LG Display's Chinese factory fined for exceeding environmental limits

The "Administrative Penalty Decision" (hereinafter referred to as the "Decision") issued by the Guangzhou Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau shows that according to the 2018 environmental protection tax declaration data of LG Display (China), the actual emission of smoke (particulate matter) was 1.653524 tons, which exceeded the "Guangdong Province Pollutant Emission Permit" held by the company (License No.: 4401162016005048, valid period: June 22, 2017 to June 21, 2020; later renewed on December 26, 2018, valid for one year) The annual exhaust emission limit of 0.891 tons of smoke (particulate matter) is allowed.

LG Display (China) appealed that the total amount of particulate matter had undergone three environmental impact assessments, which were 14.11 tons/year, 0.891 tons/year, and 8.26 tons/year respectively. The first environmental impact assessment report (i.e. the environmental impact assessment of the 120,000 pieces/month project) more accurately reflected the actual total amount of particulate matter. The emission concentration and exhaust volume predicted in the second environmental impact assessment report (i.e. the environmental impact assessment of the 180,000 pieces/month expansion project) were miscalculated, but they were corrected in the third environmental impact assessment of 220,000 pieces/month and the final completion acceptance, and a new discharge permit was applied for.

LG Display (China) said that it has attached great importance to environmental protection for a long time, and the total amount of particulate matter emissions is relatively low. Compared with its domestic counterparts, the total amount standards implemented are also very strict and difficult to implement. It sincerely requests exemption from punishment.

The Decision shows that "after trial, the party concerned has indeed re-applied for a pollutant discharge permit, and the recently approved annual exhaust gas emission limit for dust (particulate matter) has been increased. However, considering that the main reason for the multiple adjustments to its annual exhaust gas emission limit for dust (particulate matter) is that it did not conscientiously perform its principal responsibility as a construction unit, resulting in errors and omissions in the calculation of dust (particulate matter) when preparing the second environmental impact assessment document for the project in question (there were also errors and omissions in the calculation of nitrogen oxides when preparing the first environmental impact assessment document for the project in question); in addition, the party concerned should also strictly urge the third-party monitoring agency to adopt standardized sampling and monitoring methods and issue accurate dust (particulate matter) monitoring data."

The Guangzhou Ecological Environment Bureau stated that the fact that the actual emission of soot (particulate matter) by LG Display (China) in 2018 exceeded the permitted annual emission limit of soot (particulate matter) is clear and should be punished, but the opinions of the parties can be partially adopted and the punishment can be reduced as appropriate based on the amount of the penalty. In accordance with Article 99, Item 2 of the "Law of the People's Republic of China on the Prevention and Control of Air Pollution" and Item 6.2.2.4 of the Annex to the "Guangzhou Regulations on the Discretionary Power of Environmental Administrative Penalties", a decision was made to fine LG Display (China) RMB 600,000.

Earlier, in 2015, LG Display (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd. was ordered to immediately correct its illegal discharge of water pollutants exceeding the standard and was fined 86,432 yuan. In 2018, LG Display (China) Co., Ltd. was ordered to immediately correct its illegal discharge of water pollutants exceeding the standard and was fined 150,000 yuan by the Guangzhou Environmental Protection Bureau in accordance with Article 66, Paragraph 1 of the Guangdong Provincial Environmental Protection Regulations and Item 3.11.2 of the Annex to the Guangzhou Regulations on the Discretionary Power of Environmental Administrative Penalties.　

LG Display (Chinese: 乐金展示) is a subsidiary of LG Group. The company is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, and has R&D, production and trading organizations in South Korea, China, the United States, Japan and Europe. The company mainly produces LCD panels of different sizes and specifications for different purposes, such as TV, desktop monitors, notebook computers, tablet PCs, mobile phones, e-books, and car navigation systems.