What They Say
Business Korea reported a claim from LG Display that pointed out that an OLED panel uses much less plastic than an LCD, with a 65″ panel using 0.43kg compared to 5.2kg on an LCD. It also claims that emissions of volatile organic compounds are 50% lower than LCD TV panels . It also said that the ‘recycling rate of OLED TV panels is 92.2%, 20 points higher than LCD.
What We Think
The article has some strange data – it said that 15,000 OLED panels were shipped in Q1 and that plastic consumption had been reduced by 71,550 tonnes. It also said that ‘The company uses recyclable iron as materials for OLED panel parts.’.
Most of the rest of this is the key long term advantage that OLED has – it uses much less material than making LCD. In the case of recycling OLED TVs, for example, practically all the weight of the panel will be glass, which can be recycled.
In the past I have created white papers on the topic of the environmental impact of particular products and really digging into the topic, it very quickly becomes very complex and nuanced. It’s easy to get drawn into over-simplification and ‘greenwashing’, which can rebound on a brand. However, in the case of OLED, the lower use of material is a real advantage. (BR)
LG Display officials dismantle plastic compounds from used LCD TVs on May 13.
