Right Route (http://www.texnic.kr/), a social venture that is supported by SK Innovation, is attending the textile fair “Preview in Seoul 2021” held from September 1^st to 3^rd at COEX, Seoul, South Korea.

Preview in Seoul (PIS), or Seoul International Textile Fair, is an annual event organized by the Korea Federation of Textile Industries (KOFOTI). PIS 2021 marks the 22^nd year of the fair, and it was introduced to be “composed by distinctive yarns, eco-friendly & functional textiles, findings & trims, accessories, DTP, machineries and so on based on the global trend.” Due to the current pandemic, this year the event is held both online and offline activities, which includes the Trend Forum with the latest textiles, one-on-one networking opportunities with global buyers, seminars, job fair, etc.

▲ Right Route’s booth at Preview in Seoul 2021, a textile fair held at COEX, Seoul, Korea from September 1^st to 3^rd

Right Route participated as one of about 330 companies that introduce their textile products at PIS 2021. At Right Route’s booth, the company introduces Texnic®, a “breathable new material” that are made by recycling battery separators. Visitors can take a look at various eco-friendly products including clothes, bags, and shoes using Texnic® material, which was developed with Right Route’s own technologies. Since the first day of PIS 2021, Right Route’s booth has attracted a lot of visitors, showing that the demand for eco-friendly new material is rising.

▲ Various products made from eco-friendly materials can be found at Right Route’s booth at Preview in Seoul 2021, a textile fair held at COEX, Seoul, Korea from September 1^st to 3^rd

The popularity of Right Route’s products can be easily explained. The bigger global electric vehicle market grows, the more threatening waste batteries problem becomes. As an essential component of a battery cell, the separators (films) are also pressing for solutions after being discarded. Therefore, recycling the waste battery separator and make them reborn as new textile materials are indeed an effective way of Right Route to protect the environment. Furthermore, by using self-developed eco-friendly glue to adhere the waste battery separators and outer fabrics, Right Route does not have to undergo any chemical process during recycling, thus avoiding further environmental pollution.

Right Route’s Texnic® is not only an eco-friendly material but also high-functional one. The material has all the strong points of battery separator film, which is breathable (with good moisture permeability), waterproof, windproof because it is made of a myriad of invisible pores that are smaller than droplets but larger than water vapor molecules. Using Texnic® can create various textile materials such as wool, fleece, polyester, leather, etc. with better functions and more eco-friendly values.

▲ Right Route’s self-developed Texnic® is a recycled high-functional material

Ever since being selected as one of the three winners of the Environmental Social Business Discovery Contest hosted by SK Innovation in 2020, Right Route has been keeping in close contact with SK Innovation as an ESG partner. In particular, future collaborations between Right Route and SK IE Technology, a SK Innovation’s subsidiary that is among world’s top battery separator makers, are expected to enhance the ESG management of both sides, creating opportunities for further development of battery separator recycling technologies.