Samsung D to Build Giheung New Headquarters Using Cement Made from Recycled Waste Glass

by Kim Pyeonghwa

Published 20 Apr.2023 08:40(KST)

Use of Cement Mixed with Waste Glass Generated in Display Manufacturing Process

Samsung Display is building a new headquarters using recycled cement made from waste glass generated during the display production process.

On the 20th, Samsung Display announced that it will use about 20,000 tons of cement recycled from glass waste produced in the display manufacturing process for the construction of its new headquarters, 'SDR (Samsung Display Research),' scheduled for completion in the second half of 2024. This amount corresponds to approximately 34% of the total cement required for the new building construction.

Glass is transparent, highly heat-resistant, and has a uniform thickness, making it widely used in industrial fields such as display substrates. Recently, as social interest in conserving sand resources?the main raw material for glass?has increased, there has been growing attention on recycling glass waste inevitably generated in industrial sites.

Perspective view of Samsung Display's new Giheung headquarters scheduled for completion in the second half of 2024 / [Image provided by Samsung Display]

Since 2008, Samsung Display has been recycling waste glass generated from the display manufacturing process into cement and other materials. Since 2016, all waste glass has been fully recycled. The total amount of recycled glass has nearly reached 245,000 tons.

A Samsung Display official explained, "Producing one ton of glass typically requires about 0.8 tons of sand," adding, "Recycling 245,000 tons is equivalent to reclaiming enough sand to create a white sand beach comparable to Haeundae Beach in Busan."

Samsung Display expects to improve the efficiency of waste glass recycling in the future. Flexible OLEDs, whose production volume is expected to increase, contain fewer contaminants in waste glass compared to liquid crystal displays (LCDs). Waste carrier glass from the flexible OLED process is increasingly being recycled into high value-added fields such as glass fibers.

Kang Seong-kwang, head of Samsung Display’s Environment and Safety Center, said, "With rapid urbanization worldwide, sand resources are facing depletion risks," adding, "To conserve sand, an irreplaceable natural resource, we will collaborate with related companies to increase cases of recycling waste glass generated from our processes."