HYOSUNG

Watching your child play, you may wonder if children’s toys are truly safe for your child to play with. One day, your child may be stacking toy blocks one by one, when suddenly you see the small, chubby hands putting the toy up to his or her mouth. At that moment, your mind flashes back to the news you saw on television the other day about the potential harm of plastic toys.

However, you have nothing to worry about if the toy is made from an eco-friendly polymer material called polyketone, which was first commercialized by Hyosung Chemical and marketed under the brand name POKETONE™.

Because we want our children to hold only good things in their hands

Toys are essential tools for a child's cognitive and social development, as well as for developing fine motor skills and fostering a creative mind. Toys made from plastic are usually lightweight and will not cause injuries even if your child drops or throws them. They are easy to wash and dry if they get dirty, so they are relatively easy-care. When your child plays with plastic toys in the swimming pool, you have nothing to worry about because plastic toys do not get deformed or decay in water.

However, despite their many advantages, plastics have had their share of controversies. To make soft plastic toys that are also durable, plasticizers that soften hard plastic must be used as additives. In general many parents do not necessarily check whether the toys you buy for your child are made with environment-friendly plasticizers or that the toys themselves are made with materials that are harmless to the human body. However, your child may become exposed to such hormones and carcinogens. In particular, phthalates, which are additives used in the production of a popular plastic-based material called PVC (polyvinyl chloride), contain high levels of environmental hormones and carcinogens. This dangerous substance can even cause autism and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) in children.

Plastics can also pose a never-ending issue. A few years ago, a huge controversy arose when baby bottle sterilizers were found to contain microplastics. Hyosung Chemical, having recognized the importance of addressing such concerns and preventing risks, succeeded in developing the innovative plastic by the brand name POKETONE™, which has exceptionally strong chemical resistance.

Hyosung Chemical’s POKETONE™ contains no hazardous substances like phthalates, formaldehyde, halogens, heavy metals, or organic residues. POKETONE™ is a safe material that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved as being harmless to the human body. It is an outstanding engineering plastic with better properties with similar materials. It has an impact strength that is 2.3 times better and chemical resistance that is 30% more effective than nylon, a material already widely known for its robustness. Its properties hardly change in the presence of moisture, and its ability to resist wear is more than fourteen times better than POM (polyacetal), a material whose wear resistance is at the top of the charts. POKETONE™ can also block out gas very effectively, which is why it is being used extensively in diverse industrial applications.

Polyketone is extremely difficult to produce, and despite the continuous research that has been carried out on this material, it was never commercialized. In 2004, however, Hyosung Chemical launched a project to research POKETONE™ with the aim of developing an innovative plastic that would be safer and more sustainable for future generations. Finally, after ten years of R&D, the company succeeded in developing POKETONE™ in 2013. In 2015, it completed all the preparations for its commercialization, which included designing a manufacturing plant and forming a business unit. To this day, Hyosung Chemical is the only company in the world to possess POKETONE™ commercialization technology.

POKETONE™, a material that is present in every aspect of our daily lives!

POKETONE™, with its excellent safety and attributes, can be found in every aspect of our daily lives, not just in toys. One industry where POKETONE™ is widely used in the food industry, where the importance of safety cannot be understated. POKETONE™, which is harmless to the human body and resistant to moisture, is also used as the material of the components that go into water purifiers. Due to its excellent chemical- and wear-resisting characteristics, it is also used as a material for food conveyor components. POKETONE™ is even used in the production of the food trays that we see every day in cafeterias and schools. When we are eating, invisible particles inevitably fall off our spoons and chopsticks. However, no harmful substances are detected in POKETONE™ because it is so resistant to wear, which also means that it is resistant to friction. Furthermore, when it is used as a material for gear components, POKETONE™ reduces noise, leading to a more pleasant working environment in manufacturing facilities.

Another application of POKETONE™ is the cosmetics container, a product that comes into direct contact with our skin. Due to the chemical- and oil-resisting characteristics of POKETONE™, the cosmetic product held by a container made with POKETONE™ does not get altered, and the cosmetic is preserved in its original state. Unlike other substances that leave organic residues that are harmful to the human body, POKETONE™ has been certified as a safe product by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is commonly used in the manufacture of everyday items such as shower parts, all manner of sports goods ranging from tennis rackets to golf tees. The scope of its application is expanding continuously.

There are many advantages to using POKETONE™ in pumps that move liquids like water and cosmetics in liquid form. Metals rust and this rust can contaminate the contents in a pump. But when POKETONE™ is used instead, concerns about contamination are completely alleviated, and moreover, the recyclability of the pump can be improved. Because POKETONE™ is resistant to impacts and fire, it is also used as the material for water meters and electric power meters. In 2016, Hyosung Chemical launched POKETONE™ in overseas markets, and since then, it has become a strong seller in many countries in Asia, including China, as well as in the European and North American markets.

‘Environment-friendly Plastic’ - the more we make, the more we think about how to increase its benefits.

POKETONE™ is a material that is not only harmless to the human body but possesses excellent properties, too. Would you believe this material is even environment-friendly?

POKETONE™ is produced with carbon monoxide, the chief culprit of air pollution. Carbon monoxide is released in massive amounts as a byproduct in steel-making factories or when fossil fuels, biomass, and waste materials are converted into gas. When carbon monoxide is burned, it is transformed into carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas that we know so well.

POKETONE™ was born through the transformation of carbon monoxide into a new resource instead of allowing it to be released as a harmful gas that threatens the Earth. POKETONE™ is an environmentally friendly engineering plastic whose production process by itself contributes to reducing environmental pollution. In fact, the results of life cycle assessments (LCA) conducted by certification authorities have shown that the production process for POKETONE™ has a far less harmful impact on the environment than that of other similar materials. Life cycle assessment quantifies the input and output materials of the entire production process and analyzes the overall impact on the environment, and is performed according to international guidelines.

The invention of plastic and the following advances have made it possible for people today to purchase numerous household items at very affordable prices and store food for long periods. However, despite its history of bringing revolutionary changes and remarkable progress, plastics are now blamed for all sorts of dangerous effects and environmental pollution. All living organisms and humans are entirely exposed to the “revenge” of microplastics and environmental hormones, the remnants of the ‘plastic revolution.’

Under these circumstances, the invention of POKETONE™ was a challenge that Hyosung Chemical had to take up in order to protect mankind, the environment, and the health of all living organisms. The plastic revolution of the twentieth century brought endless conveniences to mankind. At the dawn of the twenty-first century, Hyosung Chemical is resuming this revolution with POKETONE™. Hyosung Chemical continues to carry out innovation research today, just as it did in the past and will do in the future, so that everyone in the world can use plastic with perfect peace of mind!