Samsung Display Obtains Environmental Product Declaration Certification for Foldable OLED

Certification for All 7 Evaluation Items Including Carbon, Resource, and Water Footprints

Samsung Display Asan Campus Process Water Reuse RO (Reverse Osmosis) Facility

[Photo by Samsung Display]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] Samsung Display announced on the 19th that its foldable OLED (model name: AM670UH01), used in the Galaxy Z Flip model, has received the 'Environmental Product Declaration' certification.

The 'Environmental Product Declaration' is a nationally accredited system that quantitatively indicates the environmental impact of the entire production process, from raw material manufacturing to product production. It is overseen by the Ministry of Environment and operated by the Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute.

Samsung Display previously received certification for the OLED panel applied to the Galaxy S8 in 2018. At that time, certification was granted in four categories: carbon footprint, acid rain, eutrophication, and water footprint. However, this year’s foldable OLED received certification in all seven categories. The three newly added categories are resource footprint, ozone layer, and smog-related items.

Samsung Display stated that this Environmental Product Declaration certification is the result of various eco-friendly activities. The company is expanding investments in environmental impact reduction facilities to minimize environmental effects on water quality and air throughout the entire production process.

To reduce air quality impact, air conditioning boilers were replaced with high-efficiency facilities, reducing nitrogen oxide emissions, which cause dust and acid rain. Additionally, facilities were installed to recover and reuse water and raw materials within the manufacturing process, reducing water usage and lowering the pollution level of discharged water.

In particular, new processes have expanded exhaust decomposition facilities compared to previous ones, significantly reducing emissions of components that cause global warming. When converted to carbon emissions reduction, the effect is about 2,300 tons annually, which Samsung Display explains is equivalent to planting approximately 350,000 30-year-old pine trees.

Samsung Display’s main production base, the Asan Campus, received the highest rating, 'Platinum,' in the 'Zero Waste to Landfill' category from UL, a global environmental safety certification company, as a result of efforts to minimize landfill waste through resource reduction and recycling technology adoption.

Nam Hyo-hak, Vice President of Global Infrastructure at Samsung Display, said, "Based on the principle that the environment is the top priority, we will continue to discover carbon emission and resource-saving technologies and invest in facilities to achieve sustainable management of the company."