Zero Waste to Landfill is validated by UL, a global safety certification organization that gives out platinum, gold and silver designations based on the percentage of waste used as resources.

This is a key indicator in evaluating a company’s steps toward a circular economy. UL was established in the U.S. in 1894 as an international certification testing agency providing the development and certification of product testing standards and is considered a highly trusted safety certification in the U.S.

Former UL CEO Keith Williams stated in a media interview that the reason why U.S. consumers feel relieved when they see the UL logo is because UL gained credibility through its uncompromising testing process.

We are proud to have passed this strict UL validation process, becoming the first company in Korea to earn the highest platinum level of validation.

Circulating resources means waste that does not contain harmful or foreign substances and are highly valuable, so they can be traded. The Recycling Resource Quality certification can be obtained by meeting the standards as set by a quality review from the Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute under the Ministry of Environment. Through the Recycling Resource Recognition System, certified resources are recognized as zero waste and having high-utilization value and quality; as a result, they are excluded from various waste-related regulations.

Wastewater sludge is generated in the process of purifying the water to make semiconductors. We developed the technology to extract crude copper from this sludge. And in partnership with Hyundai Steel, we jointly developed technology to reuse wastewater sludge as an essential material in making steel. By continuing to invest in such innovative technology, we are able to turn waste into valuable resources.

Epoxy Molding Compound (EMC) is created during the semiconductor packing process and helps protect semiconductors from external environmental factors such as humidity, heat and impact. Through steady research, Samsung Semiconductor was able to develop technology to recycle EMC into material that can be used to make plastic.

Waste containing CV dust from production lines can explode if it is burned, so it has to go to landfills. Thanks to unfaltering material research and technology development, we succeeded in extracting valuable metals such as gold and tungsten from the CV dust. Samsung Semiconductor even recycles dust! Through a thorough analysis of raw materials and devotion to technological innovation, Samsung Semiconductor was able to discover great value in the smallest dust particles.