Choo Mi-ae, the Governor of Gyeonggi Province, publicly criticized Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, stating they are not making efforts to reduce wastewater discharge, bringing the semiconductor industry's water management issues to the forefront. However, assessments of the companies' investments and management practices suggest that claims of insufficient efforts are misleading.
On August 7, during a semiconductor strategy meeting, Choo criticized Samsung and SK Hynix, saying, "Intel and TSMC's U.S. plants are investing in technologies to recycle semiconductor water and aim for zero or minimal discharge," while claiming that the two Korean companies are doing the opposite. She also mentioned that as the public prepares measures to supply 1.1 million tons of semiconductor water daily, companies are "misusing" this and not making efforts to reduce discharge. Gyeonggi Province previously advised both companies to increase the reuse of process water to six times.
However, Samsung Electronics is already implementing measures to reduce water usage and recycle wastewater at its semiconductor facilities. The company's Device Solutions (DS) division reported that it reduced water usage by approximately 16.76 million tons at domestic sites in 2024 through process improvements and equipment efficiency. In the same year, the amount of reused water at these sites reached about 101 million tons.
Additional investments are underway. Samsung is collaborating with the Ministry of Environment, Gyeonggi Province, and the cities of Hwaseong and Osan to purify treated water that was previously discarded at the Hwaseong-Osan public wastewater treatment plant for supply to its Giheung and Hwaseong semiconductor facilities, targeting a supply of 120,000 tons per day starting in 2029. The DS division has also set a goal to limit water intake in 2030 to levels seen in 2021, despite expanding semiconductor production.
Samsung's Giheung and Hwaseong facilities have received the 'Platinum' certification from the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS), which evaluates 100 criteria, including water intake, pollution, and ecosystem impact.
Viewing discharged water solely as 'wastewater' does not accurately reflect the situation on the ground. Since 2007, Samsung's Giheung facility has been discharging treated water into the Osancheon stream. According to data released by Samsung, which cites the Ministry of Environment's water quality monitoring network, the biological oxygen demand (BOD) levels in the upstream and downstream sections of the Giheung facility improved from grade 3 to grade 1 as of 2023. The presence of wildlife, such as otters, has also been confirmed in the Osancheon stream.
SK Hynix is also focusing on expanding water reuse as part of its long-term environmental goals. Through its 'Green 2030' initiative, the company aims to increase water resource reduction by 300% compared to 2019 levels by 2030. It has introduced wastewater recycling facilities, cooling tower water reuse systems, and waterless scrubbers, with plans to expand its existing wastewater recycling capacity from 60,000 tons to 80,000 tons per day.
These water management activities have received positive external evaluations. In March, SK Hynix won the top award in the water resource management category at the 2025 CDP Korea Awards for the fourth consecutive year. The company explained that it operates proactive water-saving technologies and expanded reuse in its production processes, along with stricter self-regulatory discharge standards than legal requirements. While there may be discussions about whether to further reduce discharge levels, it is difficult to definitively state that the company is not making reduction efforts.
Industry insiders have pointed out that the comparisons made by Choo to TSMC and Intel could be misleading. TSMC's claim of 'over 90% water recycling' and 'Near Zero Liquid Discharge' is not an already achieved performance. TSMC aims to achieve over 90% recycling and minimize liquid discharge once its industrial water recycling facility, currently under construction, is completed in 2028.
Intel's 'Net Positive Water' does not mean that the company discharges no wastewater from its plants. Intel returns about 80% of the water used back to the community and is also investing in watershed restoration projects, including maintaining river flow, recharging groundwater, and conserving agricultural water, with the goal of restoring more water than it uses by 2030.
Furthermore, directly comparing the current discharge levels of Samsung and SK Hynix to TSMC's 2028 goals or Intel's watershed restoration concept is not a fair comparison of the same metrics. While domestic companies should consider the goals of foreign firms, labeling them as not investing in environmental measures based on these comparisons does not align with the ongoing investments in water reuse.
One industry official stated, "The demand for reducing environmental burdens and the assertion that companies are making no efforts are two different issues. Both Samsung and SK Hynix are investing in equipment and technology development for water reduction and reuse, and failing to acknowledge these facts while labeling them as 'the opposite' of foreign companies could unfairly tarnish the image of domestic firms as environmentally irresponsible."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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