EPA Honors LG Electronics at CES With Top-Level Gold Award in Electronics Recycling Challenge

January 9, 2017 /3BL Media/ - Presented Saturday on “CES^® 2017 Sustainability Day,” the Gold Tier Award recognizes LG’s significant contributions to the EPA’s SMM Electronics Challenge goals by increasing the amount of used electronics collected for reuse and recycle, striving to send 100 percent of used electronics collected to certified third-party recyclers, and publicly sharing detailed information about its electronic management practices.

CES 2017 spotlights LG’s strong commitment to sustainability and leadership in energy efficient products and renewable energy. In addition to EPA recycling award, LG’s new super-efficient TV technology earned the “Eco-Design and Sustainable Technologies” CES 2017 Innovations Award from the Consumer Technology Association (CTA™). LG is the exclusive provider of advanced solar panels for the CES 2017 Smart Energy Marketplace. What’s more, LG announced at CES dozens of new ENERGY STAR® certified home appliance and TV products for 2017.

Electronics Recycling Leadership

“The successful practices spearheaded by LG and other Challenge Participants are inspiring examples of how other manufacturers, retailers, and brand owners throughout various industries can make their products more sustainable throughout their lifecycles,” said senior Obama Administration official Mathy Stanislaus, Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Land and Emergency Management.

“The positive environmental impact of LG’s responsible recycling is equal to taking 12,209 passenger cars off the road for a year or saving enough electricity to power 8,535 U.S. homes for a year. I am proud to recognize LG, a true leader in the industry, for creating innovative ways to meld environmental responsibilities with sound business practices,” said Stanislaus.

William Cho, president and CEO, LG Electronics USA, applauded the EPA’s program, which encourages responsible recycling. “By using third-party certified recyclers, we’re proud to help drive the use of environmentally protective practices. LG’s leadership in the SMM Challenge reflects our strong commitment to building a robust market for electronic recycling in the U.S.”

The EPA award recognizes LG Electronics USA’s collection and responsible recycling of nearly 24,233.70 tons of used electronics, diverting solid waste from landfills in the past year. This avoided the release of the equivalent of more than 63,714 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. At collection events, LG encourages consumers to replace recycled electronics with new, more energy efficient ENERGY STAR® certified LG TV and monitors.

Supporting its commitment to responsible recycling, LG Electronics Inc. is the world’s first “Global e-Stewards Enterprise.” The e-Stewards standard, developed by the Basel Action Network, is the world’s most rigorous certification program for electronics recyclers. It prevents the export and dumping of toxic electronic waste in developing countries and calls for safeguards to protect private data and ensure that recycling plant workers are not exposed to toxic materials.

This special recognition from the EPA follow other electronics recycling honors for LG, including the CTA e-Cycling Initiative Leader Award and the Design for Recycling^® Award from the world’s leading recycling industry group, the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries. ISRI’s highest honor recognized LG for developing products such as 4K Ultra HD OLED and LED TVs with greener features designed to reduce the environmental load at every stage of the product lifecycle.

Energy Efficient Products

Leading the way in energy-efficient products for 2017, LG’s new ENERGY STAR certified 75-inch class 4K ULTRA HD LED TV (Model 75UJ6570) received the CES 2017 Innovation Award in the “Eco-Design and Sustainable Technologies” category.

For this model – and its 70-inch class cousin, Model 70UJ6570 – LG’s Energy Efficiency Panel and Low Power Algorithm technologies can significantly reduce power consumption while providing the same level of brightness as conventional LED TV screens by maximizing light transparency and minimizing light loss. LG’s Average Picture Level Dimming technology calculates the average signal level of the image, automatically controlling screen brightness, increasing contrast ratio and lowering energy consumption at the same time.

LG’s Energy Saving feature also offers additional energy consumption controls, allowing the user to select one of three energy levels. On all LG 2017 ENERGY STAR certified TVs, automatic brightness control is the default setting for virtually all picture modes (except HDR modes) and consumers are notified that changing picture modes may affect energy efficiency.

Dozens of 2017 LG products introduced at CES – from refrigerators and dishwashers to clothes washers and dryers to TVs and monitors – already have received ENERGY STAR certification,

Trailblazing Renewable Energy

The Smart Energy Marketplace at CES 2017, a unique pavilion devoted to renewable energy and sustainable living, exclusively features LG’s advanced solar panel technology. LG’s flagship NeON 2 modules, 12 of them to be specific, are mounted atop a specially design solar carport – charging the BMW i8 electric vehicle. 

LG’s award-winning innovative Cello technology utilizes circular-shaped wires to scatter light for better absorption while reducing the electrical loss and increasing power output and reliability As a result of its improved temperature coefficient, the LG NeON 2 can generate more electricity on a sunny day and even performs more efficiently on cloudy days.

“Sustainability is a core business principle at LG Electronics, and we believe LG has a shared responsibility to protect the environment by reducing our environmental impact while enhancing the quality of life for consumers. We call this ‘Innovation for a Better Life’ and it means both responsible recycling and developing innovative products with the environment in mind,” Cho said.

Learn more about LG’s responsible electronics recycling programs and overall sustainability efforts by visiting www.lgrecyclingprogram.com/