Brand Journalism
Brand Journalism
2023-05-26
Minimizing Harmful Impact on Humans and Nature
Siberian tigers, Asiatic black bears, otters.... These are some of the endangered species that are rarely found in nature. The best way to preserve the natural environment is to leave animals and plants to grow and live freely in the natural environment as is. All creatures except humans are at risk from environmental pollution and global warming, however. Is there a way to ensure coexistence with all living things on Earth?
Employees of Hyosung Chemical’s Oksan Factory who care about environmental protection came together to protect endangered species and preserve biodiversity. So they met up at a local zoo.
Cheongju Zoo looks after nationally-protected species that cannot survive in their natural habitats. The zoo, designated in 2014 as “the man-made habitat for nationally-protected species” by the Ministry of Environment, is home to a total of endangered 18 species including Asiatic black bears, Japanese cranes and leopard cats. Our employees got actively participated in animal behavior enrichment activities in order to assist the animals in feeding, acting and using their instincts and senses in a natural way.What is animal behavior enrichment?
Wild animals use most of their energy and time to search for food, hide from predators and defend their territories. On the other hand, zoo animals have far more free time and extra energy than they do in the wild because they are fed well-balanced meals at the zoo. As a result, some of them get stressed out and display so-called “stereotypical behaviors” including pacing back and forth in the same place, constantly shaking or scratching a certain part of their body.
In order to maintain their physical and psychological health, zookeepers provide animal behavior enrichment so that animals can mimic as many wild behaviors as possible in their second home, the zoo.
Help nationally protected animals keep their natural habits!
Hyosung Chemical employees gathered kudzu vines from around the zoo, and weaved them into a ball. They tossed the ball to Himalayan tahrs so that they would smell the vines, and roll and nibble on it as a way to relieve stress.
To treat Endangered Wildlife Class 1 Asiatic black bears with a keen sense of smell, they scraped out the inside of ripe pumpkins and stuffed them with nuts, fruit and vegetables that bears enjoy. Playing with the pumpkins keeps the bears physically active as they pull the treats out of the pumpkins.
Hyosung Chemical employees plan to visit the zoo regularly, and get actively involved in animal behavior enrichment to help these animals maintain their natural behaviors.“Green actions” at the factory beyond the zoo
Hyosung Chemical’s products reflect their commitment to preserving biodiversity and the environment. The key is polyketone, a type of plastic that consumes carbon monoxide, one of the major air pollutants.
Polyketone, the result of long years of research and development by Hyosung Chemical, uses carbon monoxide and olefin as its key ingredients, which are known to be the main factors of global warming. Generally, factories emit greenhouse gases in the process of manufacturing their products, but the production of polyketone reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
Let’s learn more about polyketone, a leading eco-friendly material from Hyosung Chemical. Hyosung Chemical became the world’s first producer of polyketone, a new type of engineering plastic in 2013 and the first to commercialize it successfully two years later.
Since it is made from carbon monoxide, which is a major air pollutant and olefin (ethylene, propylene), a type of petrochemical material, the more polyketone is produced, the more carbon monoxide and olefin are consumed, making it a smart material that contributes to improving the planet’s environment.
Polyketone, the new material developed by Hyosung Chemical alone has lower global warning potential than other engineering plastics. Life cycle assessment (LCA) and objective reviews have found that this special material has CO2-reducing effects.
Because of this property, polyketones are widely used in various fields. With the acquisition of FDA certifications for zero harm to the human body and safety, it is currently used as a key material for many household items including food conveyors, wrapping materials for cosmetics and beauty products and baby toys.
In 2020, Hyosung Chemical launched a smart factory system in 2020 that utilizes real time data on all production-related resources used in all factories, and analyzes the collected data to create an optimal production environment. An optimized operation in 2021 resulted KRW 11.7 billion in cost savings, including a higher yield and energy savings.
To raise awareness of the importance of responding to climate change, Hyosung Chemical provides its employees with group training every year for two hours on how to save energy. In order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, production, process, and technology teams of factories engaged in energy saving are taught how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in a tangible manner.
In addition, the company conducts an internal audit on greenhouse gas emissions once every year. The Environmental Safety Team distributes a self-evaluation sheet to each business division, and notifies areas of improvement and recommendations based on the results of the evaluation so that they are reflected and implemented at worksites.
Hyosung Chemical strives to ensure no harm to the environment akin to polyketone.
Hyosung Chemical’s efforts to upgrade the quality of life for mankind are not limited to making environmentally friendly products. Above all, it is actively involved in keeping the planet and environment clean by reducing the company’s carbon footprint throughout the entire manufacturing process.
The company continues helps nationally-protected species at the zoo return to their natural habitats and live as nature intended. Hyosung Chemical contributes to the coexistence of nature and people in a better future. With Hyosung Chemical, the dream of coexistence comes true slowly but surely.