Hanwha Solutions said Friday that its wholly-owned subsidiary Hanwha Compound has signed an agreement with SPC Pack to co-develop a biodegradable plastic material and use it for packaging SPC’s products.

SPC Group is a South Korean food and confectionery conglomerate owning some 40 brands including Paris Baguette, Shake Shack Korea, Baskin Robbins Korea, Dunkin’ Donuts Korea, among others.

The new packaging material will be based on poly lactic acid, which is made from fermented plant starch such as corn, cassava and sugarcane. Though easy to process and biodegradable, PLA lacks durability compared to general plastic. Hanwha Compound applied its mixing technology to enhance the durability of PLA, while maintaining its biodegrable characteristics.

“Through the partnership with SPC Group, we will develop eco-friendly plastic raw materials not only for food and beverage products, but also for pharmaceutical and cosmetic containers and packaging,” Hanwha Compound CEO Oh Sae-won said.

By Kim Byung-wook (kbw@heraldcorp.com)