[Special Stock] Green Chemical, MS 'Carbon Zero' Samsung and Hynix Also Forced... Korea's Only 'Carbon Capture' ETA Production

Green Chemical is showing strong performance. It appears that the news of Microsoft (MS) mandating major suppliers to use 'carbon-free' electricity to reduce carbon emissions is influencing the stock price.

As of 12:07 PM on the 16th, Green Chemical is trading at 8,630 KRW, up 17.57% from the previous day.

Major foreign media reported on the 15th (local time) that Melanie Nakagawa, MS Chief Sustainability Officer, stated, "We will request suppliers who deliver goods and services on a large scale to use 100% renewable energy by 2030." MS's carbon emissions have surged nearly 30% since 2020. Concerns are rising that Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, which supply semiconductors for MS servers, could be directly impacted.

While net zero has gained transnational consensus as a climate crisis response, the speed of ESG implementation varies by company. Samsung Electronics aims to switch to 100% renewable energy by 2050, and SK Hynix has pledged to achieve a 33% renewable energy usage rate by 2030. These targets lag behind MS's goals.

ETA (Ethanolamine) is produced exclusively by Green Chemical in Korea. It is used as a raw material for detergents and emulsifiers, softeners and plasticizers in the textile industry, gas purification in factories manufacturing or handling gases, and as raw materials for herbicides, pesticides, and emulsifiers. It is also used for various purposes such as carbon dioxide capture materials.

Forcing suppliers to comply with new guidelines is likely to resonate throughout the big tech industry. With the surge in power demand due to the AI boom, including data center construction, concerns are growing that the AI craze will exacerbate the climate crisis.

Overseas, investments in carbon dioxide capture are active. In Iceland, the 'Mammoth' carbon dioxide capture plant has started operations. It is the world's largest scale, capable of processing nearly 10 times the amount of existing plants. By the end of this year, it will filter 36,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually and store it 700 meters underground. Carbon credits generated for every ton stored are acquired by trading companies such as Microsoft, Lego, and H&M. The market expansion is considered to be just beginning. It is estimated that humanity emitted 40 billion tons of carbon last year.