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    Moorim took the opportunity to showcase its range of natural molded pulp products to the world at the ‘2022 PACK EXPO’ in Chicago, USA, from October 23 to 26. The ‘2022 PACK EXPO’ is the largest packaging and processing exhibition in North America and is an international event where worldwide packaging companies showcase their new products and technologies. As the only Korean molded pulp manufacturer to participate in the event, Moorim actively promoted the strengths and eco-friendliness of natural molded pulp to various global food container distributors and hypermarkets from North America, Latin America, and Europe and received a lot of attention from about 80 industry representatives who visited their booth to inquire their products. Moorim plans to carry out additional sales activities and expand overseas sales in the future.  

 On the 28th of this month, Moorim SP became the first company in the paper industry to be certified as a Best HRD (Best Human Resources Developer) in the private sector in 2022.Best HRD certification program recognizes organizations and companies that manage human resources fairly and provide continuous development opportunities for their employees. It is jointly certified by four government ministries: the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy, and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. The screening, which is divided into two groups – public and private sectors – was conducted in two phases, including a document review and an on-site evaluation, based on the screening criteria for human resource management (HRM) and human resource development (HRD). Moorim SP was selected as the first ‘Best HRD’ in the private sector paper industry in recognition of its systematic and efficient management and development of human resources based on fairness in all areas of recruitment, personnel, and training. Meanwhile, organizations that have obtained the certification will receive various benefits such as exemption from regular labor inspection for three years, extra points in public bidding, various support systems, and the use of certification marks (logos). Moorim stated that it would continue to strive to develop human resources and foster talented people who could contribute to society through various opportunities and educational support systems to develop and grow employees’ capabilities. 

 Pulp, paper, and new materials company Moorim (CEO Lee Dogyun) is leading the expansion of paper in various industries, such as beverages and courier services, by introducing various eco-friendly paper products such as ‘biodegradable paper cups,’ ‘paper straws,’ and ‘paper buffers.’ This time, the company has developed a new paper packaging material that can be applied to frozen food and is attracting the attention of the industry once again. With the recent plastic-free movement, eco-friendly is increasingly being used throughout society, such as paper cups and paper straws, but when it comes to packaging for frozen foods such as ice cream, plastic is still used as they need to be stored frozen. However, after a long period of research, Moorim has developed ‘Neoforet FLEX,’ which dramatically improves moisture and water resistance and provided an alternative to existing plastic packaging materials. It is the first paper packaging material for frozen food pouches in Korea. ‘Neoforet FLEX,’ the new product developed by Moorim, is an eco-friendly flexible packaging material with excellent water resistance. It was introduced in collaboration with Lotte Aluminum, a Lotte Group subsidiary specializing in packaging materials, for a new product by Lotte Confectionery, ‘Snow Ice X Angel-in-Us Sweet Café Latte.’   ​  It is not an exaggeration to say that ‘Neoforet FLEX,’ which broke the prejudice that paper is weak against water, is the culmination of Moorim’s eco-friendly technology and know-how. It has excellent wet strength and water resistance, allowing it to be stored for long periods of time in cold, damp conditions, and even if condensation occurs during thawing, it will not tear or be damaged easily and will retain its shape. In addition, it has been officially recognized for its eco-friendliness by passing the rigorous tests of ‘PTS,’ a European testing agency, and obtaining recyclability certification. By applying Neoforet FLEX to its ice cream packaging, Lotte Confectionery not only contributes to environmental protection by reducing the amount of plastic used by about 23% compared to conventional packaging but also improves the coldness delivered to the hand when holding the product due to its lower thermal conductivity than plastics. This breakthrough in quality and eco-friendliness, which goes beyond the limits of paper, has attracted the attention of various food and food ingredient companies which produce not only ice creams but also fish and meat products, as the paper has opened the way to use eco-friendly materials to the frozen food market, which was known as the ‘wasteland for eco-friendly packaging materials’ due to the special environmental requirements for ‘frozen packaging.’ In another example, Dongwon Industries has partnered with Moorim to replace the vinyl used in its main product, ‘Dongwon Tuna Sashimi,’ with eco-friendly paper packaging. The product is available for purchase in the market. Although the application of eco-friendly materials in the Korean flexible packaging market is still in its infancy, the need for the materials is expanding as the ESG management philosophy spreads across the industry. Moorim’s new product development is expected to become a new alternative for the application of eco-friendly packaging materials for frozen foods.Ryu Singyu, head of the sales division at Moorim, said that ‘Neoforet FLEX,’ which incorporated Moorim’s unique technologies for superior strength, water resistance, and recyclability, is a paper with wide scalability that could be applied not only to food packaging but also to paper tubes and product labels, and further added that through this new product, they would continue to introduce the various values of eco-friendly paper to corporate customers in various fields who were thirsty for eco-friendly products. 

