LG’s solar arm targets carbon neutrality by 2030

LG Solar is currently giving away cherry trees to customers to help them capture carbon at home

LG Solar’s new goals contribute towards a “for a better today and a better tomorrow” mantra that will see LG aim to reach carbon neutrality across all operational activities. The two other main ambitions of this strategy include reaching a recycling rate of 95% for waste in production facilities globally and offering regular volunteering programmes for employees. All three goals will apply to LG Solar.

LG Electronics Germany’s vice president of the EU Solar Business Group Michael Harre said: “At LG, we are continuously working on increasing the sustainability of our products in order to contribute to a better world.

“In the next few years, we will develop smarter products that work even more efficiently and networked, and that have also been produced under optimised conditions. But we also want to think outside the box and use campaigns such as cherry trees to further sensitize buyers to climate protection.”

LG Electronics has already established a long-term roadmap to allow the business to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. and is building more specific strategies for its divisions. LG Solar, for example, is currently giving away cherry trees to customers to help them capture carbon at home.

According to LG’s annual sustainability report, the company is planning to “introduce emission-reducing devices to the manufacturing process” and create more energy efficient facilities to assist with a target to reduce production-stage emissions by 50% by 2030, against 2017 levels.

The company will also use offsetting through a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), which will see the company certified for investing its technology and capital in developing nations to reduce emissions there.

Other companies owned by the LG Corporation have also set out on efforts to improve the climate impacts of their products and operations.

South Korean cellular carrier, LG Uplus is amongst a coalition of 50+ mobile operators to have agreed to begin publicly disclosing their climate impacts. The businesses, convened by trade association GSMA, have collectively committed to disclosing their energy use, greenhouse gas (GHG) footprints and wider climate impacts through CDP.

The GSMA said in a statement that it had urged the companies to begin disclosure as a first step towards co-developing a sector-wide roadmap for reaching net-zero carbon by 2050, in line with the Paris Agreement’s more ambitious 1.5C trajectory.

Elsewhere, LG Chem is part of a collaborative sector initiative aimed at bolstering sustainability and traceability in global mineral supply chains through the use of blockchain technologies.

LG Chem has also worked with General Motors on the “Ultium” battery packs, which range from 50 to 200kWh and deliver an estimated range of 400 miles on a full charge.

Matt Mace

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