LG Electronics has implemented a new method in the manufacturing process of system air conditioners to reduce plastic usage and has begun efforts to decrease carbon emissions. This is an action to practice LG Electronics' ESG vision of 'Better Life for All.'
Recently, LG Electronics received verification from the global testing and certification organization TÜV Rheinland that it has reduced carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 14.85 kg (kgCO₂eq) per commercial four-way system air conditioner.
The key lies in the change of manufacturing methods and materials for the exterior panels. Unlike conventional plastic injection, LG Electronics introduced a 'physical foaming forming' method by injecting nitrogen gas to create bubbles inside, reducing plastic usage by approximately 900 grams per unit. At the same time, it replaced the existing Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) with Polypropylene (PP), which has lower carbon emissions.
Through this, it is expected that approximately 270 tons of plastic usage and more than 4,400 tons (tCO₂eq) of carbon dioxide emissions will be reduced in the entire production process of system air conditioners. This figure is equivalent to the amount of carbon absorbed by a 30-year-old pine forest covering the area of about 580 soccer fields in one year.
Since June, LG Electronics has been producing commercial four-way system air conditioners using the physical foaming forming method and plans to expand its application to residential and commercial products in the future.
Additionally, LG Electronics has set a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 54.6% compared to 2017 by 2030 through its sustainability management report, and is pushing for the introduction of high-efficiency equipment and a transition to renewable energy. Furthermore, it is actively applying inverter technology that adjusts the speed of motors and compressors to reduce carbon emissions in real usage environments, and has released an inverter scroll chiller that uses the refrigerant R32, which has a global warming potential (GWP) level of about 30% compared to the existing refrigerant R410A, in response to global environmental regulations.
Bae Jeong-hyeon, head of LG Electronics' ES business division in the SAC division, noted, 'We will continuously introduce environmentally friendly products through new manufacturing methods and the expansion of eco-friendly refrigerants.'