     Moorim provided eco-friendly molded pulp to the ‘Dionysus Wine Fair’ held at ‘Mayfield Hotel Seoul,’ demonstrating its commitment to sustainable festivals. Mayfield Hotel, which celebrated the 10th anniversary of ‘Wine Fair’ this year, is transforming the fair from a simple festival into an eco-friendly festival that can realize sustainability in line with the ‘value consumption trend’ and will incorporate eco-friendliness and convenience into the site through collaboration with Moorim. In particular, the pairing menus cooked on the spot during the festival from October 1 to 2 will be served on Moomin’s ‘natural molded pulp plates’ to provide a special experience for the eco-conscious MZ generation to participate in the value of resource recycling. Moorim plans to continue to collaborate on various contents in the future, providing experiential programs for customers to use and experience Moorim’s eco-friendly products and leap forward as an eco-friendly and eco-life company.  

 A 40-minute drive from KTX Ulsan Station will take you to Asia’s largest refinery and chemical industrial complex – Onsan Industrial Complex in Ulju-gun, Ulsan. It is home to Moorim P&P, Korea’s only pulp mill and the paper mill with the country’s widest single production line (8.7 meters).“Molded pulp is an eco-friendly material that has been attracting attention as a plastic substitute as the importance of the environment has recently been emphasized across the industry,” said Moorim P&P, “it is made from pulp, the raw material of paper, and boasts both eco-friendliness and convenience, so everything can be made from paper, from food and delivery containers to packaging and buffer materials for various household products, such as cosmetics, medicine, and home appliances.”Confident in its growth potential, Moorim P&P has invested KRW 20 billion. Last year, the company completed a molded pulp factory with a total floor area of 5,492m2 on two floors which is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities capable of producing about 120 million products a year. This investment comes from the confidence that the company has Korea’s only unique pulp production technology and the know-how to develop new pulp materials accumulated over the years.“Moorim P&P’s molded pulp products are the only ones in Korea that use 100% natural virgin pulp and are of excellent quality,” said Lim, the CEO of Moorim P&P. “In general, other companies who do not produce their own pulp import dried pulp and dissolve it in the water again, while Moorim uses its own liquid slurry pulp to minimize the destruction of fibers, resulting in superior strength and durability,” he added. In particular, the company directly inputs the virgin pulp produced in the pulp factory into the molded pulp factory through sealed pipelines and has the advantage of producing hygienic, safe, and uncontaminated products. [Internal image of Molded Pulp production mill] Thanks to investment and systematic operational management, the company has recently been recognized internationally for its safety. Not only has the company passed tests by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) to prove its food safety, but it has also been recognized for its world-class food safety management by being the only company in the Korean molded pulp industry to obtain the food safety management system (FSSC 22000) certification.  FSSC 22000 is an international standard certified by the Global Food Safety Institute (GFSI) through audits of more than thirty categories related to hygiene and safety, including ‘management responsibility,’ ‘resource management,’ and ‘product safety,’ and is currently commonly used in more than 150 countries around the world. Famous global companies such as McDonald’s and Coca-Cola have obtained the certification. “We have also obtained the ‘OK compost HOME (biodegradability certificate)’ from TUV Austria, a European testing and certification organization, which is granted to products that naturally decompose in 26 weeks if disposed of in daily life after use,” Lim explained.The state-of-the-art facilities found only in Moorim P&P’s molded pulp factory are the company’s greatest points of pride. The process of molded pulp production includes the ‘composition’ to prepare optimized pulp raw materials, ‘molding’ to shape the raw materials into the desired shape in metal molds, ‘cutting,’ ‘inspection,’ and ‘packaging.’ The Korean industry was only able to produce products with a depth of about 60mm, however, with the introduction of the latest equipment that is capable of molding up to 110mm deep, Moorim P&P is able to produce large-capacity molded pulp products. The company is also proud of its automatic product inspection equipment, which is the only one of its kind in Korea. “With the in-house developed sensors and equipment, we are able to quickly and accurately inspect products by detecting small errors and defects on products that are difficult to see with the naked eye,” said Lim. [Composition Process] [Forming Process] [Cutting Process][Screening & Wrapping Process] Thanks to this rigorous quality control, as well as the introduction of the latest equipment and a systematic factory operation system, the company began full-scale production in September, and these efforts and the expectations of the company lead to results. The company has received inquiries from various customers, including food container distributors, large food manufacturers, and household product packaging companies, who began to express their interest in purchasing the products after witnessing the largest production scale and the latest facilities in Korea. “As the ESG management philosophy spreads across all industries, the interest and demand for molded pulp products that are both eco-friendly and safe are expected to increase,” Lim explained. Moorim P&P is currently developing a separate molded pulp brand that can easily and intuitively convey the features of molded pulp to the general public.   

