South Korea says it’s the first country to manufacture 100% biodegradable laundry detergent

Korea is the first to manufacture laundry detergents using biodegradeable materials, a move that comes as the country is grappling with rising pollution and rising health concerns from its harsh winter and high-level pollution from the industrial smog.

“The South Korean government decided to manufacture the 100 percent biodegetable detergent and packaging in a new plant, which has been designed to produce a new generation of cleaning products for domestic use,” South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.

South Korea is currently the only nation to produce 100% bio-degradable laundry chemicals, which are made from a combination of biodegradation, oxidation and other processes.

South Korea, which produces only 20% of its total needs, has been using the same type of detergent to make laundry detergas and packaging since 2015, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

The country also plans to make biodegenerable water purification equipment and a laundry deterging machine.

South Korean authorities also announced plans to expand a biodeoxygenation plant to convert wastewater into biodegraded waste water, Yonhap said.