[Edaily Reporter Song Jae-min] LG Electronics is accelerating efforts to build a resource circulation ecosystem by recovering and recycling refrigerants from end-of-life appliances and launching a pilot project for its refurbished product business.

LG Electronics announced on the 19th that it participated in the “Agreement for Fostering and Supporting Leading Circular Economy Companies and Industrial Complexes,” held at the POSCO Center in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. The signing ceremony was attended by government and industry officials, including Kim Seong-hwan, Minister of Climate, Energy, and Environment; Moon Gap-saeng, Chairman of the Korea Environment Corporation; and Baek Seung-tae, Head of LG Electronics’ Home Solutions Business Division. A total of 16 companies, including LG Electronics, POSCO, Hyundai Steel, PKC, and Samyang Foods, participated in the agreement.

In the electrical and electronics sector, LG Electronics will form a consortium with LX Pantos, Chilseo Recycling Center, Oun Altutech, and Gyeongnam Technopark to carry out the “Project to Establish a System for the Recovery, Recycling, and Refurbishment of Waste Refrigerants from Electrical and Electronic Products.” LX Pantos will be responsible for establishing a system for the collection and management of waste appliances, while Chilseo Recycling Center will handle the dismantling of waste appliances and the extraction of refrigerants. Oun R2Tech will develop technology for refining recycled refrigerants, while Gyeongnam Technopark plans to establish a recovery system based on cooperation with local governments and develop management standardization measures.

LG Electronics plans to expand its annual recovered refrigerant volume to 81 metric tons by 2030—approximately seven times the 2024 level. This volume is sufficient to supply refrigerant for about 100,000 6-pyeong wall-mounted air conditioners. Through this initiative, the company expects to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 150,000 metric tons—equivalent to the annual emissions of about 30,000 passenger cars. The company plans to establish a recycling system in which recovered refrigerant is purified to a high degree of purity and reused in the production of new products and after-sales service (A/S).

The company will also conduct a pilot program for its refurbished product business. It will standardize the entire process—from recovery and diagnosis to repair and verification—and establish a quality verification system covering appearance, performance, and safety to assess the feasibility of commercialization. Refurbished products that pass verification will be sold primarily to small business owners through the LG Electronics Business Mall.

In addition, LG Electronics is operating “Battery Turn,” a campaign to collect used vacuum cleaner batteries, and is expanding its resource recycling activities by applying composite fiber materials to OLED TVs, thereby reducing plastic usage by approximately 40% compared to LCD TVs of the same size.

Baek Seung-tae, Executive Vice President and Head of the Home Solutions Business Division at LG Electronics, said, “We will provide customers with unprecedented experiences through new products and solutions, while simultaneously realizing a sustainable future through carbon reduction and resource circulation.”