COVID-19 Response and Prevention

2020 was a year of continued crises and difficulties due to the global outbreak of COVID-19. Hanwha Corporation established and implemented response strategies to overcome the pandemic quickly and systematically and to provide a safe and healthy environment for all employees and on-site personnel. In addition, we are striving to overcome the global pandemic hand in hand with our executives and employees as well as various stakeholders, including our suppliers and local communities, and lay the foundation for coexistence in a safe society.

Support for the Safety and Health of the Local Community

Hanwha Corporation donated various hygiene products and protective equipment to safeguard the local community from the risk of COVID-19 infection and to promote the safety and health of the local community. In February 2020, we provided protective equipment, including 150,000 masks, for vulnerable populations and medical professionals in Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do where COVID-19 was rapidly spreading. In March 2020, we donated funds for overcoming COVID-19 to families of veterans, such as Persons of National Merit. During winter, when COVID-19 and influenza prevailed at the same time, we assumed our responsibility in securing the safety of the local community as a topmost priority in the face of social and economic crises by producing and delivering personal hygiene kits to 10,000 households from vulnerable populations.

Employee Health Promotion

Hanwha Corporation upholds maintaining the health and safety of all our employees as the root and primary principle for achieving our ESH management vision and operates a variety of health management and promotion programs for all our employees.

Work Environment Management

Hanwha Corporation endeavors to protect our employees and workers from harmful factors and to provide a safe and pleasant work environment. For all harmful factors, we collect the MSDS and provide the information to our employees and closely monitor the health of staff who are exposed to specific harmful factors by conducting special checkups.
In addition, we measure and manage the work environment and exposure to harmful factors by establishing internal standards that are stronger than the legal standards in order to provide a safer working environment to our employees. Through these efforts, we achieved 'ZERO' Occupational Illness Frequency Rate(OIFR) in all our business divisions for the past three years.

Safety Climate Diagnosis and Evaluation

Hanwha Corporation has developed a Safety Climate measurement program to establish a more mature safety culture. We measure Hanwha Corporation’s overall Safety Climate level as well as strengths and weaknesses of each specific indicator and establish effective safety culture strategies that are optimized for our organization.

Implementation of ‘Safety Day’

Hanwha Corporation designates a cycle for each plant and implements a 'Safety Day' participated by all employees. On 'Safety Day', the plants share information on the importance of safety and raise awareness by suspending all production in the plants, sharing their on-site improvement activities, such as various safety-related education and training sessions, intensive inspection activities, and small group safety improvement meetings, sharing results and feedback, and concentrating only on safety and health activities.

Integrated Environmental Management System

The Global Division’s Onsan plant has established an autonomous site management system for the goal of complying with integrated environmental management standards. This system includes aligning the integrated environmental management plan with on-site conditions, constantly checking documents (e.g., emission logs), and conducting self-measurements. As a result of such efforts, Onsan Plant received an “Excellent” rating in all quantitative evaluation items during the Ministry of Environment’s regular inspection in 2023 and a subsequent extension of its inspection interval to three years. The Global Division aims to consistently enhance its autonomous management system to minimize the emission of environmental pollutants.

Air Pollutants Management

Hanwha Corporation operates its air pollutant emission and abatement facilities in compliance with the Clean Air Conservation Act and the Act on the Integrated Control of Pollutant-Discharging Facilities. To minimize emissions of air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx), and particulate matter and maintain emission concentrations at less than 50% of legal standards, the company is consistently expanding and improving its abatement facilities. Major emission outlets are equipped with tele-monitoring systems (TMS) for real-time monitoring of pollutant concentrations. Furthermore, the Onsan Plant has implemented a smart environmental management system by installing an automated N₂O concentration measurement system to monitor N₂O reduction in real-time as a tie-in with its CDM project (N₂O catalyst reduction project on nitric acid process).
The E&C Division has proactively contributed to improving air quality and reducing air pollution by signing voluntary agreements with the Ministry of Environment in 2019 and Seoul Metropolitan Government in 2022 to reduce high concentrations of fine dust. For all processes that generate fugitive dust at construction sites, the division implements suppression measures in accordance with relevant laws, restricts the use of outdated construction machinery, installs and operates detailed fine dust management IoT systems, and adjusts and/or reduces construction times during emergency fine dust reduction periods. Stricter internal management standards are also enforced, especially from February through April, when the highest concentrations of fine dust occur. Consistent development of facilities and exemplary cases (e.g., development of water spraying management systems, use of dust screens) have earned citations from the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport, and the Minister of Environment.

