Green metal
Korea Zinc believes that sharing and caring are essential strengths that create future value.
Green Metals
Korea Zinc's Efforts for Recycling Zinc
Korea Zinc, as a global leading company, has a responsibility to protect the global environment and has never avoided challenges to solve environmental problems. Rather, Korea Zinc has chosen the standard tactics that actively invest and respond more than anyone else. STEELCYCLE Corporation, a subsidiary, treats waste such as 400,000 tons of steelmaking dust generated in the steel industry annually in the RHF method to regenerate it into HZO, which is used again as a material for zinc production. In this eco-friendly way, Korea Zinc is creating a sustainable carbon-neutral future and circular economy value by reducing the number of ore mined.
Establishment of inter-industry resource circulation system by secondary materials
Achieve both environment and productivity with TSL method
Residues that are inevitably generated in the smelting process of non-ferrous metals, including zinc and lead, have been treated as toxic substances and discarded. The Top Submerged Lance, TSL, method, a non-ferrous smelting residue treatment method introduced by Korea Zinc, is the representative eco-friendly construction method that valuable metals such as zinc, lead, and copper are recovered until the final process by inputting zinc residues and wastes from other industries into the fumer process and prevents environmental pollution by discharging the final by-product as clean slag that can be used as industrial aggregate or cement raw material. This TSL method has been recognized as a method that enables productivity improvement and eco-friendly production at the same time and has received Korea Good Technology (KT) and Environmental Technology (ET) certifications from the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Ministry of Environment.
Development of Eco-friendly Products and Technologies
Korea Zinc currently classifies products manufactured using recycled materials as “eco-friendly products” and calculates the proportion of such products in sales. The proportion of eco-friendly products in total sales was 4.72% in 2023, an increase compared to the previous year.
SGS
Environmental Claims Certificate Recycled Content SGS, recognized for decades as a global leader in certification, ensures compliance with a wide range of domestic and international industry standards through its verification and certification services. Korea Zinc’s copper products have been certified by SGS as being produced entirely from recycled materials, highlighting the company's contribution to resource circulation through the production of recycled metals.
ISO 14001
Environmental Claims Certificate Recycled Content In March of 2006, Korea Zinc also acquired the 2004 version of ISO 14001 certification, which means Korea Zinc is now equipped with the world's best management system in the environmental field of the total non-ferrous smelting industry. 2015 certification along with the 2015 version of ISO: With this transition, Korea Zinc can be able to achieve better environmental management performance through continuous process improvement and risk management.
Carbon Footprint
- Measurement of Product Carbon Footprint
- Reduction of Product Carbon Footprint
- Production of Low-carbon Metal
Carbon Trust
The Carbon Trust, a non-profit organization established in the UK to promote decarbonization, measures, evaluates, and certifies greenhouse gas emissions across the entire lifecycle of a product, including raw materials, production, transportation, use, and recycling. In 2023, Korea Zinc measured the carbon footprint of zinc, silver, and copper. In 2024, it expanded its measurement to lead, gold, and semiconductor sulfuric acid.
Efforts for
Green Metal Production
Renewable Energy
SMC receives approximately 25% of its total electricity supply from renewable energy through a solar power project constructed in 2018. With continuous introduction of renewable energy such as wind power, SMC plans to increase the proportion of renewable energy to 85% by 2030 and 100% by 2040. Moreover, by aggressively expanding its eco-friendly portfolio including renewable energy and green hydrogen projects, SMC aims to produce 100% green metal through net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
