Samsung SDI 2025 Sustainability Report: ESG Overview

Key highlights

• Total Scope 1+2 emissions fell 22% over two years to 1,291,974 tCO2e in 2024, driven primarily by a 29% reduction in Scope 2 (indirect) emissions as renewable energy procurement expanded.
• Renewable energy share reached 37% (1,064,643 MWh), up from 27% in 2023, on a pathway to the 90% by 2030 RE100 interim target.
• All 12 production sites (domestic and overseas) achieved ZWTL Platinum certification, with a 95.2% waste recycling rate and near-zero landfill volumes (78 tonnes total).
• Water reuse rate nearly doubled in two years to 42.0% (6.2 million tonnes reused), while total water withdrawal fell 7.5% year-on-year.
• Samsung SDI supplied all-solid-state battery A-samples to major customers in H2 2024, with mass production targeted for 2027. The next-generation ESS product (SBB 1.5) delivers 5.26 MWh in a 20ft container.
• The board maintained 57% independent director representation (4 of 7), with a dedicated Sustainability Management Committee of 4 independent directors meeting 4 times at 100% attendance.

1. Environmental

1.1 Climate and emissions

Samsung SDI’s combined Scope 1+2 emissions declined to 1,291,974 tCO2e in 2024, a 11.4% year-on-year reduction and 22.2% below 2022 levels. The decrease was driven primarily by Scope 2 (indirect emissions from purchased electricity), which fell 15% to 1,009,866 tCO2e as the company expanded renewable energy procurement. Scope 1 (direct) emissions rose modestly to 282,108 tCO2e from 272,196 tCO2e, reflecting continued operational activity.

By business segment, Mobile and Power Battery accounted for 598,370 tCO2e (46% of total Scope 1+2), followed by Automotive and ESS Battery at 392,307 tCO2e (30%), Electronic Materials at 173,017 tCO2e (13%), and R&D and others at 128,279 tCO2e (10%). All segments except R&D reduced their absolute emissions year-on-year.

Scope 3 emissions totaled 2,051,175 tCO2e in 2024, down 7% from 2,208,938 tCO2e in 2023. The company targets net-zero across all operations by 2050, with a 2030 interim target of 1,003,446 tCO2e for Scope 1+2. GHG emissions are verified by the Korean Standards Association under Reasonable Assurance for the parent company’s Scope 1+2 and Limited Assurance for subsidiaries and Scope 3.

GHG emissions — full breakdown

Metric	Unit	2024	2023	2022
Total Scope 1+2	tCO2e	1,291,974	1,458,880	1,661,250
Scope 1 (direct)	tCO2e	282,108	272,196	242,116
Scope 2 (indirect)	tCO2e	1,009,866	1,186,684	1,419,134
Scope 1+2 — domestic	tCO2e	563,557	595,569	583,021
Scope 1+2 — subsidiaries	tCO2e	728,417	863,311	1,078,229
Scope 3 (value chain)	tCO2e	2,051,175	2,208,938	1,203,935
GHG intensity	tCO2e/KRW 100M	8	6	8
Scope 1+2 by segment
Mobile & Power Battery	tCO2e	598,370	732,028	893,056
Automotive & ESS Battery	tCO2e	392,307	479,262	516,853
Electronic Materials	tCO2e	173,017	176,210	186,114
R&D and others	tCO2e	128,279	71,380	65,227

1.2 Energy

Total energy consumption rose 1.8% to 34,131 TJ in 2024, reflecting expanded overseas production. Electricity accounted for 81% of consumption (27,682 TJ), followed by LNG (5,197 TJ) and steam (1,208 TJ). Overseas subsidiaries consumed 22,313 TJ (65% of the total), with domestic operations at 11,818 TJ.

Renewable energy share increased to 37% in 2024, up from 27% in 2023, with total renewable energy consumption of 1,064,643 MWh. Samsung SDI’s RE100 roadmap targets 90% renewable electricity by 2030 and 100% by 2050.

