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By Adrian Back
Now, more than ever before, companies around the world are recognising how much they can do to help protect the health of the planet. As climate change and global warming continue to hit the headlines, there is a collective responsibility and LG Electronics has long been determined to seek solutions.
From leveraging state-of-the-art technology to cut carbon and greenhouse gas emissions to increasing energy efficiency across our products, such as LG InstaView™ with up to 32% less energy consumption9; the company is determined to do its part. Prioritising sustainable materials has given way to recycling and upcycling programs that benefit both the planet and consumers. Read on to learn more.
To better understand why upcycling and recycling are both important from an environmental perspective, let’s take a look at the differences.
An idea that has been used in fashion for decades, upcycling is the reusing of discarded objects or materials to create something new. Growing in popularity in the world of technology, it provides a new lease of life for products that have reached the end of their shelf life.
Some popular examples of upcycling include using fabric as gift wrap or making a bed frame from shipping pallets. Upcycling can also refer to repairing and refurbishing an obsolete appliance into a new product.
A concept that has been around far longer, recycling is an industrial process that involves the destruction of waste in order to create something new. This could be the same product again or a completely different one which uses the same materials.
Most of us are familiar with recycling at home, but there’s more to it than tins and bottles. Keep reading to see how LG gives some products and materials a second chance at life.
With people around the world becoming more and more committed to the idea of recycling, LG has been exploring ways to contribute.
One such measure has seen the company partner with recycling firms across Europe so that customers can arrange for unwanted electrical items to be collected and then recycled.1
This take-back and recycling service is not only offered for electronics but also for packaging and batteries.2 Looking ahead, LG has set a goal to use around 600,000 metric tons of recycled plastic by 2030.
LG has embarked on a mission to promote ‘Sustainable Living’ through various environmentally conscious initiatives this year. To mitigate carbon emissions and improve air quality, LG collaborated with the One Tree Planted organisation to host a tree-planting event at IFA 2023.
Over 2,200 participants cast their votes to greenify urban areas and, as a testament to its commitment, LG is set to contribute 3,000 trees to support the cause.
Under the theme of Sustainable Life, Joy for All, LG unveiled a wide range of new products and showcased at IFA 2023. The event featured multiple exhibits centred around conscious living and consumption, including:
To help visitors understand the production process, the Upcycling Workshop Zone gave attendees a hands-on understanding of the difference between upcycling and recycling with the ‘plastic knot challenge’. This activity involved the use of plastic pieces produced by LG’s Chilseo Recycling Centre, giving participants a fun way to make something new from the ‘waste’.
All good things come to an end, but LG has a plan for its exhibition materials even though IFA is over. LG also plans to recycle the fabric that was used to construct the exhibition booths. Additionally, the featured appliances from each exhibition will be donated after the event.
With millions of home appliances reaching the end of their operational life spans each year, there is an increasing effort to transform these discarded devices into brand-new appliances.
One of the ways that LG is giving products a new lease of life is by using ‘urban mining’, which involves recovering and sorting raw materials that can be used in the creation of new products.3 This includes materials such as plastic, iron and non-ferrous metals.
Another major upcycling project was unveiled in 2021 when the LG Recycling Centre in South Korea implemented a resource circulation program. This involves harvesting raw materials from disposed-of home appliances. After the materials are meticulously sorted and processed, the pieces are then made into fresh, eco-minded appliance components.
By 2030, LG estimates that it will have recovered around eight million tons of out-of-use appliances for the purpose of extracting materials since the program started in 2006.4
While it is important to keep products protected when being transported, we didn’t forget about the packaging. That is why we are currently establishing goals to increase the use of eco-friendly paper and recycled materials, including:
The details behind these goals are currently being established, as different products require different roadmaps and processes. But keep reading to learn more about what LG is currently doing when it comes to eco-friendly packaging.
Prescribing a more minimal use of materials and an increased focus on reusing and recycling, all LG home appliances, such as air conditioners, will soon incorporate eco-conscious packaging, this is demonstrated by LG reducing the use of expanded polystyrene by about 19 tons per year.
Some specific products have been certified for their use of recycled materials, including LG OLED evo and LG XBOOM lineups.6 LG soundbars are also produced with the planet in mind, and all new models have been made with recycled fabric since 2022.7
The amount of paper used to pack an outdoor unit has also been reduced from 2,950g to 300g, this is making a significant impact as around 85 tons of paper has been saved yearly through this project.5
Ultimately, LG endeavours to continue to improve its practices, from reducing the amount of carbon used when producing and disposing of products to using more eco-friendly materials to make products and packaging, as well as implementing methods to recycling reusable parts.
With every step of the process carefully considered, whether it's planning, packaging, delivery, use, disposal or the recovery of a product, LG wants to ensure the entire life cycle of a product is improved. And by doing so, the future becomes a little brighter.
Life is Good!
1 LG Global, Take-Back & Recycling Network
2 LG Energy Solution, Home Battery Blog
5 LG 2020-2021 Sustainability Report
6 The back cover of LG OLED evo models, QNED TVs and NanoCell TVs released in 2023 are completed with recycled plastic material which uses more than 30 percent of used plastic.
7 Our new sound bar models (S95QR, S90QY, S80QR, S80QY, S75QR, S75Q, S65Q) use polyester jersey fabric that was made from plastic bottles, and has been certified using the Global Recycled Standard.
8 ENERGY STAR certified: LG American style fridge freezers take energy efficiency to new heights, positively impacting your energy bill and lowering your energy consumption. LG’s Door-in-Door™ feature. No need to open the entire fridge just to get your favourite snack or beverage.
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