INSPIRATION

LG’s strategy for the future: e-waste management initiatives

By Adrian Back

Develop a better understanding of what constitutes e-waste and how LG is tackling the issue of e-waste management.
Explore the numerous recycling schemes and take-back programs that have been introduced by LG.
Understand the entire lifecycle of a product and how LG is embracing a circular approach to longevity.
The key strategies that help LG to develop a wide array of products using recycled materials.

With the effects of climate change being felt around the world, it is more important than ever that companies embrace responsibility and help to preserve our planet. That is why LG is redesigning processes to cut carbon, rethinking product lifecycles to reduce waste, and introducing new tech to foster resourcefulness.

Committed to creating a better life for all, LG is also tackling the growing problem of e-waste which we will explore below:

What is e-waste?

E-waste refers to discarded electrical or electronic equipment like computers and mobile phones. Improper disposal of these items can lead to pollution and health issues due to the pollutants they contain. If e-waste is left in landfills, it can dissolve and contaminate the ground with these polluting materials.

LG’s commitment to responsible e-waste management

As a major producer of electronic goods, LG, a major electronic goods producer, implemented take-back and recycling initiatives worldwide to address e-waste disposal. Complying with WEEE directives¹, LG collaborates with REPIC in the UK to collect and process e-waste from recycling centres.²

REPIC additionally partners with organisations for responsible recycling, repair, and refurbishment of electricals for reuse.

LG is a founding member of the Consumer Technology Circularity Initiative, focused on waste reduction, reuse promotion, recycling enhancement and minimising consumer electronics disposal.³

E-waste disposal program and its impact

LG offers a customised e-waste take-back and recycling service to help meet the local needs and requirements of countries around the world. This led to LG using a recycling process that reapplies waste from recycled products into new products.

WEEE Take-Back

A scheme that runs across Europe, customers can return any LG end-of-life products to one of the established take-back systems within the individual country. A list of the recycling firms can be found here.⁴

Packaging & Battery Take-Back

Another important scheme that helps to tackle both waste and e-waste, LG is working with numerous companies across Europe that specialise in recycling packaging and batteries. A list of the packing firms can be found here ⁵ and the battery take-back companies are here.⁶

LG's circular approach to longevity

The circular economy has long been viewed as a way of helping to achieve climate neutrality as waste and greenhouse gas emissions are reduced through recycling and the reuse of materials. That is why LG is committed to recycling existing materials and inventing entirely new ones ⁷ to create resourceful products that can last a lifetime.

Source materials

Use materials with lower environmental impact such as eco-certified steel and

recycled plastic.⁷

Development

Develop sustainable products to reduce environmental impact.⁷

Production

Reduce greenhouse gas emissions in manufacturing, expand usage of renewable energy and minimise waste in landfills.⁷

Packaging

Use eco-conscious materials like recycled paper and recycled Expanded Polystyrene.⁷

Use

Reduce indirect greenhouse gas emissions with energy-efficient products.⁷

Recycling

Expand e-waste collection and resource recycling by material from e-waste.⁷

Key strategies to developing new products

When it comes to designing new products, LG is always thinking about the impact it will have on the environment. That is why there is a renewed focus on using recycled materials and ensuring that these products can be easily disassembled for future reuse.

Another important factor is reducing the volume and weight of the product so that resource consumption is also reduced, while LG is also reducing the use of heavy metals and polluting substances.⁸

Inside the LG Recycling Center

In an effort to drastically reduce waste, LG opened a cutting-edge recycling centre in Haman County, South Korea in 2001.⁹

This facility collects and disassembles discarded household appliances and electronic waste, extracting materials like aluminium, copper, steel, and plastic to create secondary commodities for new LG products.

The recycling process

E-waste collection

Collecting discarded electrical or electronic equipment

Disassembly and shredding

E-waste components are disassembled and then shredded into uniform sizes.

Separation and processing

Raw materials that can be recycled from disassembled and shredded e-waste are selected. Steel that sticks to magnets is sorted first, followed by aluminium, copper and plastic. Waste plastic is then transformed into resin pellets, a raw material for recycled plastic.

Reinvention as a new product

The resin pellets are melted to become recycled plastics for producing new appliances and products.

The vision for e-waste practices

LG is increasing its use of recycled plastics across 19 product categories¹⁰ and collect around 8 million tons of end-of-life electrical appliances by 2030.¹¹

LG will focus on biomaterials, waste batteries and plastics recycling, as carbon reduction technologies while optimising production processes to minimise material waste and promote improved materials. Additionally, LG is actively seeking partnerships to properly recycle e-waste.¹²

By taking a proactive stance on regeneration in the electronics industry, LG’s numerous initiatives will make sure that the growing problem with e-waste is tackled through responsible disposal and recycling programs.

Life's Good!

^{1 European Commission: Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment}

^{2 REPIC: Homepage}

^{3 LG Newsroom: LG Sustainability Leadership Highlighted In New Consumer Technology Circularity Initiative}

^{4 LG Global: WEEE take-back partners}

^{5 LG Global: Packaging take-back}

^{6 LG Global: Battery take-back}

^{7 LG Global: Sustainability}

^{8 LG Global: Green Product Strategy}

^{9 LG Global: E-waste program}

^{10 LG Newsroom: LG Sustainability Leadership Highlighted In New Consumer Technology Circularity Initiative}

^{11 LG Corp: Performance - ESG - Circular Economy}