Energy intensity rose to 0.21 TJ per KRW 100M from 0.15 in 2023, reflecting the revenue decline reported in the company’s financial results while energy consumption grew marginally.

Energy consumption — full breakdown

Metric	Unit	2024	2023	2022
Total energy consumption	TJ	34,131	33,543	32,810
LNG	TJ	5,197	5,002	4,422
Electricity	TJ	27,682	27,263	26,977
Steam	TJ	1,208	1,205	1,298
Domestic	TJ	11,818	12,442	12,104
Subsidiaries	TJ	22,313	21,101	20,706
Energy intensity	TJ/KRW 100M	0.21	0.15	0.16
Renewable energy share	%	37	27	—

1.3 Water and waste

Total water withdrawal declined 7.5% to 8,621,244 tonnes in 2024, continuing a downward trend from 9,551,318 tonnes in 2022. Water reuse increased substantially to 6,237,361 tonnes (42.0% reuse rate), nearly doubling from 30.9% in 2023 and up from 23.0% in 2022.

Total waste generated fell 9% to 159,442 tonnes, with the recycling rate improving to 95.2% from 94.7%. Waste to landfill dropped to just 78 tonnes combined (51 general + 27 hazardous), compared to 958 tonnes in 2023 and 3,988 tonnes in 2022. All 12 Samsung SDI sites hold ZWTL (Zero Waste to Landfill) Platinum certification, with the 2030 target set at 100% site certification and a 96.5% recycling rate.

Hazardous waste volumes fell 16% to 75,996 tonnes from 90,266 tonnes in the prior year. Effluent discharge was 3,326,676 tonnes.

Water and waste — full data

Metric	Unit	2024	2023	2022
Water
Total water withdrawal	ton	8,621,244	9,319,084	9,551,318
Water withdrawal intensity	kiloton/KRW 100M	0.05	0.04	0.05
Water reused	ton	6,237,361	4,176,332	2,848,852
Water reuse rate	%	42.0	30.9	23.0
Effluent discharge	ton	3,326,676	3,100,480	3,754,770
Waste
Total waste generated	ton	159,442	175,116	175,061
General waste	ton	83,446	84,850	90,547
Hazardous waste	ton	75,996	90,266	84,514
Waste recycling rate	%	95.2	94.7	93.0
Waste to landfill (general)	ton	51	895	2,386
Waste to landfill (hazardous)	ton	27	63	1,602

2. Social

2.1 Workforce

Samsung SDI employed 30,664 people at the end of 2024, down 3.3% from 31,704 in 2023. The workforce was 75.8% male and 24.2% female. By region, Korea accounted for 12,872 employees (42%), Asia excluding Korea for 10,139 (33%), Europe for 6,430 (21%), and the Americas for 1,223 (4%). The European headcount declined from 7,875 to 6,430 during the year.

Female representation in management rose to 15.1% from 14.3%, while female executives remained stable at 8.5%. Total turnover increased to 12.6% from 9.9%, with the overseas turnover rate rising to 21.1% from 15.3%. Domestic turnover remained low at 2.5%. Voluntary turnover declined to 7.2% from 8.5%.

Training investment grew to KRW 1,620,236 per employee (up 21%), with 91 hours of training per employee. Total recruitment was 3,844 people, down from 5,041 in 2023. Employees with disabilities numbered 233.

