SEOUL (ANN/THE KOREA HERALD) – The world’s second-largest memory chip maker, SK hynix, made a significant announcement on Tuesday regarding its commitment to sustainability.
The company revealed its ambitious plan to boost the proportion of recycled materials in its products to over 30 percent by the year 2030.
This target, aligned with the company’s broader goal of achieving carbon neutrality, marks a pioneering move in the semiconductor industry. SK hynix aims to lay the groundwork for this endeavour by increasing the usage of recycled materials to 25 per cent by 2025.
This initiative not only contributes to the company’s carbon neutrality objectives but also underscores its dedication to fostering a circular economy system centred on resource recycling.
Such efforts align with the global imperative of promoting sustainable practices, making SK hynix’s commitment a noteworthy milestone in the tech industry’s journey towards environmental responsibility.
According to the plans, the company will increase the use of recycled copper, tin and gold, and use more recycled plastic in packaging used to protect finished chip products.
SK hynix said metal materials are most effective when it comes to resource circulation, as they account for a large proportion of the weight of finished memory products and are difficult to replace with other materials.
The chipmaker has also strengthened certification procedures and quality evaluation for directly purchasing recycled materials and deciding whether to apply the materials included in the parts supplied by business partners after receiving and reviewing the quality evaluation.
Additionally, SK hynix plans to encourage its suppliers to join the efforts to obtain validation from publicly trusted external organisations, such as ISO 140213, to verify the use and proportion of recycled materials.
“As a company that takes environmental, social and governance management seriously, we intend to actively participate in the establishment of a global circular economy,” said Song Jun-ho, vice president and head of advanced quality and analysis at SK hynix.
“While implementing this road map, we will work together with all stakeholders in the semiconductor supply chain, including customers and suppliers, to achieve practical results,” he added.
