LG Electronics Joins Hands with Ministry of Environment and Civic Groups for 'De-plastic' Initiative

LG Electronics introduced the next-generation OLED TV, LG OLED Evo, this year. LG Electronics stated that the amount of plastic used to manufacture this product is only about 30% of that used in an LCD TV of the same inch size. (Photo by LG Electronics)

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Ahead of 'World Environment Day' on the 5th, LG Electronics announced on the 1st that it will actively engage in plastic reduction efforts in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and civic groups.

On the same day, LG Electronics held a plastic reduction practice agreement ceremony at LG Science Park in Gangseo-gu, Seoul. The ceremony was attended by Hong Jeong-gi, Vice Minister of Environment, Kim Mihwa, Chairperson of the Resource Circulation Social Solidarity, and Park Hyung-se, Head of LG Electronics HE Business Division. LG Electronics explained that this is the first time a home appliance company has joined forces with the Ministry of Environment and civic groups to promote plastic reduction activities.

The Ministry of Environment has designated this year as the inaugural year for carbon neutrality transition and is implementing various plastic reduction policies, with LG Electronics committing to actively participate in plastic reduction efforts. The Resource Circulation Social Solidarity also pledged to improve awareness of products using recycled materials and encourage responsible consumption.

At the event, LG Electronics prepared a separate exhibition space and introduced representative products that reduce plastic usage by disassembling them for attendees. In line with the event concept, eco-friendly materials made from recycled paper and corrugated cardboard were used for banners, signboards, and exhibition materials. Park Hyung-se, Head of LG Electronics HE Business Division, stated, "We will continue to introduce various products and solutions that consider the environmental impact of products and customers' healthy lives."

LG OLED TV Reduces Annual Plastic Usage by 10,000 Tons Compared to LCD TVs

LG Electronics is leading the way in reducing plastic usage at the source by increasing production of products that use less plastic and continuously expanding the proportion of recycled materials used in products. LG Electronics significantly expanded its OLED TV lineup, which uses less plastic, from 14 models last year to 18 models this year. Compared to selling only LCD TVs, LG Electronics estimates that the total amount of plastic saved this year will reach 10,000 tons.

Additionally, LG Electronics uses recycled plastics in some models of LG QNED MiniLED and regular LCD TVs. They expect to recycle approximately 750 tons of waste plastic annually this year alone. They plan to gradually increase the use of recycled plastics in LCD TVs in the future.

Furthermore, LG Electronics has used recycled plastics in all 2021 model sound bars, expecting an annual recycling effect of about 300 tons of waste plastic. Particularly, products with fabric material applied to the main body exterior use polyester jersey made from recycled PET bottles, which is expected to recycle about 1.5 million PET bottles (based on 500ml) annually.

Through these efforts, LG OLED TVs and LG sound bars have also obtained eco-friendly certification from the global certification body SGS. LG Electronics is the first to receive SGS eco-friendly certification for OLED TVs and audio products.

"Reducing Packaging and Actively Expanding Use of Eco-Friendly Packaging Materials"

LG Electronics uses pulp molds made from recycled paper and corrugated cardboard instead of vinyl or Styrofoam for sound bar packaging materials. The packaging box for sound bars was also changed from a long rectangular shape to an 'L' shape to reduce packaging material usage. This allows stacking up to 58% more products in the same space, reducing carbon emissions during distribution.

Since July last year, LG Electronics has been conducting a pilot project with the Ministry of Environment to evaluate the reusability of packaging materials to reduce waste generation. Through this pilot project, LG Electronics uses reusable foam plastic with high cushioning performance and durability instead of disposable packaging materials such as packaging boxes or foam Styrofoam for the outdoor units of LG Whisen system air conditioners.

Previously, some packaging materials had to be discarded after a single use, but now some can be reused, reducing about 65 tons of paper and 22 tons of foam Styrofoam annually. LG Electronics plans to expand the reuse of packaging materials to all outdoor units of system air conditioners in the future.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.