LG Nears 2030 Targets With Strong Sustainability Performance
LG is now within touching distance of its 2030 climate goals, according to its newly-published sustainability report.
The South Korean tech firm has revealed emissions reductions so dramatic that it may reach its short-term net zero targets several years early.
The report shows LG produced 910,000 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent in 2024, with its 2030 goal of reducing to 878,000 tonnes eminently achievable by 2026.
LG had originally only committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 54.6% from a 2017 baseline, but its 2030 goals are now looking rather conservative given the speed at which it’s moving.
But how has LG managed it?
A great deal of the company’s efforts have been focused on making its manufacturing plants — which contribute to a hefty chunk of LG's overall emissions — more energy efficient.
LG’s approach to Scope 3 emissions
Like the vast majority of companies, Scope 3 emissions make up the large part of LG’s carbon footprint.
Any time a consumer uses an LG product, the energy that product consumes all goes towards LG’s emissions total, so the firm is doing its utmost to make its products more sustainable.
One of the ways it is doing so is through AI. Its HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) systems, for example, now use AI to control the climate of buildings, adapting to weather conditions, building size and building design.
So far, LG has managed to slash the overall carbon emissions of its whole product portfolio by 19.4% compared to 2020 levels.
The company has also had its decarbonisation targets validated by the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) which is regarded as the gold standard for net zero commitments.
Through the SBTi, LG has pledged to reduce its Scope 3 emissions by 2030 from a 2020 baseline.
LG’s waste strategy
LG’s performance on waste reduction has also been extremely impressive.
The company posted a staggering 97.4% waste recycling rate at its global production sites in 2024, far surpassing its own 2030 target of 95%.
The real showstopper of LG’s waste strategy is its electronics collection programme, which hoovered up 532,630 tonnes of used electronics from 91 locations across 56 countries last year.
Since LG first launched this programme in 2006 it has managed to collect more than 5 million tonnes of e-waste, which is enough to fill more than 50,000 shipping containers.
LG has also ramped up the amount of recycled plastic it uses in manufacturing too, which has increased by 36% since last year.
Receiving recognition
LG's sustainability blitz has seen it earn the recognition and praise of a whole range of environmental assessors.
The company claimed a coveted top 1% ranking in S&P Global's Corporate Sustainability Assessment for the second consecutive year, a distinction achieved by fewer than 50 companies globally.
Morgan Stanley Capital International has awarded LG an “A” grade for five straight years, whilst the Dow Jones “Best-in-Class World Index” has featured the company for an impressive 13 consecutive years.
Behind these accolades lies a governance revolution, with LG’s board operating under strict principles of independence, expertise and transparency.
“We continue to push the boundaries of innovation with the spirit of a ‘Brave Optimist,’ boldly pursuing sustainable growth,” says William Cho, CEO of LG.
