Environmental issues

The European Union is planning to introduce new restrictions on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in 2028, which could pose problems for OLED producers.

OLED panels utilize PFAS materials, in display coatings and films. The Korea Display Industry Association (KDIA) said it formed a "Display PFAS Response Task Force" and submitted a second opinion letter to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), requesting a grace period of at least 12 years based on the absence of replacement materials and commercialization challenges.

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LG Display says that its WOLED TV and gaming displays have been awarded UL's low-plastic verification, given to products in which the plastic usage accounts to less than 5% of their total weight.

LGD says that its 65-inch OLED TV panel contains about 4% plastic content, about 905 lower than to a 65" LCD panel. In addition, by substituting key components with easily recyclable materials, LG Display has increased the recyclability of parts to as high as 92.7% at disposal.

LG Display announced that its automotive OLED displays (both its flexible P-OLED panels and its rigid ATO panels) received TÜV Rheinland’s ‘Product Carbon Footprint’ certification, a milestone marking compliance with emissions standards across the product’s lifecycle. LGD's automotive OLEDs are highly efficient, and both utilize the company's tandem OLED structure.

LGD says that it recently introduced a new film to its automotive OLEDs, developed in-house, "Light Control Film Integration Technology" that enabled it to reduce its automotive OLEDs carbon emissions by up to 18% compared to its previous OLEDs.  This method also has the added benefit of effectively streamlining the manufacturing process, further reducing product weight, and improving power efficiency compared to conventional panels that use external films.

Evaluation services provider SGS has awarded Samsung Display's OLED laptop displays with its SGS Green Mark ECCS, HSA) following completion of a hazardous substance assessment.

SGS tested SDC's laptop OLEDs to precisely verify the presence of, and to quantify the volume of, over 300 hazardous substances of environmental concern which may be harmful to humans and the environment. This includes heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants and others. Samsung Display’s OLED panels performed well, achieving low levels, below the HSA testing threshold.

Independent testing and certification leader TÜV Rheinland has awarded LG's OLED TV and monitor panels with its 'Circadian Friendly' certification. LG's OLEDs are the first displays to ever receive this award. 

TÜV Rheinland new 'Circadian Friendly' certification is given to products that meet the standards of minimizing their impact on people's quality of life during the day and promote better sleep at night. These products undergo rigorous testing based on the 'Circadian Stimulus' metric, designed by the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Lighting Research Center.

LG Display announced that its 65-inch OLED TV panel received Carbon Trust's Carbon Footprint Certification. 

LG says that its OLED TV panel meets the global standard (PAS 2050) on GHG (Greenhouse Gas) emissions throughout the entire product life cycle. 

Samsung has demonstrated new AMOLED display panels that offer a lower blue-light emission compared to its current low-blue-light AMOLEDs. Samsung says that the new display reduces blue light emission by 70% compared to 'conventional' displays (which probably means LCD displays, not standard AMOLEDs).

Samsung brands these new displays as Gen-2 LBL (low-blue-light) AMOLEDs, and says that the lower blue light emission was achieved by a combination of the latest OLED emitter materials and advanced AI software. Samsung is mostly targeting laptop displays, saying that the new Gen-2 LBL displays can achieve a brightness of up to 2,000 nits. Samsung will start producing Gen-2 LBL AMOLEDs by the end of 2023.

Samsung Display announced that its latest AMOLED laptop displays achieved UL's GREENGUARD Gold Certification for low chemical emissions. This is the first laptop display to achieve this certification (UL 2819).

This certification is awarded to products such as electronic and medical equipment that meet its volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and particle emission standards. With LCDs, the backlighting unit can be a major VOC origin due to its use of multiple plastic substrate sheets. According to UL, Samsung's OLED panels reduced the emission of VOCs to about half of LCD's emission.

LG Display says that OLED TV production is more environmentally friendly than LCD TV production. A 65-inch LCD requires around 5.2 Kg of plastic, while a similarly-sized OLED uses only 0.43 Kg of plastics.

LG Display says that in Q1 2021 alone its plastic consumption was lower by 71,550 tons compared to what it would have been if it produced LCD TVs instead of OLED TVs.