Samsung Electronics' life cycle assessment gauges CO2 emission impact from chips

Samsung Electronics Co. on Monday said it set up a life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology for semiconductors to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

The LCA system calculates the environmental impact of chips by quantifying materials, energy and waste used in all processes from the collection and processing of raw materials to product manufacturing, transportation, use and disposal.

The company calculates the volume of CO2 emissions generated in the process of product production, packaging and testing from the supply and demand stage of semiconductor raw materials.

In a first for the domestic chip industry, the LCA system was completed late last year following international standards and received certification from DNV, the Norway-based classification body for global energy and environment standards.

As a result, Samsung Electronics said, its LCA operations followed global standards and its calculation of CO2 emissions was confirmed as reliable.

Carbon emission figures are used as indicators to speed up low-carbon development and verify emission reductions.

Samsung Electronics will run LCAs of all its products made at global semiconductor production and packaging lines in Korea, the US and China.

It will also set up a comprehensive management system to expand the LCA's scope to the carbon footprints of water and other resources in addition to those of chips.

"Since 2019, Samsung Electronics has reinforced its activities for carbon emission reduction centered on major products of memory and system semiconductors," said Song Doo-guen, executive vice president of Samsung Electronics' Environment, Health and Safety Center.

"We will boost transparency in environmental information disclosure based on the LCA system and contribute to client companies attaining carbon neutrality," he added.

Write to Ji-Eun Jeong at jeong@hankyung.com