LG Electronics to venture into food waste disposer market

LG Electronics Inc., the world's largest home appliance maker, will foray into the food waste disposer market in the first quarter of 2025, heralding a shake-up in the sector led by small electronics companies, according to industry sources on Monday.

The South Korean household name is set to become the first electronics giant to enter the market as it expands its mass-market product lineup to cope with Chinese rivals’ product diversification. 

In August, LG Electronics collaborated with the city of Ansan in Gyeonggi Province to test its food waste disposers on 40 households in a pilot project.

Its food disposers will be built into the kitchen sink and decompose food through microbial fermentation. LG is also considering selling the products on a subscription basis.

The device drains the water from the food waste down the sink drain and then ferments and dries it. No food powder or debris are discharged into the sewage system, so there is little chance of water pollution, sewer pipe blockage or backflow. 

The domestic food waste disposer market is currently led by smaller electronics companies such as Hurom Co., Cuckoo Electronics Co., a unit of Cuckoo Holdings Co., Minix and Smartcara Co.

Food waste disposers are among the four most popular home appliances, alongside robot vacuum cleaners, dishwashers and clothes dryers.

Major home appliance makers have neglected the market due to hygiene and environmental protection issues.

Samsung Electronics Co., registered a food waste disposer trademark in 2020, but has yet to launch a product.

According to Global Information Inc., a data provider, the global food waste disposer market is forecast to grow to $48.8 billion by 2031 from $26.4 billion in 2021.

LG has been a pioneering force in niche home appliance markets.

Its clothing steam cleaner, the Styler, has become one of its flagship products since its launch in 2011 and Samsung Electronics later rolled out similar products to play catch-up.

Write to Chae-Yeon Kim at Why29@hankyung.com
 

Yeonhee Kim edited this article.