Water Resources Management

The Global Division operates its water pollutant discharge and abatement facilities in compliance with the Water Environment Conservation Act and the Act on the Management of Facilities Causing Environmental Pollution. To manage the concentration of water pollutants (e.g., Total Organic Carbon (TOC), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), and Suspended Solids (SS) at levels below 50% of legal standards, it rigorously monitors the efficiency of its wastewater treatment facilities. The Onsan plant has changed its water quality management method for cooling tower reuse water, reducing blowdown water quantity, thereby achieving simultaneous decreases in water usage and wastewater generation. The E&C Division establishes management guidelines per sector to minimize water pollution that may occur during the construction process and operates retentionand device-based management facilities for the treatment of wastewater, sewage, and non-point source pollutants. Furthermore, it regularly monitors potential contamination through discharge water quality inspections. Hanwha Corporation will continue striving to reduce water usage and wastewater generation through the upgrading of water resource management technologies across its divisions.

Waste Management and Reduction

The Global Division strives to minimize waste from its business activities. Initiatives such as the waste emission identification system, tumbler campaign, and distribution of plants in recycled plastic pots encourage responsible waste disposal and recycling among employees. In 2023, it also contributed to reducing external waste by reusing plastic packaging for semi-finished products. The E&C Division monitors real-time waste processing through the national waste management system “Allbaro” and implements a waste target management system at construction sites. It takes meaningful and substantive steps toward waste reduction by developing waste management indicators, establishing reduction targets for all stages of construction, and reviewing progress on a monthly basis. In cases of underperformance, reasons for the shortfall and corrective measures are identified and implemented to achieve waste reduction goals.

Soil Resources Management

The Global Division manages soil contaminants and facilities subject to detailed soil contamination controls in compliance with the Soil Environment Conservation Act and the Act on the Integrated Control of Pollutant-Discharging Facilities. It conducts soil contamination tests in accordance with legal standards and performs regular inspections and maintenance of production and storage facilities to prevent soil contaminant leaks. Moreover, the E&C Division conducts soil contamination tests during construction before removing soil to ensure that soil contaminants do not seep out. In the event of soil contamination, the division carries out precise investigations and soil remediation in accordance with relevant laws.

Noise and Vibration Management

The E&C Division aims to minimize the inconvenience caused to local residents by the noise and vibration during construction. It monitors real-time noise levels through an IoT-based noise measurement system and implements a pre-diagnosis system to predict and mitigate potential noise impact to minimize any adverse effects.

Regulatory Compliance for Hazardous Chemicals

The Global Division has implemented a pre-evaluation system for chemicals to ensure that all chemicals are reviewed for regulatory compliance before purchase, and purchases of such chemicals can only be made with final approval. This system is integrated with the procurement system to prevent purchase requests from being made if there is no pre-evaluation number. In the event of a regulation amendment, the preevaluation number is automatically deactivated, requiring re-evaluation for environmental safety and health. To consistently improve its pre-evaluation system, the division benchmarks internal and external best practices and continually assesses their effectiveness.
Furthermore, it monitors and reviews the handling of chemicals subject to the Act on Registration and Evaluation of Chemical Substances at least twice per year to ensure compliance. With the upcoming registration deadline of Dec. 31, 2024, for existing chemicals produced or imported in quantities of 100-1,000 tons per year, the Global Division is actively reviewing its chemical inventory and has registered eight existing chemicals (as of Q2 2024).