EPA recognizes LG Electronics USA

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized LG Electronics USA, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, with the 2016 Gold Tier Award, the top-level recognition in the EPA's Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Electronics Challenge.

The award was presented Jan. 7 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 recycling, striving to send 100 percent of used electronics collected to certified third-party recyclers and publicly sharing detailed information about its electronic management practices, EPA says.

"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 life cycles," said 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,” he continued. “I am proud to recognize LG, a true leader in the industry, for creating innovative ways to meld environmental responsibilities with sound business practices.”

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,” he said. “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 more than 24,000 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. says it is the world's first "Global e-Stewards Enterprise." The e-Stewards Standard was developed by Seattle-based Basel Action Network and is a certification program for electronics recyclers. It is designed to prevent the export and dumping of toxic electronic scrap in developing countries and calls for safeguards to protect private data and ensure that recycling plant workers are not exposed to toxic materials.

This recognition from the EPA follows other electronics recycling honors for LG, including the CTA e-Cycling Initiative Leader Award and the Design for Recycling Award from 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 life cycle.

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