LG Uplus Reduces 11 Tons of Plastic Annually with Eco-Friendly Remote Control

An LG Uplus model introducing the new U+tv remote control and PCR ABS (recycled high-value-added synthetic resin). Photo by LG Uplus

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Su-yeon] LG Uplus announced on the 19th that it is taking a step closer to '2050 Carbon Neutrality' by introducing a new U+tv remote control made using recycled plastic.

For the production of this eco-friendly remote control, LG Uplus collaborated with LG Chem and applied LG Chem's eco-friendly material brand 'LETZero' products. LG Chem has developed technology to convert waste plastic back into recycled raw materials (PCR ABS) in pellet form, leading eco-friendly activities to reduce plastic pollution. Notably, in 2019, LG Chem succeeded in the world's first commercial production of high-quality PCR white ABS. LG Chem improved the weaknesses of existing recycled plastics, such as low strength and color limitations (gray, black), increasing the utilization of recycled plastics in home appliances, IT devices, automobiles, and more.

Plastic, which takes at least several hundred years to decompose naturally, had a recycling rate of only 9% compared to production volume as of 2019. According to the OECD, the average annual plastic waste generated per Korean is 69kg, ranking high alongside the United States (221kg) and Europe (114kg) among OECD countries.

LG Uplus decided to introduce the new remote control to participate in eco-friendly activities that reduce plastic waste. Through the introduction of this remote control, LG Uplus expects to achieve an annual reduction of about 11 tons of plastic and a carbon emission reduction effect of approximately 3.3 tons (tonCO2-eq). Considering that a 30-year-old pine tree absorbs 6.6kg tonCO2-eq of carbon dioxide annually, this is equivalent to planting 500 pine trees.

The recycled waste plastic used for the U+tv remote control mainly comes from small and medium-sized home appliances such as monitors, printers, and set-top boxes. Factory workers manually disassemble home appliances and sort recycled materials into plastic, iron, rubber, etc. The sorted plastic materials are crushed into ABS flakes (pieces), and through a washing process to remove contaminants and additional sorting, only clean ABS remains. After drying, the ABS flakes go through a primary extrusion process to become 'PCR ABS pellets,' and after physical property testing, color mixing, and a secondary extrusion process, the final product is completed.

Kim Ji-hyuk, LG Uplus LSR/UX Manager (Executive Director), said, "The new U+tv remote control made with recycled plastic will be a good precedent for companies and customers to work together for carbon neutrality," adding, "We will continue to make efforts to change small parts of daily life to practice ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) management and achieve '2050 Carbon Neutrality.'"

The newly introduced remote control, which includes features such as remote finding and waterproof/dustproof functions, is scheduled to be released on the 31st. The new remote control will be available for separate purchase on the official website, and from January next year, it will be provided to customers newly subscribing to U+tv.

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