We have continued to pursue ESG management activities based on the spirit of “value creation for consumers” and “human-first management,” and we plan to obtain further recognition for our eco-friendly management and share relevant information with the stakeholders.
B.
Product environment management
In order to respond to applicable domestic and overseas environmental regulations, such as the European Union’s Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) and Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) that restrict the use of certain hazardous substances, we operate a hazardous substance management program that implements a four-step procedure (each such step, a “Gate”) that manages various stages of our production cycle, beginning with the registration process of our business partners up to the mass production stage. In addition, in order to preemptively address four types of phthalate substances that became additionally regulated pursuant to the RoHS in 2016 and officially went into effect on July 22, 2019, we replaced the latent risk elements in advance as well as implemented a more stable management process with respect to such substances. In implementing this process, we collaborated with external agencies to ascertain regulatory trends and establish our response strategy, and we formulated and applied effective management measures through the collaborative efforts of our development, procurement, quality assurance and analysis teams.
- Gate 01 (Business Partner Stage): An audit is conducted prior to the registration of a new business partner (including the inspection of the business partner’s hazardous substance response process)
- Gate 02 (Parts Development Stage): An environmental evaluation of each part under development is conducted (consisting of three stages: (1) document review; (2) XRF test and (3) precision analysis)
- Gate 03 (Product Development Stage): An environmental evaluation of the product model and product labeling are conducted (including RoHS verification)
- Gate 04 (Mass Production Stage): Process management through the periodic testing of mass-produced parts for any hazardous substances (including rate-based tests based on risk assessment)
We operate a “Hazardous Substance Management System for Products” that effectively manages hazardous substances by classifying them into four levels: A-I, A-II, B-I, and B-II. In particular, in addition to substances prohibited by global hazardous substance regulations on products, we have designated substances causing harm to the human body and the environment as Level B substances. By developing alternative technologies and parts and applying them to our products, we continually strive to achieve a gradual reduction and elimination of non-prohibited hazardous substances.
- Level A-I (Prohibited Substances): Prohibited substances designated under the RoHS regulations (i.e., 10 regulated substances) and those designated by specific customers
- Level A-II (Prohibited Substances): Substances prohibited by regulations and conventions other than those covered under Level A-1 and those designated as such by customers
- Level B-I (Substances Subject to Voluntary Reduction): Substances that are being voluntarily replaced over a certain period of time
- Level B-II (Substances Under Observation): Substances that are not currently banned, but are expected to become prohibited in the future
Moreover, we participated in reforming IEC 62321, an international testing standard published by the International Electrotechnical Commission and used by RoHS, and the commission adopted our halogen‑free combustion ion chromatography method in as IEC 62321‑3‑2, which was published in June 2013.
In 2017, we became the first display panel company to receive the SGS Eco Label accreditation for OLED television display modules from SGS, a global product testing/accreditation agency, and have since continually received such accreditation. In 2024, such accreditation has been updated to “SGS EEPS accreditation.” In 2022, we expanded our accreditation program to cover display modules for monitors, notebook computers, tablets and automobiles, as a result of which our display modules for monitors and notebook computers received SGS Eco Label accreditation for the first time and our automotive display module became the first in the industry to receive the same accreditation for its excellence in energy efficiency, and we have since maintained the SGS Eco Label for such products. In 2023, our high-end LCD panels for 16-inch notebooks and 27-inch monitors, in which we incorporated recycled materials for the first time, received the SGS Eco Label accreditation. In addition, our 30-inch and 55-inch transparent display products, for which we applied hazardous substance reduction technology, became the first in the industry to receive the SGS Eco Label accreditation. Moreover, in 2022, our 27-inch monitor display product that applied anti-bacterial films received the SGS Performance Mark accreditation for its anti-bacterial performance, and in 2023, our commercial display module that applied Plus-Bright energy consumption reduction technology obtained the SGS Performance Mark accreditation for its energy efficiency performance. Our high-end LCD panels