauder for eco-friendly cosmetics containers

SK Chemicals said Tuesday it has partnered with global cosmetics giant The Estee Lauder Companies, in a bid to provide eco-friendly plastic solutions and accelerate its efforts to popularize cosmetics containers that incorporate recycled materials.

SK Chemicals said it signed a letter of intent with Estee Lauder to provide Ecotria CR and Skypet CR to the cosmetics firm. Both materials feature advanced recycling technology that allows the chemical decomposition of plastic into monomers.

SK Chemicals added it will be providing Estee Lauder with its recyclable plastic material Ecozen Claro. Meanwhile, Estee Lauder will develop packaging for cosmetic products, utilizing the materials supplied by SK Chemicals.

“SK Chemicals and Estee Lauder will gradually increase the amount of recycled materials in (our) products and replace other non-recyclable materials, with designs that incorporate recyclable or recycled materials, (to help realize) Estee Lauder’s packaging sustainability goals,” said an official from SK Chemicals.

The recent letter of intent follows SK Chemicals’ series of efforts to supply recycled, or recyclable materials to the cosmetics container market.

In March, SK Chemicals established a subsidiary called SK Shantou to build a global base for its burgeoning recycled plastic business and secure a stable production system.

"Through this agreement, we believe positive synergies can be created in both business and environmental (sectors) as SK Chemicals, leading the circular recycling plastic technology, partners with The Estee Lauder Companies, (who leads) the global cosmetics market,” said SK Chemicals CEO Ahn Jae-hyun.

"We will continue to work harder to create a sustainable cosmetics container ecosystem,” he added.