At SK hynix, people are at the core of our success. Made up of over 36,000 talented, engaged and motivated employees across its global offices, we hold firm the belief that when our employees thrive, so does our business. And much like our high-performance products, they power every aspect of our company.
That is why we are launching a new editorial series titled “Employee Spotlight”, where we will champion different SK hynix employees around the globe around a variety of topics. In celebration of Earth Month, we are highlighting employees old and new, who have contributed to building our ESG practice and looking where the future could lead for other members at SK hynix.
The Way I See It: Seongbong Cho (Social Value Strategy / Project Leader)
Tell us about Social Value at SK hynix: “Social Value (SV) pursuit is all activities that pursue the happiness of stakeholders. In other words, it is SK’s strategy to earn their trust and support by meeting the SVs of customers, society, shareholders, and BP, and lead to increased EVs in the mid to long term.”
Highlights of the job: “My team established and organized the company-wide DBL promotion system (DBLMS) and systematized the SV Account concept and implemented empirical measurement for the first time.”
Most memorable volunteer experience: “In 2014, we recruited members of affiliates during a heavy snowfall in the mountains of Gangwon-do to support a village isolated from snow. I have fond memories of SK hynix employees working very hard during that time.”
How is SK hynix tackling environmental issues: “To address climate change, SK hynix declared RE100 last year and will do its best to use renewable energy while growing. In addition, we are minimizing the increase in energy use caused by our products by continuously increasing the energy use efficiency of our products.”
What’s next for ESG at SK hynix: “It is my hope that our company’s SV/ESG activities will be firmly established as a management system with tangible results, becoming the global top tier company in the industry and being used as a case for business schools.”
The Way I See It: Saeyoung Lee (ESG innovation / Team Leader)
Highlights of the job: “I am a team leader of ESG Innovation Team. I am in charge of establishing/implementing strategies for the ‘S’ part of the ESG, discovering new tasks, and responding to DJSI evaluation agencies (e.g., improving supply chain ESG/conflict minerals, establishing a human rights management system, etc.)”
Proudest moment: “I established a JEM (job exposure matrix) system and the first cohort in Korea to prevent occupational diseases (leukemia, etc.) in the SHE organization, and established a leading model for corporate occupational health through the Industrial Health Advancement Committee (Labor-Management Council).”
Key to good company culture: “First of all, communication and transparency based on the trust of a horizontal relationship seem to be necessary, and this is considered a positive factor for external relationships as well.”
How employees are contributing to ESG: “All executives and employees would like to contribute to enhancing corporate value through work, but I believe that through ESG connection, we can continuously maximize corporate value by securing both economic value and stakeholder’s trust.”
What’s next for ESG at SK hynix: “I hope that SK hynix’s passion of ESG management will lead to empathy and cooperation based on the trust and support of internal and external members and stakeholders. Through this, SK hynix will achieve the status of a truly global top-tier ESG company.
The Way I See It: Jaeho Lee (ESG Strategic Planning / Team Leader)
Key to good company culture: “Two-way communication based on empathy.”
Biggest environmental challenge in the industry: “The semiconductor industry produces high-tech products through continuous technological development – but this comes at the environmental cost of increased energy consumption and generation of harmful substances.”
Biggest ESG issue ICT companies are facing: ICT companies are based on information that comes out through efficient processing of large amounts of data. At this time, the necessary parts and systems are based on a large amount of power consumption, and the demand for suppression of carbon emissions is increasing.
SK hynix’s ESG approach: “SK hynix is working to reinforce ESG value through a development strategy that minimizes these negative aspects when developing technology. We are striving to reduce power use in the system by expanding the use of renewable energy through the declaration of participation in RE100 and developing low-power semiconductors.”
What’s next for ESG at SK hynix: “I want to create a system where ESG elements can be reflected when making any decision that is necessary for business and management. I believe that our company can pursue more stable growth in the mid to long term if ESG factors are reflected in the values pursued by the field.”
