Samsung Announces Cuts In Greenhouse Gases But Waffles On Goal


Samsung has climbed abroad the global warming bandwagon. But the Korean conglomerate hedged its do-good initiative to protect the bottom line.

The electronics and semiconductor maker set out commendable goals for cutting greenhouse gases from its manufacturing plants. It said it would slash emissions by 50 percent in the five years through 2013. It also said it would reduce the carbon impact of its products by 84 million tons.

But then it backed away from the manufacturing targets – explaining that its reductions would vary depending on sales.

Global warming of course is the environmental crisis threatening the world’s climate (and indirectly its animal and plant life). Corporations with true altruism are stepping to up reduce emissions of gases, such as carbon dioxide, just as the administration of Barack Obama reverses the head-in-the-sand approach of George Bush.

But in Samsung’s case, the reductions will be made on a “financial emissions intensity basis,” whatever that is. In plain language, the company appears to have based its reductions on sales levels, not overall emissions.

To the company’s credit, it said in a Monday press release it would invest 5.4 trillion Korean won in the manufacturing and product efforts. But then why dent the initiative with the “per-sales” restraint? Unfortunately global warming is coming whether sales increase or decrease.