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With every new year comes a fresh sense of optimism about the future, a moment to focus on what’s to come, instead of what we’re leaving behind. And so, it’s fitting that the annual Consumer Electronics Show would take place in early January to provide the world with a preview of the products, services and technologies that will impact our lives in the year – and years – ahead.

Back in-person at the Las Vegas Convention Center after a Covid-prompted virtual-only show last year, CES remains a one-of-a-kind, a spotlight show where devices have long grabbed the headlines. The event, starting January 5 in strict compliance of the federal and local health authorities’ guidelines, is taking place in a relatively calmer mood, but still attracting visitors eager to learn the new technology trend.

It’s important to remember, however, that the “E” in CES stands for Electronics and that none of these attention-grabbing devices would be what they are without the various internal components – from Bluetooth chips to advanced semiconductor memory – powering them.

In keeping with the spirit of looking into the future with optimism, SK hynix will use its show floor space at CES to promote a different type of optimism for the future, one that impacts everyone – the environmental impact.

For as much attention that the devices themselves receive about battery life, heat generation and other concerns, carbon reduction efforts begin at the heart of those devices, within the internal components.

As a semiconductor company, SK hynix, along with five other group affiliates participating in the exhibition, shoulders an important part of SK Group’s larger carbon reduction effort and will be showcasing examples of its impact on three distinct areas: the product, the process, and the package.

The Product: Low-Powered Semiconductors

It’s widely recognized that general solid-state drives, or SSDs, consume 60% less power than hard-disk drives, or HDDs. If we can replace existing 4th generation NAND Flash-based enterprise SSDs (eSSDs) in the data centers around the world with 5th generation eSSDs, carbon dioxide emissions could be reduced by 50,000 tons a year in 2030.

SK hynix’s world’s best-performing DRAM, High Bandwidth Memory 3 (HBM3), is also expected to contribute to SK hynix’s efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. HBM3, which is used for AI Accelerators and high-performance graphics cards, has improved power consumption over existing GDDR DRAM by about 50 percent. Replacing GDDR DRAM with HBM3 also will contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions by about 830,000 tons a year in 2030.

By accelerating the transition of the storages into SSDs and developing the next-gen semiconductor memory solutions, SK hynix can help contribute to the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, which is one of the important goals for SK Group.

The Process: Water-free scrubber

One of the best examples of SK hynix’s sustainable movement is the adoption of the highly efficient ‘Water-Free Scrubber’ at process plants to better manage water resources.

SK hynix’s dedication to the safe disposal of various chemicals used in semiconductor processing is proven through its development and adoption of eco-friendly process technology. For this, the eco-friendly scrubber technology was developed for the treatment of process gas. The eco-friendly scrubbers led to a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 90 percent a year in 2020. Furthermore, SK hynix developed new water-free scrubbers with its partner companies. Compared to the existing scrubbers, these water-free scrubbers can eliminate process gas without using any water resources, and by so further reduce water resource consumption.

The Package: Biodegradable package material

The commitment to the environment doesn’t end when the products are manufactured. Even the packaging that our SSDs are shipped in take the environment into consideration.

Last year, when the company announced its Gold P31 SSD, it noted packaging that utilized biodegradable plastic bags, soy ink and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified paper. This eco-friendly package can be degraded by 90% in 180 days, and the certification indicated that the wood fiber was harvested in ways that reduce environmental impact by protecting water quality, avoiding hazardous chemicals, and protecting forest ecology and wildlife habitats.

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SK’s Pursuit of Eco-Friendly Semiconductor Ecosystem

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Processing a copious amount of data we use every day generates a lot of heat and carbon. In the process of semiconductor production, we are also striving with our business partners to create a sustainable semiconductor ecosystem by establishing the Eco Alliance, which is concerned with minimizing carbon emissions and solving environmental problems.

In 2019, SK hynix created the ECO Alliance, a coalition of nearly 40 partner companies committed to building an eco-friendly semiconductor ecosystem. Each member company of alliance is held accountable to mid-to long-term environmental goals that will reduce the impact of their company on the environment. SK hynix is working with partners to maximize energy efficiency in the manufacturing process by recovering waste heat and operating the refrigeration system in optimal condition.

THE SK FAMILY EFFORT

When it comes to carbon reduction, the work being done through SK hynix are part of a larger effort among SK Group’s many companies. The Group is determined to contribute to the global carbon reduction targets of 21 billion tons by 2030 by taking on one percent of that, or 200 million tons.

