Home > Business > Guest Reports

LG Chem broadens solutions portfolio for greener, sustainable future

Published: 25 Aug. 2025, 13:18

A researcher from LG CHEM tests a product in a laboratory. [LG CHEM]

LG Chem is building a diverse portfolio based on environmentally friendly future technologies, ranging from sustainable plastic to automotive components and metal-replacement exterior plastics.

LG Chem plans to contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by actively expanding the production of bio-circular balanced products using bio-based materials.

In January 2024, LG Chem signed an agreement with Eni, Italy’s largest oil company, to establish a joint venture for a next-generation bio-oil plant. The company aims to complete an HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil) production facility with an annual capacity of 300,000 tons at its Daesan site in South Chungcheong by 2026.

LG Chem is set to establish Korea’s first HVO plant capable of integrated production. With this new facility, the company will secure a stable supply of sustainable feedstock for eco-friendly products and strengthen its profitability.

In 2021, LG Chem became the first company in Korea to obtain ISCC Plus certification for nine products based on bio-naphtha.

LG Chem also built Korea’s first pyrolysis oil plant in Dangjin, South Chungcheong, with an annual production capacity of 20,000 tons.

The plant applies chemical recycling technology that breaks down waste plastics using supercritical water vapor under high temperature and pressure. The facility is expected to achieve industry-leading productivity, producing over 8 tons of pyrolysis oil from 10 tons of plastic input.

To secure a stable supply of feedstock, LG Chem signed a memorandum of understanding in January 2023 with resource-recycling company Netspa to recycle marine debris into plastic raw materials. In collaboration with local governments in Seoul, as well as Gyeonggi’s Ansan and Siheung, the company is also establishing a system to reduce waste and promote a circular economy for plastics to reduce carbon emissions by up to three times compared to conventional fossil fuel-based products.

LG Chem introduced the world’s first cosmetics containers made from polyethylene carbonate (PEC), a plastic derived from carbon dioxide.

PEC is flexible, transparent and offers excellent oxygen barrier properties. Unlike conventional plastics, PEC generates no soot when incinerated, meaning reduced air pollution.

In April, LG Chem announced that it signed a contract with Webasto, a global leader in automotive sunroof systems, for supplying switchable glazing film (SGF) over the coming years.

Webasto, one of the world’s top 100 automotive components companies, plans to use the film in advanced sunroof systems for European vehicles. The SGF contract is expected to be worth several hundred billion won.

LG Chem’s SGF is recognized for reduced light interference and a clear view from any angle compared to its competing products. Mass production is planned for this year, with full-scale sales starting in the second half of next year. The company’s SGF production facility can supply enough material for 3 million vehicles annually.

In 2023, LG Chem supplied electrocoating (e-coat) plastic materials for the front fenders of three vehicle models, including the Mitsubishi Outlander SUV.

While front fenders are normally made of metal, LG Chem has made a lighter version using e-coat plastic. The material combines polyphenylene ether, which withstands paint drying temperatures above 200 degrees Celsius (392 degrees Fahrenheit) with minimal warping, and impact-resistant polyamide.

Front fenders made with e-coat plastic enable the efficient painting of metal body panels and reduce vehicle weight, which improves fuel efficiency and lowers carbon emissions.

BY JANG HAYOON [[email protected]]

What is “Promoted Content”?

“Promoted Content” articles are written by our staff reporters. They are promoted to some extent by an external company.

Promoted Content is not the same as “Guest Reports,” which are paid advertorials.
Our reporters and editors retain complete editorial independence in the conception and production of Promoted Content.