Editor’s Note
**Editor’s Note:** South Korea’s paper giants are pivoting from traditional printing paper to high-value, eco-friendly sectors like cosmetics and food packaging, leveraging pulp and cellulose expertise to secure future growth.
South Korean paper companies are accelerating their shift away from a business structure centered on printing paper and specialty paper. They aim to apply pulp and cellulose technologies developed in paper manufacturing to cosmetic raw materials and food packaging, cultivating high-value-added, eco-friendly materials as new revenue sources.
According to industry sources, major companies such as Hansol Paper and Moorim Paper are broadening their business scope from cosmetic formulation ingredients to aircraft in-flight meal containers.
Hansol Paper is applying its R&D capabilities in wood and cellulose to cosmetic raw materials. A representative material is “Duracle,” which utilizes cellulose microfibers that are about one-fifth the weight of iron but approximately five times stronger, allowing fine-tuning of cosmetic viscosity and texture.
Compared to conventional chemical thickeners, it offers advantages in biodegradability and safety. Hansol Paper has obtained the vegan cosmetic certification “EVE VEGAN” and is advancing supply contracts with domestic and international cosmetic brands.
The Moorim Group is expanding its pulp mold business based on a 100% natural pulp production line. Its own brand “Muhe” products are used for fried chicken boxes, bread trays, and wine packaging.
The “Pulp Mold Skin Pack Tray,” which uses heat to seal film directly onto food, enables vacuum packaging without plastic trays, reducing plastic usage by over 90%. It is used for meat and seafood packaging at Hyundai Department Store and Lotte Mart.
The company is also preparing to develop high-performance packaging materials for home meal replacements, based on certifications such as “OK compost HOME,” which indicates compostability at home.
Major paper companies in Europe and North America are also shifting their business focus from printing and copy paper to eco-friendly packaging and bio-materials. However, some observers note that it is difficult for new material businesses to fully compensate for existing business revenues in the short term.