SK hynix Becomes First Semiconductor Company in Korea to Receive ‘IECQ QC 080000’ Certification

SK hynix has become the first semiconductor company in Korea to receive the ‘IECQ QC 080000 Hazardous Substance Process Management (HSPM)’ certification, issued by Swiss-based international certification company Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS). Obtaining this validates the company’s ability to manage hazardous substances throughout the entire process of supplying environmentally friendly semiconductors.

Document and on-site inspections were carried out at the Icheon and Cheongju campuses for all products and processes, including development, production, and quality assurance (QA) functions. The certification ceremony at the Icheon Campus was attended by Junho Song, vice president of Global QRA Quality System at SK hynix, and Bruce Moon, president of SGS Korea.

IECQ QC 080000 is an international standard for the management of hazardous substances in products based on the ISO 9001¹⁾ quality management system prepared by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). It is a management standard that aims to reduce or eliminate the use and production of environmentally hazardous substances, such as heavy metals and endocrine disruptors, and guarantees environmental sustainability to customers, employees and shareholders, as well as compliance with various environmental regulations such as RoHS²⁾ and WEEE³⁾ standards.

▲ Junho Song, SK hynix’s vice president of QRA Quality System,
and Bruce Moon, president of SGS Korea, attended the IECQ QC 080000 certification ceremony.

SK hynix formed a task force for this certification in January of this year and has been carrying out activities to establish processes for dealing with hazardous substances, as well as conducting an internal audit in August. Following the certification audit by SGS in September, it was determined that all semiconductor products manufactured at SK hynix’s Icheon and Cheongju campuses met IECQ QC 080000 requirements.

As a result of this international standard certification, SK hynix expects to secure voluntary management capabilities beyond compliance with international environmental regulations, as well as provide environmentally friendly semiconductors to customers and strengthen its ESG image to investors. It is anticipated that this in turn will spread eco-friendly management throughout the semiconductor supply chain.

▲ Junho Song, SK hynix’s vice president of QRA Quality System,
at the ceremony discussing the company’s quality policies for hazardous substance management.

Junho Song said, “We have obtained IECQ QC 080000 certification based on SK hynix’s continuous efforts to produce environmentally friendly products. Through this, our goal is to become a global leader trusted by customers and the market, offering a hazardous substance-free guarantee that goes above and beyond existing performance and quality reliability assurance.”

▲ Members of SK hynix’s task force who worked to achieve IECQ QC 080000 certification.

¹⁾ISO 9001: International standard for quality management system established and implemented by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO)

²⁾RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances): A guideline for restricting the use of specific hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment, including the prohibition of heavy metals such as lead, mercury, and cadmium.

³⁾WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment): A guideline for the disposal of electrical waste.