Construction Site Discarded Safety Helmet Transformed into Samsung C&T Employee ID Case

[Asia Economy Reporter Noh Kyung-jo] Samsung C&T Construction Division announced on the 18th that it collected and separated safety helmets discarded at construction sites and recycled them into raw materials to produce employee ID card cases.

This is the first case among domestic companies to turn waste generated from business activities into resources and produce employee ID card cases. It plans to present a new direction for resource circulation in the construction industry and contribute to solving environmental issues.

Employee ID case made by recycling discarded safety helmets / Photo by Samsung C&T Corporation

Currently, the safety helmets discarded after use at Samsung C&T's Pyeongtaek construction site amount to about 4 to 8 tons annually. Waste plastics such as discarded safety helmets are mainly made into fuel for incineration and are mostly recycled as thermal energy sources.

Samsung C&T further considered ways to utilize these as resources and recycled discarded safety helmets to make employee ID card cases. One discarded safety helmet can produce seven ID card cases, and the lanyard for the ID card is made from fibers recycled from PET bottles, making it '100% recycled raw material,' Samsung C&T explained.

In this regard, Samsung C&T signed a business agreement last November at its headquarters building in Gangdong-gu, Seoul, with the Korea Plastic Single Material Association, Gongdan Resin, and Sangil CNC to establish a 'waste safety helmet recycling system.' In the same month, the four divisions of construction, trading, fashion, and resort jointly announced plans to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

Jung Mi-hong, head of Samsung C&T’s Environment Team, said, "Thanks to the high interest and willingness to practice resource circulation among employees, we were able to successfully carry out the waste safety helmet recycling project," adding, "I hope this opportunity spreads the awareness that waste is not something to be discarded but a resource that can be recycled, not only among employees but throughout society."

Samsung C&T plans to contribute to building a sustainable circular economy society and realizing carbon neutrality by utilizing various wastes, including plastics, starting with this recycling project.