The work is part of SK Group’s larger philosophy and belief that social values are just as important as economic values. It’s an important message that will resonate as many of us venture out again for the first time since Covid changed our lives. For some, it will be the first time back on an airplane or sleeping in a hotel room. For others, it may be the first time being back among large groups of people.

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But to be back after last year’s hiatus, to see some cutting-edge technologies and be able to understand that the future is more than what we do, but also how we go about doing it. It’s an exciting time to be back.

Safe travels to one and all heading to and from Las Vegas. Stay healthy.

The post Back to CES: SK hynix Focuses on Ways Technology Can Impact Carbon Reduction Efforts first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

That’s why, in July 2019, SK hynix was inspired to create the ECO Alliance, a coalition of semiconductor companies committed to building an eco-friendly semiconductor ecosystem. With 33 member companies including Daedeok Electronics, Dongwoo Fine-Chem and Hana Micron, the coalition strives to enact real, industry-wide progress.

Figure 1. Inauguration ceremony of ECO Alliance in 2019

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Progress requires accountability, and each member of ECO Alliance is held to mid-to-long term environmental goals that will reduce the impact of their company on the environment.

How It Comes to Life

Working together towards the group’s collective goals, ECO Alliance focuses first and foremost on improving the environmental management capabilities of its member companies. While it might be simple to identify the problem, it can be much more complicated to identify the solution and implement it across workstreams and operations. Proper environmental management systems with the right structures, guidelines and resources can help streamline this process.

So, to help create these structures, and offer peer-to-peer support, ECO Alliance offers environmental consulting, team workshops, bimonthly newsletters, and small group meetings.

Small Group Meetings

Small group meetings of ECO Alliance are held to actively engage members through in-depth discussions and exchanges on relevant environmental issues. It’s an opportunity for our partner companies to connect directly with one another to discuss the topics and situations most important to them and collaborate on finding solutions.

Over the past several months, SK hynix has gathered remotely with ECO Alliance members for virtual meetings in accordance with social distancing protocols.

In March, we attended lectures and engaged in conversations around the ‘integrated environment management system¹.’ Typically introduced to overcome the limitations of an incomplete license management system, the goal of this system is to establish an environment management system for business sites where environment and economy can coexist.

Figure 2. Jeonggu Kim, Director of the Headquarter EHS at Eco & Partners
Lecturing for ECO Alliance Members Virtually

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In April and May, the theme of our meetings was the total air pollutant management system in the workplace. A lecture was given by Jeonggu Kim, director of the headquarter EHS at Eco & Partners, who spoke about the background and progress of a special law on the improvement of air quality in the air management area introduced on April 3, 2020.

Insights from Our ECO Alliance Partners

Veolia Korea: Environmental pollution poses a serious danger to the planet, and companies around the world are being asked to use water and resources more carefully. In order to learn about water management, we chatted with Veolia Korea², a water management company with a history of 167 years.

“Today, humanity uses a lot of water and generates as much wastewater. The pollutants in the wastewater are now beyond the level of natural purification. Therefore, if the used water is not properly disposed, all of humans, animals, and plants will be in danger, so it is inevitable and critical to go through proper wastewater treatment and secure drinking water.”

Shinsung E&G: Shinsung E&G is a high-tech company that recently established a smart factory solution in Yongin, South Korea. SK hynix talked with Chul-soo Shin, director of the factory in Yongin, about how Shinsung E&G developed and sustains the smart factory.

“Building a smart factory can also be called building a smart system. What many people misunderstand is that a smart factory is simply an automated facility. In reality, a smart factory is more about establishing an infrastructure that can automatically collect all data created in all areas of the manufacturing process in real time.”

“Additionally, our Yongin factory operates solar power generators to ensure power efficiency; with the intelligent micro-grid system, these generators operate flexibly while taking a large amount of information in consideration, including our production plan, facility burden, and weather forecast. As a result, this solar power generators provide the Yongin factory with 40% of the power it requires.”

Komico: Starting as the first company in Korea to commercialize semiconductor parts cleaning and coating business in 1996, Komico is now a global leader in this field of industry. Recently, the company improved waste reduction in its operations, having reduced about 83% of waste in one of its plants between 2015 and 2018.

“Our efforts to solve environmental problems shines most when all members at our site devotes in the same direction. As in the case of Komico’s waste reduction, if ECO Alliance member companies work together to solve environmental problems step by step, we expect that the establishment of an eco-friendly semiconductor ecosystem will be accelerated a little faster.”