  As ESG values take on increasing importance in business management, Moorim (CEO: Dogyun Lee), a leading Korean company for pulp, paper and new materials, has published its first ‘Sustainable Business Management Report’ on the occasion of the 66th anniversary of the company.   Moorim has recently marked its 66 years in the business, offering a wide range of environment-friendly products including biodegradable paper, natural pulp molds and nano-cellulose materials. To mark the historic date, the company, one of the oldest in the industry in Korea, has once again re-affirmed its commitment to moving beyond simply selling products to contribute to the creation of sustainable values by bringing together the many achievements it has made over the years.  This latest report that captures the commitment of Moorim to ESG values-driven business management, is particularly ‘ethical’ not only due to its content, but also for using Moorim’s environment-friendly paper and printing methods. In particular, Moorim’s paper which has been certified to be low carbon and environment-friendly has been used, and soybean oil, plant-based oil that is known to have a less environmental impact, was used for printing. Moorim is the only company in the Korean paper manufacturing industry to have been certified for its low carbon products by the Ministry of Environment. The certification is given to products with outstanding contributions in their product category for greenhouse gas reductions.    As corporate social responsibility in environmental preservation is being more emphasized than ever, Moorim’s report also focuses on its many related initiatives and achievements, such as the development of ‘ethical paper’, environment-friendly business management and climate change response system. In fact, Moorim is the only company in Korea that re-uses the so-called ‘black liquor’ generated during the pulp production process to operate its plants, instead of fossil fuels, saving a whopping 870,000 tons of carbon per year that would have otherwise been emitted if fossil fuels were used. This is equivalent to the amount of carbon that would require approximately 130 million pine trees to be absorbed.  CEO of Moorim, Dogyun Lee commented, “The publication of the Sustainable Business Management Report marks a new start for Moorim in better communicating with its stakeholders. As a leader of the industry, Moorim will remain committed to creating sustainable values while promoting the almost infinite possibility of applying paper and pulp to various environmental-friendly initiatives."  The 2021 Sustainable Business Management Report is expected to be distributed to internal and external stakeholders of the company, including employees, customers and investors. It is also viewable on the official website of Moorim​ 

