Han Jong-hee, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics, delivers a keynote speech with the theme of "Together for Tomorrow" during the CES 2022 fair in Las Vegas in this January photo. Courtesy of Samsung Electronics

Korean tech giant unveils New Environmental Strategy

By Baek Byung-yeul

Samsung Electronics unveiled its New Environmental Strategy to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and join a campaign to tackle climate change issues through developing innovative technologies, the company said Thursday.

Samsung uses electricity the most among information and communications technologies (ICT) manufacturers across the world, producing a wide range of products from semiconductors and smartphones to home appliances.

Despite such a disadvantage, the company decided to become a truly eco-friendly organization to achieve sustainable growth.

To that end, the company will develop less-energy-consuming semiconductors and IT gadgets and convert 100 percent of its electricity supply to renewable sources by 2050. The company will also join the RE100 campaign ― the global initiative aimed at converting 100 percent of the electricity used by companies into renewable energy by 2050.

"The climate crisis is one of the greatest challenges of our time. The consequences of inaction are unimaginable and require the contribution of every one of us, including businesses and governments," Samsung Vice Chairman Han Jong-hee said in a statement.

"Samsung is responding to the threats of climate change with a comprehensive plan that includes reducing emissions, new sustainability practices and the development of innovative technologies and products that are better for our planet."

For more details, Samsung said it will invest over 7 trillion won ($5.02 billion) in its environmental initiatives by 2030 to reduce process gases, conserving water and expanding collection of electronic waste and other pollutants. The investment figure excludes costs related to expansion of renewable energy use, the company said.

Each of the company's business units will implement the carbon neutrality plan with a different timeline. The DX division, which oversees TVs and home appliances, plans to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 while the DS division, supervising the semiconductor business, will achieve the goal as early as possible with the basic timeline of 2050.'/

"By reaching net zero direct and indirect carbon emissions, Samsung Electronics expects to eliminate about 17 million tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions based on 2021 figures," Samsung said.

Its new low-power technologies will help the company reduce energy consumption in everyday consumer electronics. For instance, it plans to develop new ultra-low-power memory chips that will be able to significantly reduce the annual power consumption of memory products used in data centers and mobile devices by 2025 compared to current products.

The company added its low-power technologies will also be applied to seven consumer electronics products ― smartphones, refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners, TVs, monitors and PCs ― to lower power consumption levels by an average of 30 percent in 2030 compared to products with the same specifications in 2019.

For the use of water in the chip production process, Samsung will maximize resource efficiency by reusing water.