Workforce — full breakdown

Metric	Unit	2024	2023	2022
Total employees	Persons	30,664	31,704	30,716
Male	Persons	23,243	24,234	23,077
Female	Persons	7,421	7,470	7,639
Female share	%	24.2	23.6	24.9
Female managers	%	15.1	14.3	13.0
Female executives	%	8.5	8.6	8.5
By region
Korea	Persons	12,872	11,860	11,412
Asia (excl. Korea)	Persons	10,139	10,840	11,988
Europe	Persons	6,430	7,875	6,691
Americas	Persons	1,223	1,129	625
By age
Under 30	Persons	9,901	11,353	12,353
30–50	Persons	18,259	18,003	16,313
50+	Persons	2,504	2,348	2,050
Employment type
Full time	Persons	26,889	26,377	25,964
Contract	Persons	1,553	1,439	1,453
Dispatched	Persons	2,222	3,888	3,299
Turnover and training
Turnover rate (total)	%	12.6	9.9	12.9
Domestic turnover	%	2.5	2.5	2.9
Overseas turnover	%	21.1	15.3	19.4
Voluntary turnover	%	7.2	8.5	12.0
Training hours/employee	Hours	91	86	93
Training expense/employee	KRW	1,620,236	1,334,767	1,005,018
Total training expenditure	KRW 100M	212	161	122
Total recruited	Persons	3,844	5,041	7,218
Employees with disabilities	Persons	233	207	181

2.2 Health and safety

All Samsung SDI workplaces (100%) were audited for occupational health and safety and maintained ISO 45001 certification throughout 2024. Work-related injuries for employees totaled 5 cases, unchanged from 2023. There were zero employee fatalities in 2024, compared to 1 in 2023.

The employee accident rate was 0.016%, consistent with the prior year. The overseas accident rate was zero. The illness rate was 0% across all three reporting years. One in-house partner injury was recorded (zero fatalities). The total injury frequency rate was 0.0679%.

Hazardous chemicals consumed totaled 23,825 tonnes, up from 22,214 tonnes in 2023.

Health and safety — full data

Metric	Unit	2024	2023	2022
Workplaces audited for OHS	%	100	100	100
ISO 45001 certified	%	100	100	100
Work-related injuries (employees)	Cases	5	5	2
Work-related fatalities (employees)	Persons	0	1	0
Accident rate (employees)	%	0.016	0.016	0.007
Domestic accident rate	%	0.039	0.034	0.018
Overseas accident rate	%	0	0.005	0
Illness rate	%	0	0	0
In-house partner injuries	Cases	1	0	0
In-house partner fatalities	Persons	0	0	0
Injury frequency rate (total)	Rate	0.0679	—	—
Loss rate (total)	%	5.6798	—	—
Hazardous chemicals consumed	ton	23,825	22,214	26,977

2.3 Supply chain

Samsung SDI managed 538 Tier 1 supply partners in 2024, with 287 key partners accounting for 90% of total procurement. ESG on-site audits were conducted at 70 companies (20 domestic, 50 overseas), up from 65 in 2023. Thirteen partners received corrective guidance; zero were terminated for negative impacts.

On responsible minerals sourcing, Samsung SDI maintains a policy covering 3TG (tin, tantalum, tungsten, gold), cobalt, nickel, lithium, manganese, graphite, and mica. Due diligence follows OECD guidelines with third-party RMI RMAP audits. Of 25 cobalt smelters in the supply chain, 23 (92%) are RMI-conformant. 3TG smelters are 100% RMAP-conformant.

The company’s Supplier Code of Conduct includes zero-tolerance policies on child labor and forced labor.

Supply chain — full data

Metric	Unit	2024	2023	2022
Tier 1 partners	Companies	538	—	—
Key Tier 1 partners	Companies	287	—	—
Partners subject to ESG on-site audit	Companies	70	65	72
Domestic audited	Companies	20	—	—
Overseas audited	Companies	50	—	—
Partners receiving corrective guidance	Companies	13	—	—
Partners terminated for negative impacts	%	0	—	—
Cobalt smelters — RMI conformant	Ratio	23/25	—	—
3TG smelters — RMAP conformant	%	100	—	—

3. Governance

3.1 Board and oversight

Samsung SDI’s board comprises 7 directors: 3 executive and 4 independent (57% independence). Two of the four independent directors are female. Average board tenure is 3.2 years as of March 2025. The board met 7 times in 2024 with 99% average attendance.

The board operates through 6 subcommittees: Management, Audit, Internal Transaction, Compensation, Independent Director Candidates, and Sustainability Management. The Sustainability Management Committee consists of all 4 independent directors, is chaired by Mee Kyung Lee, and met 4 times in 2024 with 100% attendance.