[BIFAN uses Moorim’s environment-friendly products at the Festival] Moorim, a leading company in Korea for pulp, paper and new materials, is drawing attention by holding an environment-friendly film festival by joining hands with the 26th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, or BIFAN (led by Director Cheol Shin). BIFAN is one of Asia’s largest film festivals focusing on a specific genre. This year, it aims to minimize its environmental impact in the process of producing and using a range of materials needed for running the festival, in a bid to live up to social responsibility and help create a better, more sustainable future. As part of such efforts, BIFAN announced that they have fully adopted the products of Moorim, a company known for its environment-friendly products such as natural pulp mold containers and eco-plastic forks.   Moorim is the only company in the Korean paper manufacturing industry to have been certified for its low carbon products by the Ministry of Environment. The certification is given to products with outstanding contributions in their product category for greenhouse gas reductions. The BIFAN Executive Committee also used Moorim’s 'Neo Star Uncoated' and 'ARTIZEN' for its program booklet and festival guide which are essential print materials used at the festival, to set a good example as an international film event.     The disposable containers and utensils used at parties or receptions have all been replaced with Moorim’s environment-friendly and biodegradable Neoforet paper cups, natural pulp mold containers and eco-plastic forks. The pulp mold containers, in particular, are made of 100% fresh pulp from Korea, are biodegradable and have passed the tests of BfR in Europe and the U.S. FDA. They are thus recognized as leading environment-friendly products that are safe enough to come into contact with food. As for eco-plastic forks, they have significantly reduced the content of petroleum-based plastics during their production.  CEO of Moorim, Dogyun Lee noted, “This event holds particular significance in that it brings together a leading international film festival held in Korea and a leading environment-friendly company in Korea. Moorim aims to look beyond simply selling its products to take into consideration its environmental impact and promote the value of paper’s application in a wide range of areas, while supporting a sustainable eco-system for art and culture.” 

▲ President of Moorim P&P’s Research Institute Yeonggi Im (right) and Director of KCC’s Central Research Institute Beomseong Kim (left) hold up the MOU signed between the two companies at KCC’s Central Research Institute.  [Photo by KCC]  Moorim Paper, a company specializing in environment-friendly paper manufacturing (CEO Dogyun Lee) will embark on the development of environment-friendly pain with KCC, a global company for applied materials (CEO Mongjin Jung). An MOU for strategic cooperation between the two companies was signed on June 17, with a particular focus on the development of environment-friendly paint using nano-cellulose, a new material extracted from natural pulp. At the ceremony were key management of the two companies, including President of Moorim P&P’s Research Institute Yeonggi Im and Director of KCC’s Central Research Institute Beomseong Kim. Moorim P&P, Korea’s only company to produce pulp, has a proprietary technology of manufacturing nano-cellulose using natural, fresh pulp as opposed to dry pulp. This gives the company a competitive edge both in quality and cost. Nano-cellulose refers to nanometer-sized cellulose fiber extracted from natural pulp after wood is processed into chips and made into pulp. While nano-cellulose only weigh about one fifth of steel, its strength is more than five times greater. Its biodegradability also makes it one of the most promising next-generation materials.  The nano-cellulose that will be used for developing environment-friendly paint will be extracted from the natural pulp produced first-hand by Moorim P&P, and will be optimized for water-based paint thanks to the outstanding viscosity and aquaphilic properties. In addition, the more densely connected fibers minimize the risk of paint layers from cracking and make them more resistant to scratches or friction, increasing the overall durability of the paint. Such properties of the material can be used to produce a wide range of paint that can be commercialized for application in industries ranging from automobiles, general engineering to construction. Moorim P&P’s nano-cellulose can also be used as an ingredient in skincare or makeup products, food packaging or interior materials in automobiles.  President of Moorim P&P’s Research Institute Yeonggi Im commented, “The new materials that come from the natural pulp produced by Moorim, the only Korean company to produce pulp, set a new standard for environment-friendly products. These materials will help differentiate the products developed using them and add more value to our daily lives. We will continue to redouble our efforts in developing a wide range of environment-friendly materials.”