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POSCO Installs “Eco-friendly Consulting Support Group” to Improve Local Environment

2021/03/17

l Installed in February, Eco-friendly Consulting Support Group aims to find the fundamental reason behind the odor issues of the Pohang Steel Industrial Complex and draw up improvement plans
l The group will promote prioritized improvement for 7 suppliers and partner companies of Pohang Works in Phase 1; In phase 2, it will support the improvement of waste disposal facilities causing odors in Pohang City

POSCO (CEO Jeong-Woo Choi) has established an “Eco-friendly Consulting Support Group” to improve the air of the local environment.

POSCO decided to join hands with Pohang City in public-private cooperation to improve the air environment, that is, to reduce odor, around the steel industrial complex in Ocheon-eup, Pohang. Previously, Pohang City had been making improvement efforts, including investment in waste gas incineration facilities at major odor-emitting businesses to resolve complaints. However, it didn’t serve as a fundamental solution.

Accordingly, on February 1, POSCO launched the “Eco-friendly Consulting Support Group”. Together with Pohang City, POSCO formed an improvement council for 14 sites within the steel industrial complex known for emitting odor. POSCO plans to improve the local environment by cooperating with the Environment, Equipment, and Purchasing departments, as well as the Research Institute of Industrial Science & Technology (RIST), to identify the cause of the issue and provide solutions.

POSCO will take the lead in resolving environmental problems by utilizing environmental improvement technologies and know-how acquired through steelworks operation. Under the corporate management philosophy “Corporate Citizenship,” POSCO vows to actively participate in resolving social issues to create shared values with local communities.

First, POSCO will measure odor-causing substances in areas where related complaints are made, track the source, and conduct an evaluation on its influence via atmospheric dispersion modeling. Through the process, an improvement roadmap will be established for each company, and comprehensive improvement will be carried out throughout the entire process, from raw material entry to product shipping, in the following order: environmental diagnosis, improvement plans, implementation, and monitoring.

Out of the 14 sites known to emit odor in the area, 7 are POSCO’s suppliers and partner companies. Hence, the first phase of the support group is to carry out simple short-term maintenance improvements at these sites, such as replacing conventional fuel and raw material with low odor ones, reinforcing raw material and product management level, and increasing airtightness. With these improvements that can be applied firsthand, the group plans to establish a system to manage the odor.

In the second phase, the group will support the environmental improvement of private facilities managed by Pohang City, including waste processing, landfill, and incineration facilities. Other than this, POSCO will also work with Pohang City to discover additional sources of pollution and alleviate the odor issue in the city.

Meanwhile, POSCO participated in the “Odor Reduction Project Promotion Meeting” held by Pohang City on February 26, and met with major companies and listened to their problems and consulting requests regarding the odor issue. POSCO also promised diagnosis of the odor and customized technical support following visits to each business site.

At the meeting, an official of Pohang City stated, “Pohang City will also actively cooperate to resolve the issue by providing additional budgets.” POSCO also mentioned, “Through this private-public cooperation, POSCO will reduce the odor fundamentally so that local residents can actually feel the change. Also, together, we will come up with plans to reduce plant operating costs by minimizing pollutant emissions and improving energy use.”

In the future, POSCO plans to meet with various stakeholders in Gwangyang, hear their opinions on environmental issues within the local community, and actively lead improvement activities.

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