Iksan and Naju Sites Achieve 'Zero Waste Landfill' Certification
Iksan Site Achieves 96% Waste Recycling Rate, Earning 'Gold' Grade
Naju Site Achieves 94%, Earning 'Silver' Grade
[Asia Economy Reporter Donghoon Jeong] LG Chem has become the first company in the domestic petrochemical industry to receive international certification for recycling waste as a resource without landfill disposal.
On the 13th, LG Chem announced that its two plants in Iksan and Naju obtained the 'Zero Waste to Landfill (ZWTL)' certification from UL Solutions, a global safety science company.
This time, LG Chem's Iksan plant succeeded in recycling 96% of its total waste and received the 'Gold' grade. The Naju plant achieved a recycling rate of 94% and received the 'Silver' grade.
The 'Zero Waste to Landfill' certification evaluates a company's efforts in resource recycling. Based on the proportion of waste generated at the plant that is recycled without landfill disposal, the certification is awarded in grades of ▲Silver (recycling rate 90?94%) ▲Gold (95?99%) ▲Platinum (100%).
LG Chem's Iksan anode material plant converted all ceramic containers discarded after use in the manufacturing process to recycling, successfully recycling 96% of approximately 2,100 tons of waste generated last year and reducing the landfill rate to zero (0%).
The Naju plant introduced a process to reuse cleaning liquids used in production, reducing annual waste generation by about 63 tons. Through waste monitoring, it has maintained a recycling rate above 90% since 2018, continuously making efforts toward resource circulation.
Considering that the average waste recycling rate of domestic chemical substances and chemical product manufacturing plants (excluding pharmaceuticals) is around 61%, the recycling rates of the Iksan and Naju plants, which obtained certification, are about 30% higher than those of the same industry.
LG Chem has introduced an integrated environmental safety management system at major plants to monitor the entire process from waste generation to disposal, and plans to actively pursue 'Zero Waste to Landfill' certification when establishing or expanding plants in the future.
LG Chem is expanding waste recycling businesses throughout its management activities, including the pyrolysis oil business that extracts oil from waste plastics. It is also striving to build a sustainable supply chain by proactively introducing environmental impact assessments (LCA) in indirect emission areas (Scope 3) such as partners, logistics, and waste.
Kim Young-hwan, LG Chem CSEO (Chief Safety and Environment Officer, Executive Vice President), stated, "LG Chem is actively carrying out resource circulation tasks that convert waste into resources and energy to reduce carbon emissions, and will continue to pursue a zero landfill waste strategy across all plants."
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