OUTER PLANET 46 PETplanet Insider Vol. 24 No. 12/23 www.petpla.net OUTER PLANET Sonopress and SK Chemicals agree on cooperation in the fi eld of 100% recycled PET for the EcoRecord long-playing record Is PET the new vinyl? Storage media manufacturer Sonopress has developed a new form of long-playing record that is claimed to reduce the environmental impact of the manufacturing process. Neither natural gas nor steam are needed to press the discs, and in test operations the energy savings were up to 85% compared to the conventional process. For the production of the novel “EcoRecord” LP, PET is used as the base material instead of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The use of 100% recycled PET is also possible. This allows a significant reduction in carbon emissions. EcoRecord LP has been developed jointly by Sonopress and SK Chemicals. Sonopress and SK Chemicals are cooperating in the production of music long-playing records made from 100% recycled materials. SK Chemicals announced that it has used 100% of its recycled PET (CR-PET) for Sonopress’ new EcoRecord long-playing records. The term CR refers to “Circular Recycling” or “Chemical Recycling” technology, which is claimed to enable infinite reuse by breaking down plastic waste to the molecular level and reprocessing it back into raw materials while maintaining high-value physical properties and safety. Sonopress’ EcoRecords was jointly developed by SK Chemicals and its long-term strategic international distribution partner Biesterfeld Plastic, after signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Sonopress. By using PET-CR in the music records, the companies say, greenhouse gas emissions can be significantly reduced compared to the previous petroleum-based vPET, which meets the needs of consumers who prefer environmentally friendly products. Accordingly, Sonopress plans to expand the use of SK Chemicals’ PET-CR to other product groups. In addition to Sonopress applications, SK Chemicals is using the CR material for Jeju Samdasoo’s RE:Born - the first bottled water in South Korea to apply chemical recycling - and has launched the “6°C Eco Toothbrush” with recycled materials in collaboration with KNK, a company specialising in toothbrushes. The company is also expanding the scope of recycled materials by launching textiles made of recycled materials developed in collaboration with environmentally friendly social enterprises such as “Art Impact” and “Project 1907”. Eung-soo Kim, Executive Vice President and Head of SK Chemicals’ Green Material Business, said, “In March, we acquired assets related to the recyclable recycled PET raw materials business in Shuye, China, and established SK Shantou to lay the foundation for a stable supply of recycled plastic raw materials.” Sven Deutschmann, CEO of Sonopress, explained, “The test series were so encouraging that we have given the green light for extensive investment in the construction of an initial pilot line in the twelveinch LP format. Life cycle analyses have shown that we can significantly reduce emissions of climate-damaging CO2 with our new process.” EcoRecord-LP is produced on a new injection moulding machine with a contact pressure of up to 300 t. Together with other necessary special moulds and additional equipment, also developed entirely by Sonopress, the production line was completed in just a few months. It uses the same injection moulding process that has been used for decades to produce LaserDiscs, CDs, DVDs and other digital storage media. The company’s experts have spent the past two years working intensively on novel production methods for records and on the use of alternative materials. The launch of EcoRecord comes at a time when the global vinyl market continues to grow. According to the IFPI, sales increased by 17.1% in 2022, the third consecutive year of double-digit growth. www.sonopress.de www.skchemicals.com From left to right: Daniel Fischer, Product Manager Biesterfeld Plastic, Sven Deutschmann, CEO Sonopress, Eungsoo Kim, Executive Vice President & Head of Green Materials Business SK Chemicals and Sean Lee, Managing Director SK Chemicals Germany
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