- ▶ All domestic and overseas business sites accomplished the Platinum levels for “Zero Waste to Landfill”
- - All business sites, including three in Korea and four overseas, recorded a resource circulation rate of 99.5% or higher
- ▶ Strengthening of the recycling system, including the use of wastewater treatment for waste alkali and waste acid
- ▶ CEO Chang Duckhyun: “ESG management determines the sustainability of a company”
Samsung Electro-Mechanics announced on December 5 that all its business sites in Korea and overseas have achieved the highest level of certification, Platinum, for Zero Waste to Landfill.
Zero Waste to Landfill (ZWTL) awards Platinum (100-99.5%), Gold (99.4-94.5%) and Silver (94.4-89.5%) levels based on the percentage of waste generated at business sites that is reused as a resource. It is a global index used to evaluate companies’ resource circulation efforts and is assessed by UL Solutions.
In light of the growing global focus on climate change, it is becoming increasingly common for major companies to request environmental management, such as recycling certification, from their component suppliers.
Samsung Electro-Mechanics achieved a resource circulation rate of 99.5% or higher at its domestic business sites in Suwon, Sejong, and Busan and its business site in Tianjin, China, last year, achieving the Platinum level for Zero Waste to Landfill. This year, the company’s business sites in the High-Tech Industrial Development Zone in China, Vietnam, and the Philippines also achieved the Platinum level, resulting in all its domestic and international business sites accomplishing the highest level.
To achieve the highest level of Zero Waste to Landfill, Samsung Electro-Mechanics has implemented a recycling policy at each business site and identified and expanded the range of recyclable resources in order to improve the resource circulation rate. Waste alkali and waste acid were repurposed as pH control agents and coagulants in wastewater treatment facilities. Furthermore, the copper coagulation facility in wastewater treatment plants was enhanced to recycle trace amounts of copper in wastewater sludge, and high-efficiency dehydration facilities were installed to recycle 150 tons of wastewater sludge per month. In addition, the company strengthened its monitoring of the discharge and treatment of construction and household waste, and identified additional recyclable resources, including glass, wood, vinyl, and paper boxes, for use as recycled raw materials.
Meanwhile, Samsung Electro-Mechanics is implementing a range of internal policies to minimize environmental impact. These include recycling some of the waste PET film generated during the production of MLCCs to produce work uniforms and changing plastic packaging containers and PET beverages in the company cafeteria to paper and aluminum-can beverages.
Samsung Electro-Mechanics CEO Chang Duckhyun said, “ESG management determines the sustainability of a company,” and emphasized, “We aim to create sustainable value for the environment, local communities, and our employees and become an honest company that is trusted in the global marketplace.”
To implement its ESG mission, “Sustainable Challenges for a Better Planet & Life,” Samsung Electro-Mechanics has selected the three ESG management keywords of “Planet,” “People,” and “Progress” (the 3Ps) to focus on ESG management.
Samsung Electro-Mechanics’ sustainable management activities have been acknowledged by a number of rating agencies. The company has been recognized as a leading ESG enterprise, including being included in the “DJSI World Index” for 15 consecutive years, becoming the first in Korea to do so; and being included in the FTSE4Good Index for 14 consecutive years.