[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] LG Electronics and LG Display have joined forces with the Ministry of Environment to establish a packaging material reuse system and expand the reuse of packaging materials.
On the 8th, LG Electronics and LG Display signed a business agreement for a pilot project on the "Evaluation of Packaging Material Reusability" at the LG Electronics Changwon R&D Center in Changwon, Gyeongnam, together with the Ministry of Environment. Attending the signing ceremony were Minister of Environment Cho Myung-rae, Song Jae-yong, Chairman of the Korea Packaging Recycling Business Cooperative, Song Dae-hyun, President of LG Electronics H&A Business Division, and Choi Young-geun, Executive Vice President and Head of Purchasing Group at LG Display.
The pilot project targets LG Electronics' system air conditioner outdoor units and LG Display's organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panel packaging materials. To increase the reusability of the system air conditioner outdoor unit packaging, foamed plastic with enhanced cushioning performance and durability is used instead of the previously used foamed polystyrene. Additionally, the paper used per outdoor unit has been drastically reduced from 2950g to 300g. LG Electronics expects to reduce approximately 85 tons of paper and 19 tons of foamed polystyrene annually through this pilot project.
LG Electronics has increased the reusability of packaging materials for system air conditioner outdoor units by replacing the previously used foam Styrofoam cushioning material with foamed plastic that offers improved cushioning performance and durability. Additionally, the amount of paper used has been significantly reduced from 2950g to 300g. Existing system air conditioner outdoor unit packaging structure (left) and improved packaging structure (right).[Photo by LG Electronics]
LG Display has established a system to reuse OLED panel packaging materials instead of disposing of them. Cushioning sheets inserted between panels to prevent static electricity and damage, external foamed polystyrene boxes that absorb shocks, and forklift pallets will be collected and recycled. LG Display anticipates that by recovering 80% of OLED packaging materials and using them more than five times, packaging materials will be reduced by about 70% compared to previous levels.
Previously, in 2012, LG Electronics published the "LG Electronics Eco-friendly Packaging Design Guidelines," which include guidelines on reducing packaging waste and enhancing resource utilization by addressing packaging weight and volume, reuse, recycling, and the application of eco-friendly packaging materials.
According to the guidelines, LG Electronics sets targets such as packaging material reduction rate, packaging volume reduction rate, and packaging space reduction rate, and checks achievement twice a year. Currently, LG Electronics uses about 80% recycled pulp in paper packaging boxes and more than 50% recycled materials in overall packaging materials.
President Song Dae-hyun stated, "We will continue to provide products and services that consider the environment to our customers."
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