Figure 5. Komico’s Advanced Waste Compacting Facility

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Looking Ahead

SK hynix will continue to consolidate these relationships, deduct applicable eco-management solutions, and develop collaborative programs among ECO Alliance member companies even further for improved environment management.

SK hynix will work together with all of its ECO Alliance partners to ensure that the eco-friendly ecosystem continues to grow and thrive through smooth communication, information sharing and knowledge exchange among member companies.

¹Integrated environment management system: A method that is carried out on a site-by-business basis to manage the effects of media-to-media compared to environmentally-related permits previously managed for each medium, such as air, water, and soil.
²The Korean branch of French wastewater management company Veolia which originated in middle 19th century under the order of Napoleon III

The post [Memory for a Better Life 3] Introducing: ECO Alliance first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

Environmental and Social Value Creation through Sustainable Management – 2022 ECO Vision

SK hynix pursues the creation of social values by contributing to the society and solving important social and environmental problems, acting as a leading corporate member of the global civil society. Under this management principle, SK hynix announced its ‘2022 ECO Vision’ in 2018 for eco-friendly semiconductor factories. With this announcement, SK hynix redefined ‘Environmental & Clean Operation’ to ‘ECO,’ standing for ecology and environment, to take the initiative in creating social values by operating eco-friendly semiconductor manufacturing plants.

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The 2022 ECO Vision includes: (1) Reducing Greenhouse gas (GHG) emission by 40% compared to BAU (Business As Usual, total projected emissions without artificial measures to reduce GHG emissions), (2) Achieving a 95% waste recycling rate, (3) Using 100% renewable energy at overseas facilities. SK hynix monitors every aspect if the whole manufacturing process, from electricity and water – essential for semiconductor production, to GHG and waste generated during the production. Furthermore, SK hynix aims to take the leading role in preserving the environment by minimizing waste production and maximizing the recycling of resources.

The First Korean Company to Obtain Zero Waste to Landfill Validation – Waste into Resources

Generating record-breaking sales in 2018, SK hynix’s GHG emissions, waste generation and water consumption all increased. As a result, SK hynix strengthened its workplaces’ environmental management to alleviate its environmental impact despite a higher production total, which includes environmental impact reduction activities via its sustainable management strategy.

A sign of what is to come, SK hynix became the first Korean company and 14th in the world to obtain Zero Waste to Landfill Silver validation, certified by the US-based Underwriters Laboratories (UL, leading safety standard certification organization). UL grades worksites annually, measuring the total weight of waste and non-recyclable waste per worksite. SK hynix’s Icheon and Cheongju Campus achieved a waste recycling rate of 90% and 94% respectively in 2017, satisfying criteria for a prestigious Silver grade (80% to 97%).

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As part of its effort to reduce the environmental impact caused by waste, SK hynix developed Poly Aluminum Surface Silicate (PASS), a new water treatment agent that is easier to neutralize due to its wide pH application range and lower Cl (Chlorine) emission compared to existing Poly Aluminum Chloride (PAC). SK hynix is committed to minimizing waste emissions and maximizing the recycling of resources, by continuously strengthening its environmental management and continuing its research on waste management systems. SK hynix plans to expand this progressive waste treatment system to its Wuxi and Chongqing campuses, China, to promote its ‘waste into resources’ initiative.

Creating an Eco-Friendly Semiconductor Ecosystem with Suppliers

In July 2019, SK hynix launched its ‘ECO Alliance’ of 30 suppliers to expand its environmental management. This ‘ECO Alliance’ plans to resolve environmental problems within the semiconductor industry by enlisting the help of suppliers to achieve three major objectives: (1) Establishing and implementing environmental management goals for each participating company (2) Establishing and implementing a common vision and environmental goals (3) Establishing a new eco-friendly DBL business model.

Through this forward-thinking ECO Alliance, SK hynix plans to share its eco-friendly technologies and know-how with its suppliers, giving them the opportunity to establish and implement their very own environmental goals. For this, SK hynix plans to carry out various activities including quarterly meetings to share the latest trends related to environmental regulations, and training sessions to enhance SHE (Safety, Health and Environment) capabilities.

Inauguration ceremony of ECO Alliance, with SK hynix’s 30 suppliers

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SK hynix plans to continue its commitment in resolving environmental problems through its pioneering environmental management, while simultaneously implementing its mutual-growth management that allows the company and society to grow together.

Click the link to download the SK hynix Sustainability Report 2019 (ENG)
https://www.skhynix.com/eng/sustain/sustainManage.do#tg04

The post Environmental Management for a Better World first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.