Display Industry Association "Will Expand Transition to Renewable Energy"

Last Year's Renewable Energy Transition Rate Approximately 18.7%

The Korea Display Industry Association announced on the 16th at the '37th Working Group Meeting of the World Display Industry Council (WDICC)' held at the Penyang Garden Hotel in Shanghai, China, that it will expand the domestic transition to renewable energy.

WDICC is a council established for cooperation in the ESG field among the three major display-producing countries: Korea, China, and Taiwan. It was founded in 2001 to expand voluntary efforts by the industry to reduce greenhouse gases generated during the display manufacturing process.

Scene from the 37th Working Group Meeting of the World Display Industry Council (WDICC) held on the 16th at the Penyang Garden Hotel in Shanghai, China / Photo by Korea Display Industry Association

This year's meeting was attended by 22 people, including LG Display as the chair company, Samsung Display, China's BOE and CHOT, Taiwan's INNOLUX and AUO, and representatives from the display associations of the three countries.

Through this meeting, they analyzed various data such as process gases by country generated up to last year. They also discussed the current status of renewable energy policies in each country and systems utilized by the display industry.

In Korea's case, it was found that process gas emissions have decreased by an average of 16% annually over the past five years. The Korea Display Industry Association explained that the domestic industry is continuously reducing greenhouse gas emissions through expanded facility investment in scrubbers, which are process gas reduction equipment, and improving scrubber treatment efficiency.

They also emphasized that by utilizing green premiums (a system where a premium is paid on top of existing electricity rates to purchase renewable energy) as a major domestic and international renewable energy transition method, the domestic and international renewable energy transition rate reached about 18.7% last year. They stated that such activities will be expanded in the future.

Overseas, due to abundant renewable energy supply and lower renewable energy purchase prices compared to domestic prices, related achievements are being made. Overseas sites in China, Vietnam, and other countries where domestic panel companies have entered have already transitioned to 100% renewable energy or have announced plans to achieve 100% transition by 2050.

Lee Dong-wook, Vice Chairman of the Korea Display Industry Association, said, "The domestic display industry's willingness to expand the transition to renewable energy is higher than ever, but the reality is that conditions are not sufficient compared to other display competitors such as China and Taiwan in terms of procurement convenience and price competitiveness," adding, "The association will engage in government recommendation activities, act as a bridge between the government and industry, and operate various renewable energy programs."