Amorepacific makes upcycled bench made from empty cosmetic bottles in celebration of World Environment Day

SEOUL, South Korea, June 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of World Environment Day (June 5), Amorepacific announced its plan to install an upcycled bench made from recycled cosmetic bottles in public facilities for citizens. The bench is a co-creation with environmental startup TerraCycle and environmental design startup Radio-B.

To make the bench, Amorepacific developed a terrazzo for the first time in the industry by mixing plastic cosmetic bottle powder with ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC). The bench's design highlights the importance of recycling with 1,400 empty bottles used in its production.

The project also includes some unique ideas to promote distancing in daily life as part of preventing the spread of COVID-19. A pot of plants is placed in the middle of the bench as well as the 1m mark to help people maintain social distancing when sitting.

Amorepacific Communication Executive Director Howard Lee explained, "This upcycled bench project shows how we can extend the lifecycles of products. It is meaningful that we actively spread a positive message of overcoming social issues together. Amorepacific is proud to work as a global corporate citizen discovering sustainable and innovative ways to contribute to society."

The recycled cosmetics bottle terrazzo will be further used in Amorepacific stores and in 'GREENCYCLE' campaign, a corporate social responsibility activity, dedicated to recycling and upcycling.

The company plans to reduce its use of plastic up to 700 tons by 2022. To help with this, it is switching to colorless PET to help increase its use of recyclable packaging. In June 2019, Amorepacific signed an agreement of cooperation with TerraCycle to recycle used bottles. Their goal included collecting 100 tons of used plastic cosmetic bottles each year and aiming for a 100% recycle rate. The company plans to continue its environmental commitment by increasing its use of PCR (post-consumer recycled) plastic and through ongoing research on eco-friendly packaging.

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