Sustainability for All: How Hanwha’s SDG Commitment Creates Prosperity and Progress

In the seven years since the United Nations member states came together to adopt the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Sustainable Development Goals, the world has weathered a series of crises. Despite initial progress being made, a new report details how the COVID pandemic and global political challenges are threatening and even erasing these gains, potentially placing the 2030 target beyond reach. But it’s not just governments feeling the pressure to make swift progress in the fight to build a better world. Calls are mounting for increased cooperation and investment from the private sector in efforts to meet the SDG targets.

What does “sustainable” mean and what is “sustainability” put into practice? The United Nations frames sustainability as development that ensures adequate resources for future generations without decreasing present quality of life. The entire sustainability ecosystem is vast, touching everything from education to food security, green energy and economic development, and while the private sector has been stepping up its commitments to SDG progress, advancement will only be seen when businesses create real, sustainable change through action. Driven by the relentless pursuit of sustainability for Earth, for life, Hanwha is committed to leading by example, focusing on activities that support long-term economic growth in local communities without negative social, environmental or cultural impacts. Here’s how Hanwha is helping turn the ship around, directly advancing SDGs 2, 4, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 17 through activities in three key areas: economic sustainability, environmental sustainability and social sustainability.

Environmental Sustainability: Hanwha is addressing urgent environmental issues, including climate change and global greenhouse gas emissions, with clean energy solutions and eco-friendly technology backing SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy, SDG 13: Climate Action, SDG 14: Life Below Water, and SDG 15: Life on Land.

According to the United Nations and World Economic Forum, a projected 679 million people will still lack access to electricity by 2030 if current trends continue. Furthermore, over the next decade, global greenhouse gas emissions are estimated to rise by almost 14% even with a number of entities operating under net-zero commitments. Swift and ambitious action must be taken to lessen the impact of emissions and connect communities with clean, cost-effective electricity.

Since electricity and heat production is the largest single source of global emissions, pursuing urgent measures to support SDGs 7 and 13 is crucial to drastically lower these emissions. That’s why Hanwha is leveraging its solar, wind and hydrogen solutions to build a comprehensive energy value chain that contributes to the current and future health of the planet.

To avoid an unprecedented climate catastrophe, the world must achieve a reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions of 43% by 2030. However, transitioning heavy industry to clean energy presents one of the biggest challenges to moving decarbonizing efforts forward. Hanwha offers immediate solutions to reduce carbon emissions in this sector through its "hydrogen to gas turbine technology,” or H2GT. The company has secured a hydrogen co-firing gas turbine remodeling project at a plant in Linden, New Jersey which is expected to be the first in the world to burn 40% hydrogen, along with an order to retrofit a Rotterdam, Netherlands gas turbine to burn more than 30% hydrogen, its second and third H2GT projects respectively.

This year, Hanwha also announced several solar expansion plans, including a new 150-megawatt solar power plant in Wyoming, and became the largest shareholder of clean polysilicon manufacturer REC Silicon, providing Hanwha with the opportunity to harness hydropower-based energy to produce polysilicon, a key component in solar panels. Next year, REC Silicon’s Washington plant plans to resume the use of hydropower to fuel manufacturing, further supporting the development of a clean, end-to-end U.S. solar supply chain. Another way Hanwha is accelerating access to completely clean energy is through research into green hydrogen which is produced with power from solar panels, wind turbines or other sustainable energy sources, and produces only clean water when burned for fuel.

The number of extreme weather events and natural disasters has significantly increased in recent years causing massive damage and economic losses. In much of the world, these scenarios will only continue to become more severe and frequent as a result of climate change. Satellite technology and Earth observation can help curb the negative aftermath and have been recognized by the United Nation’s Space for the Sustainable Development Goals (Space4SDGs) as a powerful resource in learning about and tackling climate change. To help better understand climate change and its current effects on the planet, Satrec Initiative, a satellite maker backed by Hanwha Aerospace, has set its sights on sending an ultra-high resolution imaging satellite into low Earth orbit by 2024. Hanwha Aerospace and Hanwha Systems are also making progress in the eco-friendly air taxi sphere to propel urban air mobility (UAM) forward.

In advancing SDGs 7 and 13, it is important to employ forward-thinking strategies that consider not only how green energy is produced, but how it is stored and transported. In collaboration with Lumcloon Energy, Hanwha Energy is breaking ground on yet another new energy-storage system (ESS) project, its third in Ireland, to assist with the stability and reliability of the country’s renewable energy supply.

Though preserving the Earth for the future of society remains at the heart of the Sustainable Development Goals, the vital role played by our land and marine ecosystems in preserving all of life cannot be forgotten. Hanwha’s new Solar Beehive, which supports crucial bee population growth through solar-powered habitats, provides direct support to SDG 15: Life on Land and exemplifies how innovation can be leveraged to preserve the delicate balance of our ecosystems and biodiversity. Hanwha also supports ongoing reforestation efforts via Hanwha Solar Forests, which were recognized at the 2018 United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development as an exemplary model of how corporate partnerships can contribute to achieving the SDGs. This acknowledgement builds on praise received by the United Nations seven years prior when the Hanwha Solar Forest campaign was named a model example of reforestation at the U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in addition to being the first corporation utilizing solar energy to grow trees in the fight against the effects of desertification. Furthermore, the company’s Clean Up Mekong campaign contributes to SDG 14: Life Below Water by removing ocean-bound plastic from the Mekong River.

The 17 SDGs provide a “to-do” list against which governments and businesses can measure where they are versus where they should be in working together as part of a global effort to achieve a better tomorrow. They call for multiple areas of global action to decarbonize cities and industries, circumvent the deeply harmful effects of climate change, diminish inequalities and build a resilient economy. Although seven years have passed since the list was first agreed to, a multitude of factors are putting their progress in peril. The need for global cooperation to make progress is more urgent now than ever.

Though achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals will be no small task, Hanwha remains deeply committed to contributing to their success through its economic, environmental and social sustainability initiatives. This commitment is only possible thanks to robust institutional support. With sustainability as its north star, Hanwha will continue to explore innovative solutions and creative technologies that bring a brighter future into fruition. Revolutionary change is possible, and Hanwha is prepared to lead the way to unite businesses, governments, organizations and individuals together in the pursuit of peace, prosperity and progress for all.

* The UN SDG banner and icon images are owned and under copyright by the United Nations.