Lotte Chemical, First in Domestic Industry to Conduct Polymer Product Risk Assessment

Systematic Measurement of Human and Environmental Impact for Polymer Products Including ABS

Lotte Chemical ABS product photo. Photo by Lotte Chemical

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] Lotte Chemical will be the first in the domestic chemical industry to conduct risk assessments on its own manufactured products.

Product risk assessment is a systematic evaluation framework that measures the effects of specific chemical products on human health and the environment. It comprehensively analyzes the substances contained in the product and their amounts, toxicity, exposure levels to humans, air, water, soil, persistence, and other impacts to provide information about the product to customers. It can be used to derive measures to reduce the risk to workers exposed to chemical products and end customers. It also plays a role in confirming the external impact of products and providing methodologies for developing safer alternative substances and materials compared to existing ones.

Recently, with the strengthening of ESG management and increased interest in environmental protection, there is a growing demand for information on product and material-level risks, especially from global clients. In Korea, risk assessments are conducted on chemical "substances" under the "Act on Registration and Evaluation of Chemicals (K-REACH)" and the "Chemical Control Act." However, since these focus mainly on the toxicity of individual "substances" contained in products, there has been a limitation in managing the effects when multiple substances mixed in a "product" are exposed to humans and the environment.

Accordingly, Lotte Chemical has decided to conduct risk assessments on three grades of polymer (mixture) products, including ABS material (VE-0870) used for interior and exterior materials of home appliances such as air conditioners and refrigerators. Lotte Chemical is the first domestic company to conduct evaluations on the "product" itself.

Lotte Chemical’s product risk assessment utilizes the "K-CHESAR" program developed by the Ministry of Environment and the National Institute of Environmental Research. It measures exposure levels by workplace, worker, and consumer linked with the registration data from the K-REACH registration system and derives the risk of each single substance constituting the product. The data is then integrated to produce the risk assessment results for the product itself. To verify harmfulness information and ensure accurate data output, collaboration is conducted with a professional consulting firm (ChemSolve).

The results of this assessment will be published in report form in the first half of this year and actively used in sales activities by posting on the product website and providing it to domestic and international clients.

A Lotte Chemical official stated, "Through the nation’s first product risk assessment, we will provide transparent information to customers and establish product management policies aligned with global standards. We plan to gradually expand the range of products subject to evaluation and actively utilize the results to proactively develop products and materials that customers and consumers can use with confidence."