Kolon Industries Wins IR52 Jang Young-shil Award for Eco-friendly High-performance Spunbond

100% Recycled Raw Materials Utilized
Up to 43% Reduction in Carbon Emissions
Localization of High-Performance Nonwoven Technology

Kolon Industries announced on August 26 that it has received the IR52 Jang Young-shil Award for its eco-friendly high-performance spunbond (long fiber nonwoven fabric).

Kolon Industries won the IR52 Jang Young-shil Award for its eco-friendly high-performance spunbond at the IR52 Jang Young-shil Award Ceremony held on the 25th at Peace & Park Convention in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. The photo shows Kolon Industries employees celebrating the award. From the left: Minho Lee, Head of Research Team at Kolon Industries; Jinhwan Choi, Unit Leader; Yangho Choi, Production Team Leader; and Hyunjun Choi, Executive Director in charge of Business. Kolon Industries

The IR52 Jang Young-shil Award is an industrial technology award hosted by the Ministry of Science and ICT, which has recognized outstanding research organizations for new technology products and technological innovation since 1991. The award ceremony was held on the 25th at Peace and Park Convention in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, attended by Hyunjun Choi, Executive Director in Charge of Business at Kolon Industries, Minho Lee, Head of Research Team, and Yangho Choi, Production Team Leader, among others.

Spunbond is a type of nonwoven fabric made from polyester long fibers, and is used in filters, automotive carpets and seat reinforcements, and construction drainage materials.

The high-performance spunbond developed by Kolon Industries using its own technology features uniform strength in both the crosswise and lengthwise directions, as well as consistent spacing between fibers. It is highly resistant to deformation such as shrinkage, expansion, or warping—even under sudden changes in temperature and humidity—while maintaining high processability, allowing it to be molded into curved or complex shapes.

This technology had previously been held by a select group of global chemical companies, but Kolon Industries localized the core technology through its own research and development efforts.

The company also strengthened its eco-friendly credentials. Kolon Industries succeeded in developing high-performance spunbond using 100% recycled raw materials. While recycled materials typically have significant quality variations and are difficult to manage for impurities—making them challenging for high-performance spunbond products that require uniform quality—the company managed to secure the necessary physical properties even with recycled content. Kolon Industries expects that carbon emissions generated during the production process can be reduced by up to about 43% compared to the conventional process.

Through the development and commercialization of its eco-friendly high-performance spunbond, Kolon Industries has strengthened the foundation for technological independence in the high-performance nonwoven sector, which had been highly dependent on overseas technology. Riding on this award, the company plans to accelerate its efforts to penetrate the global market with products that combine eco-friendliness and high performance.

The company is also expanding its portfolio of eco-friendly materials. Recently, Kolon Industries announced plans to commercialize 'KOCETAL® ECO-E,' an eco-friendly polyacetal (POM) product. ECO-E is manufactured using E-methanol, which is derived from renewable energy sources instead of conventional fossil fuel-based methanol. The product maintains the physical properties and processability of standard POM, while reducing carbon emissions. According to the company, it is the world’s first application of low-carbon engineering plastic for medical use.

Seong Heo, CEO of Kolon Industries, said, "Winning the IR52 Jang Young-shil Award is a recognition of Kolon Industries' accumulated expertise in high-performance material technologies and its capabilities in eco-friendly innovation." He added, "We will continue to enhance industrial competitiveness and secure future growth engines by developing differentiated materials."

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