CJ CheilJedang, a global food company headquartered in South Korea, has introduced a more sustainable packaging solution for its flagship Hetbahn brand of instant white-rice bowls. The new container incorporates 25% certified renewable polypropylene from SABIC’s Truecircle portfolio and is the first of its kind to use bio-based PP in a ready-to-eat rice package in Asia Pacific.
Launched in 1996, Hetbahn is one of the leading brands in the cooked rice category and has helped shift consumer perceptions around Korean rice meal culture. The name, which means “freshly harvested and cooked rice,” now extends beyond its original product to include porridge, frozen rice, rice with soup, and other convenient offerings. CJ CheilJedang’s rice grain is polished in a strict raw material process, cooked the same day, and packed in a sterile environment so that the taste of the rice can be preserved.
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The new rice bowls are manufactured through sheet extrusion and subsequent thermoforming using a multilayer sheet that includes SABIC’s food contact-grade PP, supplied by an ISCC Plus–certified converter. The material contains 25% renewable content and offers the same dimensional stability and heat resistance as conventional PP, which is essential for a product designed to be microwaved in its container.”
Because the bio-based PP is chemically identical to fossil-based PP, it runs on existing equipment with no changes to manufacturing processes, making it an easy drop-in solution. Once used, the bowls can be recycled through rigid PP recycling streams.
The renewable material is derived from second-generation feedstocks such as tall oil, a byproduct of the wood pulping process that does not compete with food resources. Its use is certified through a mass balance approach, which ensures traceability throughout the supply chain. According to a life-cycle analysis from SABIC, each kilogram of its bio-based PP can help capture up to 4 kg of CO₂ compared to fossil-based alternatives and reduces fossil resource depletion by as much as 80%.
Says Grace Kim, VP of global business at CJ CheilJedang, the change aligns with the company’s broader Nature to Nature sustainability roadmap. “We’re committed to finding solutions that reduce our environmental footprint and create meaningful impact, without compromising on product safety or quality,” she says. “By working with SABIC and using their renewable materials in our Hetbahn packaging, we’re taking a real step toward that goal.”
The new bowl has been on the market since 2024 and has already received positive feedback from consumers. While the company currently uses 25% renewable content, CJ CheilJedang says it is exploring ways to scale its use of bio-based materials across additional product lines in the future. PW
