Daesang said on Feb. 5 it signed a contract with materials science solutions company Dongsung Chemical to jointly research and develop starch-based compostable materials and products.

Under the contract, Daesang plans to develop environmentally friendly biodegradable packaging using thermoplastic starch based on corn starch. It aims by 2027 to develop logistics air cushions and film for food packaging using its own thermoplastic starch (TPS).

Starch-based compostable material is an environmentally friendly material that uses thermoplastic starch, made by specially processing starch, as its main raw material. When landfilled, it is 100 percent naturally decomposed by microorganisms and returns to the soil as compost. Unlike ordinary starch, it does not burn at high temperatures and can be melted like plastic and reshaped freely, allowing it to be processed into vinyl or packaging materials.

Daesang will develop and produce TPS materials that meet the processing and physical property requirements needed to produce biodegradable packaging, and provide them to Dongsung Chemical.

According to the company, the TPS developed by Daesang obtained certifications in a total of 4 areas in 2025 from Germany's certification body DIN CERTCO. It was evaluated as having its decomposition performance recognised, including industrial composting, home composting and soil biodegradability.

Daesang plans to first apply the biodegradable packaging produced through the collaboration to packaging for seasonings and processed foods. It will also introduce it in stages to large packaging materials used at logistics centres. It will also review the possibility of applying it in overseas markets in line with tighter global regulations on environmentally friendly packaging, including the European Union's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), which takes effect in August.

Kim Jae-gap (김재갑), head of Daesang's starch and sweetener business division, said, "This partnership will be an important step forward in practising ESG management through the development of environmentally friendly materials based on corn starch and opening new possibilities for the starch industry." He added, "We will strengthen cooperation between the two companies so that we can lead the sustainable packaging market by combining Daesang's materials production know-how accumulated over the past 70 years and Dongsung Chemical's processing technology."