LG Electronics certified for appliance sustainability standard

By Park Si-soo

LG refrigerator

LG Electronics has become the first non-American company to have its refrigerators certified by a renowned consumer watchdog to meet the industry’s new sustainability standard for household refrigeration appliances.

CSA Group said LG’s nine refrigerator models, from its popular French Door models to new ThinQ smart models, achieved the level required to meet the new environmental standard. Whirlpool is the only American company whose sustainability standard is certified by CSA.

This will help boost sales of LG refrigerators in the U.S., experts say, citing increased sales records following the company’s winning of awards recognizing the development of power-saving and eco-friendly products in recent years.

CSA is core partner of the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) that has jointly developed the standard, which was unveiled in Washington, D.C., in June. The sustainability standard for this year is based on a lifecycle approach for identifying the environmental impact of refrigerators in five key areas: materials, manufacturing and operations, energy consumption during use, product performance and end of life.

This is the first in a series of product sustainability standards for use by manufacturers, governments, retailers and others to identify products with features designed with the environment in mind, according to LG.

“The demand for LG refrigerators is increasing in the U.S. market after the company’s energy-efficient and eco-friendly technologies were recognized,” an LG official said. “We will take advantage of the certification to sharpen the firm’s competitive edge in the market.”

LG Electronics U.S.A.s’ home appliance President Chris Jung said in a statement that environmental sustainability has become as important to customers as it has been to LG for a long time.

“Together with CSA Group, LG is leading the way in addressing various aspects of the product's lifecycle,” Jung said.

Ash Sahi, president and CEO of CSA Group, said LG is demonstrating to consumers that the nine recognized models meet the requirements of the standard throughout their lifecycle and go well beyond simply meeting traditional energy performance benchmarks.

Announcing the publication of the standard, AHAM President Joseph M. McGuire was quoted as saying in the statement "We believe this standard and others that will follow represent a strong commitment to sustainability and provide workable tools for appliance purchasers to compare the environmental attributes of appliances.”