LG CHEM announced on the 21st that its Tianjin plant in China and Yeosu Hwachii plant have obtained the 'Zero Waste to Landfill' (ZWTL) certification from the global safety certification body UL Solutions (UL).
The 'Zero Waste to Landfill' certification is a system that evaluates corporations' resource recycling efforts and awards grades of ▲ Silver (recycling rate 90-94%) ▲ Gold (95-99%) ▲ Platinum (100%) based on the proportion of waste generated at business sites that is recycled instead of being landfilled.
LG CHEM's Tianjin plant achieved a 100% recycling rate for establishment waste, receiving the top 'Platinum' grade, while the Yeosu Hwachii plant reached a recycling rate of 96% and received the 'Gold' grade. The 'Platinum' was achieved for three consecutive years, following results in 2022 in Quzhou, China, and in 2023 in Guangzhou.
LG CHEM's Tianjin plant converted all of the wood and plastic containers discarded after use during the manufacturing process into recycled materials, successfully recycling 93% of the approximately 450 tons of waste generated during the verification period last year and achieving a landfill rate of zero (0%).
The Yeosu Hwachii plant has converted approximately 10,300 tons of wastewater sludge, which is typically incinerated, into recycled material, and plans to switch the energy source needed for plant operation to biomass fuels such as discarded wood.
As part of its comprehensive ESG management, LG CHEM has prioritized 'waste discharge and recycling' as key tasks, obtaining the Zero Waste to Landfill (ZWTL) certification for the first time in the domestic petrochemical industry in 2022, and has expanded the number of certified business sites to a total of six, including this certification.
LG CHEM has signed a public-private partnership agreement with Yeosu City and the Korea Environmental Corporation, actively promoting plastic recycling activities in business sites until 2026. As part of this effort, the company is continuously working to replace packaging bags containing LG CHEM’s products and materials with recycled Post Consumer Recycled (PCR) materials after consumer use.
A representative of LG CHEM said, 'We plan to carry out various projects to reduce carbon footprints and continuously increase the waste recycling rate across all business sites while also expanding related certifications.'