SK hynix promises more efforts to cut carbon emissions

SK hynix, the world’s second-biggest memory provider, vowed Monday to make more efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

The pledge was made alongside the chipmaker’s announcement of its social value figures for 2020.

Since 2019, major affiliates of SK Group have been quantifying the values they created in three areas of “indirect contribution to the economy,” “social performance,” and “social contribution.”

SK hynix put its indirect contribution to the economy via tax payment, employment, dividend payouts and more, at 5.4 trillion won ($4.85 billion).

In the social performance segment, which takes into account the company’s contribution to the country’s labor market and shared growth, as well as environmental protection, the chipmaker rated its contribution at minus 596.9 billion won.

In terms of social contribution, SK hynix created 110.6 billion won in social value through donations and social outreach activities, it said.

Compared to 2019, the chipmaker’s achievements in the social performance field decreased 11 percent from minus 539.8 billion won to minus 596.9 billion won, the company noted, due to the negative impact its business had on the environment, such as greenhouse gas emissions.

This is due to the characteristics of the semiconductor industry, which consumes large amounts of water and electricity and emits greenhouse gases during the manufacturing process, the company said in a press release.

The company managed to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions per unit production thanks to efforts such as the recycling of resources across the company, a SK Hynix official said. 

“However, the company feels regret to its stakeholders that the total amount of emissions has increased,” the official said. “SK hynix will focus on reducing the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions by making efforts in various fields such as environmental technology development to reduce adverse environmental impacts.”

SK hynix plans to concentrate company-wide capabilities on the SV 2030 plan, announced in January this year as the company’s mid- to long-term plan for SV creation.

Through this, the company aims to achieve key goals including carbon neutrality, vitalization of the semiconductor ecosystem, establishment of a social safety net, and internalization of a corporate culture based on diversity and inclusion.

The chipmaker said, in particular, it will actively make improvements in the environmental field through various efforts such as minimizing greenhouse gas emissions, reducing waste, and expanding water resource recycling in the semiconductor manufacturing process.

By Song Su-hyun (song@heraldcorp.com)