[CES 2023] [From the Scene] SK intrigues attendees with carbon-reducing tech

LAS VEGAS -- The exhibition of SK Group, South Korea’s second-largest conglomerate, drew the eyes of visitors and participants at CES 2023 held in Las Vegas from Thursday to Sunday.

“They set up these black walls. I can’t really see what’s inside there,” said Chris Tomlin, an auto mechanic based in Los Angeles, as he stood in line to enter the exhibition area.

There were others getting in the waiting line as the inside of the exhibition was not entirely visible from the exhibition floor. All people could see was a sign at the entrance that read, “Would you like to join our Net Zero Journey?”

The exhibition began in a dark tunnel with an immersive display that showed water waves on the floor and a video on the walls. The video showed how the world will be damaged by environmental problems if individuals and businesses do not act now.

Once the visitors got past the tunnel, the bright and white-colored inside of the exhibition was revealed. Different sections -- Clean Mobility, Zero Carbon Lifestyle, Waste to Resources and Future Energy -- displayed how cities can become sustainable with various technologies.

“Reducing carbon emissions is a topic that we think quite a lot about how we can solve it with technology. I hope many people take an interest, so we can actively respond to climate change,” SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won told reporters as he visited the exhibition.

SK presented the latest technologies of electric vehicle batteries, renewable energy, waste-to-energy technology, carbon capture, small module reactors, urban air mobility and advanced health care technology.

“We’ve designed the SK exhibition hall in a way that visitors can clearly compare and experience the two futures that people on Earth might face when they actively engage in carbon reduction activities and when they do not,” said Son Hyun-ho, vice president of strategy support team under the conglomerate’s highest consultative panel SK SUPEX Council.

SK made a pledge to reduce carbon emissions by 200 million metric tons by 2030, which is about 1 percent of the global carbon reduction targets required to curb climate change, at last year’s CES.

“It was really great to see a company with so many ways that they are looking at reducing emissions and it’s just exciting to see a big company going beyond and looking at things like AI, metaverse and how we could reduce our overall energy consumption,” said Stacey Force, an age tech consultant based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

“It’s really cool that SK is starting to expand into the United States and willing to think about how to be more effective about waste reduction,” she added.