LG Display announced on the 23rd that it has completed the development of environmentally friendly cushioning packaging materials for electronic components using post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic as a raw material through joint research and development with Hanwha Solutions.
Post-consumer recycled plastic is a material recycled from plastics that have been separated after use, reducing both new plastic production and waste. It is a representative eco-friendly material that also increases resource circulation rates and can reduce carbon emissions.
The developed packaging material utilizes post-consumer recycled plastic that has obtained the Global Recycled Standard (GRS) certification from the global eco-friendly certification organization "Control Union."
LG Display was responsible for design optimization and performance validation, while Hanwha Solutions handled the independent technology-based purification and processing of raw materials. The two companies succeeded in developing an eco-friendly packaging material that achieves the same quality level as existing packaging materials through two years of research and development.
The annual carbon emissions reduced by introducing the packaging material amount to about 520 tons, which is approximately 40% of the existing carbon emissions. This is equivalent to planting about 57,000 30-year-old pine trees.
LG Display plans to first apply this packaging material to vehicle display panels starting in January next year and will gradually expand its use to other product lines.
Meanwhile, LG Display is striving to achieve long-term and sustainable growth by expanding the development and production of eco-friendly products. Unlike LCDs, LG Display OLED TV panels do not use a backlight, thereby significantly reducing plastic usage by more than 90% compared to LCDs. It is also increasing the use of metal materials, improving the recycling rate of components to 92.7% upon disposal, thus minimizing environmental impact.
In addition, LG Display has adopted Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) techniques since 2021 to comprehensively evaluate all environmental impacts occurring throughout the product life cycle. Through this, the company has achieved results such as reducing material and component usage, minimizing greenhouse gases and electricity use during manufacturing, developing low-power consumption products, and reducing waste at the disposal stage.
Kwak Tae-hyung, the head of materials research at LG Display, noted, "We will continue to strive to provide differentiated customer value by practicing ESG management through the development of eco-friendly materials that minimize environmental impact."