As 'hygiene' is being emphasized more than ever due to COVID-19, 'SKC Eco Deco Film'—which combines antibacterial properties, eco-friendliness, and chemical resistance—is making a full-scale entry into the building interior and exterior materials market, replacing conventional exterior paints, interior sheets, and films.
SKC Eco Deco Film was born out of SKC Eco Solutions' more than a decade of fluorine film manufacturing know-how. Fluorine offers excellent durability, chemical resistance, and antibacterial properties, and is highly resistant to contamination, making it widely used to protect solar panels. Leveraging the advantages of fluorine, SKC Eco Solutions developed an architectural film and launched an exterior product in October 2019. This past April, it unveiled an interior film, completing its lineup of architectural interior and exterior films.
'SKC eco-deco film' is a functional film product whose upper eco-layer consists of a 100% fluorine (PVDF) layer, directly reflecting the chemical resistance, weather resistance, anti-fouling properties, durability, and chemical-agent resistance of fluororesin. Compared to other materials such as PVC and paint, it emits almost no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and contains no heavy metals or carcinogens, earning it the Ministry of Environment's Eco-Label. It has also received fire-related flame-retardant certification from the Korea Fire Institute. In particular, it demonstrated outstanding antibacterial performance by receiving a 99% antibacterial rating and a Grade 1 anti-mold rating from the international certification body SGS. At a time when demand for eco-friendly and hygienic products is higher than ever, SKC Eco Deco Film implements the functionality of fluorine in building interior and exterior materials, and is expected to receive a strong response from the relevant industry.
Replacing conventional paints and interior films, SKC Eco Deco Film avoids the human health hazards and environmental waste issues that arise during the paint manufacturing process, and creates eco-friendly social value by resolving fine-dust concerns caused by peeling paint on aging buildings. In addition, its excellent chemical resistance means it is unaffected by most solvents and chemicals such as bleach and thinner, and its low surface tension keeps dust and contaminants from adhering easily. SKC Eco Solutions guarantees a 20-year durability for SKC Eco Deco Film, which can be used for more than 20 years even in outdoor environments.
The wide range of designs offered by SKC Eco Deco Film also enhances its product competitiveness. Rather than using a coating method, the lower deco-layer employs 9-plus-color printing technology and surface embossing technology to naturally reproduce the surface of nearly any material. SKC Eco Deco Film was the world's first to commercialize a fluorine film with a metal design, and it broadens customer choice with a total of about 60 diverse surface designs including wood, marble, corroded copper, stainless steel, and anodizing effects.
For exterior applications, SKC Eco Deco Film is supplied to steelmakers in place of coating paint through the specifications of builders, contractors, and design firms, and is manufactured into exterior-material base sheets. Buildings using SKC Eco Deco Film are already appearing in China, and in Korea it is scheduled to be applied and showcased sequentially starting in the second half of the year at semiconductor materials factories, research institute remodeling projects, the SK Engineering & Construction knowledge industrial center, and more. In addition, Dongkuk Steel, a customer of SKC Eco Solutions, applied SKC Eco Deco Film to unveil the world's first metal-design color-coated steel sheet for building exteriors. Dongkuk Steel's strategy is to use SKC Eco Deco Film to differentiate itself and lead the relevant market at a time when price competition is expected due to the influx of Chinese-made color-coated steel sheets.
For interior applications, SKC Eco Deco Film is being supplied as an antibacterial, eco-friendly functional material for special-purpose buildings designated by the Ministry of Environment, such as infant and childcare facilities, obstetrics and gynecology clinics, and nursing homes. Going forward, it plans to expand its supply areas to public facilities, schools, special sales for construction companies, and high-end residences. Seco Korea Co., Ltd., SKC Eco Solutions' sole nationwide distributor, is currently deploying SKC Eco Deco Film in building interior materials at the Bukhansan Paras파라 Resort and in interior materials (doors, flooring, etc.) for the 6,000-household Gaepo-dong Hillstate, and is expanding its business based on its proven eco-friendliness.
Meanwhile, SKC Eco Solutions is an SKC subsidiary created on December 1, 2018, by spinning off SKC's solar power business in order to grow into a specialized eco-friendly materials company. SKC began its solar power business in 2010 and sequentially commercialized fluorine (PVDF) films, back sheets, and other components used in solar modules. It now supplies products not only domestically but worldwide, including China, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, Europe, and Turkey. Based on its core film-business capabilities in product design, film manufacturing, and processing technology, SKC Eco Solutions has grown into the world's only company able to provide total solutions for films used in solar modules. Recently, SKC Eco Solutions has been expanding beyond its existing solar film and sheet business into the manufacturing of eco-friendly materials and the provision of solutions that can replace paint or reduce VOC emissions. 02-3787-1234