3.2 Ethics and compliance

Samsung SDI disciplined 6 persons for corruption in 2024, down from 25 in 2023. Three partner companies were terminated for corruption (down from 11). Compliance audits totaled 22. Anti-corruption training reached 100% at headquarters and 99.9% overseas, covering approximately 29,621 employees (12,101 HQ + 17,520 overseas).

The company reported zero data privacy incidents, zero personal data leakages, and zero environmental fines across all three reporting years (2022-2024).

Ethics and compliance — full data

Metric	Unit	2024	2023	2022
Persons disciplined for corruption	Persons	6	25	4
Partners terminated for corruption	Companies	3	11	4
Compliance audits	Count	22	23	22
Anti-corruption training — HQ	%	100	—	—
Anti-corruption training — overseas	%	99.9	—	—
Data privacy incidents	Cases	0	0	0
Personal data leakage	Cases	0	0	0
Environmental fines	KRW	0	0	0

4. Innovation

Samsung SDI’s most significant ESS innovation disclosed in the report is the SBB 1.5 next-generation utility battery, which uses high-nickel NCA cells to deliver 5.26 MWh in a standard 20ft container — a 37% increase in energy density over the prior generation. The system uses EDI (Electronic Direct Injection) thermal management. A UPS variant delivers 40% higher rack-level output, requires approximately 33% less space, and targets a 15-year battery life.

ESS fire safety features include a Direct Discharge suppression system using NOVEC suppressant, BMS monitoring, Active Venting, and a Deflagration Panel. Remote monitoring is planned for US models.

On all-solid-state battery technology, Samsung SDI uses an anode-free design with sulfide-based solid electrolyte. Proto samples were delivered to major customers in December 2023, followed by A-samples in H2 2024 with approximately 80% increased cell volume, doubled capacity, and approximately 25% improved energy density. Mass production is targeted for 2027.

Recycled metal usage reached 14% in 2024, up from 12% in 2023 and 8% in 2022, with a 2030 target of 26%. Four products have received Carbon Footprint Certification from the Carbon Trust (cumulative since 2022). ESS production volume was 22.2 million cells in 2024, up from 20.6 million in 2023.

ESS and innovation metrics

Metric	Unit	2024	2023	2022
ESS production volume	Million cells	22.2	20.6	20.8
Customer satisfaction (Automotive & ESS)	Points	86.0	82.5	81.6
Recycled metal usage rate	%	14	12	8
Carbon Trust certified products	Cumulative	4	—	—

5. What to watch

Scope 1+2 emissions are on a clear downward trajectory, but the 2030 target requires further acceleration. At 1,291,974 tCO2e in 2024, Samsung SDI needs to reach 1,003,446 tCO2e by 2030 — a further 22% reduction over six years. The primary lever has been Scope 2 reduction through renewable energy; Scope 1 has been flat or slightly rising (282,108 vs 242,116 in 2022).

Renewable energy reached 37% but the RE100 target is 90% by 2030. The 10-percentage-point jump from 27% in 2023 represents continued strong progress. Sustaining this pace would reach approximately 97% by 2030. The majority of energy consumption (65%) is at overseas subsidiaries, where procurement of renewable energy instruments may face different market conditions.

Overseas workforce turnover rose to 21.1%. The European headcount fell from 7,875 to 6,430 (an 18% decline), and overall overseas turnover jumped from 15.3% to 21.1%. Domestic (Korean) turnover remained stable at 2.5%. Total headcount declined 3.3% year-on-year, the first reduction in the three-year data series.

Water reuse rate nearly doubled in two years (23% to 42%). This rapid improvement in circular water use coincides with a decline in absolute water withdrawal. Samsung SDI does not yet disclose a quantified water reduction target in this report.

All-solid-state battery timeline points to 2027 mass production. A-samples with doubled capacity were supplied to customers in H2 2024. The report does not disclose the intended initial application (EV vs ESS) or production capacity.

6. Sources