SKIET Joins RE100 "Early Achievement of Eco-Friendly Power Transition Goals"

Demand to Achieve 60% Green Power Transition Advanced by 5 Years, Target Set for 2025
Aggressive Expansion of Production Facilities While Committing to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 70% by 2030

SK IE Technology China LiBS Factory located in Changzhou, China

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyewon] SK Innovation's materials business subsidiary SK IE Technology (SKIET) announced on the 10th that it has completed its registration for 'RE100 (Renewable Electricity 100)'.

RE100 is a campaign initiated by the multinational nonprofit organization The Climate Group, aiming for companies to switch 100% of their electricity consumption to renewable energy. Although it is a voluntary campaign, many companies are participating due to the increasing global demand for environmental improvement. The Korea RE100 Committee reviews the eligibility of companies applying for membership. SKIET submitted its application to the Korea RE100 Committee last November.

With this RE100 registration, SKIET plans to accelerate its transition to eco-friendly electricity. While RE100 is not mandatory, starting this year, all domestic sites including Chungcheongbuk-do Jeungpyeong and Cheongju, as well as the soon-to-be-operational factory in Silesian Voivodeship, Poland, will adopt 100% renewable electricity. SKIET is the first Korean company to use 100% renewable electricity at a single domestic and overseas site.

In China, as a way to procure renewable electricity independently, SKIET plans to install a 70,000㎡ solar power generation facility utilizing factory rooftops. The company is making proactive efforts to quickly introduce renewable electricity in response to stakeholder demands.

According to this plan, SKIET aims to convert 60% of the electricity used in its global factories to renewable energy by 2025. This achievement is five years ahead of the RE100 requirement. Furthermore, SKIET plans to adopt renewable electricity at all its global production sites by 2030. Through this, the company expects to reduce its total greenhouse gas emissions by 70%.

SKIET is voluntarily setting eco-friendly transition goals to become a leading company not only in the global lithium-ion battery separator (LiBS) market, where it currently holds the number one position, but also in the ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) sector.

LiBS, the main product produced by SKIET, is a key material necessary for manufacturing electric vehicle batteries that contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It is also designated under the European Union (EU) taxonomy. The EU taxonomy is a list of products and activities that can lead to environmentally friendly and sustainable economic activities. It is provided to companies, investors, and environmental policymakers to encourage eco-friendly activities and ensure appropriate investments.

SKIET sold approximately 500 million square meters of LiBS last year, which corresponds to about 760,000 electric vehicles. If 760,000 internal combustion engine vehicles are replaced by electric vehicles, the annual reduction in greenhouse gas emissions would reach approximately 940,000 tons.

President Noh Jaeseok of SKIET emphasized, "We will strengthen our industry-leading position through business growth and lead the market as the unrivaled number one in eco-friendly transition."

Jin Woosam, chairman of the Korea RE100 Committee, said, "Following six SK Group companies last year, SKIET joined RE100 just two years after being spun off from SK Innovation, once again demonstrating SK Group's climate leadership in the global market and industry."

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