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| German Ambassador-designate to Korea Georg Schmidt delivers congratulatory remarks during the Korean-German Climate & Environment Conference 2023 at Conrad Seoul, Aug. 24. Courtesy of KGCCI |
By Kwon Mee-yoo
As the global push for carbon neutrality intensifies, the Embassy of Germany in Korea and the Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KGCCI) hosted a conference on ways to cooperate on decarbonization at the industrial level, Aug. 24.
German Ambassador-designate to Korea Georg Schmidt stressed the role of green energy in the process in his congratulatory remarks.
"Green energy helps us to establish a resilient, secure and affordable energy system ... Korean and German companies are key providers of innovative technology for the global energy transition," Schmidt said.
KGCCI President Martin Henkelmann noted the significance of Korean and German corporate alliances in advancing sustainable solutions.
"When joining forces from Korean and German companies, they share knowledge, strengths and expertise. By working jointly and by including all stakeholders from both countries, we will advance faster, bolder and more holistically," Henkelmann said.
Over 70 experts from Korean and German companies and institutions participated in the event to showcase best practice cases and foster future collaboration to achieve a carbon-neutral future in the industrial sector.
Vice President of Siemens Korea, Tino Hildebrand, said the industry's responsibility to take the lead in sustainability as the industrial sector accounts for a significant portion of carbon dioxide emissions.
"If you consider sustainability as an add-on, it will not work. I believe, as the industry needs to be sustainable and create better products for our customers, we have to be sustainable and run factories more efficiently," Hildebrand said.
He gave an example of Siemens' digital twin as a way of improving sustainability in the production process.
Hildebrand said that Siemens has made an enormous effort in developing a comprehensive software landscape that enables companies to build their own "digital twin" which they then connect with the original factory, ensuring constant and comprehensive optimization in many regards including manufacturing and sustainability.
In the first session, Senior Manager of Energy, Building & Environmental Technologies at Germany Trade and Invest Heiko Staubitz and Director of the Industrial Environment Division at Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy Lee Han-chul discussed challenges and opportunities associated with reducing carbon footprints.
German and Korean perspectives and cases were presented during the second session. From the German side, Senior Project Manager specialized in Neutrality Strategy & Carbon Trading at Meo Carbon Solutions GmbH Claudia Bulgheroni presented ways to identify, reduce and neutralize greenhouse gas emissions, while Thomas Choi, President of EVONIK Korea, introduced the "Way to GO2" project.
On the Korean front, companies and institutions including Korea Shipbuilding and Offshore Engineering, POSCO and Low Carbon Co. explored solutions for carbon neutrality roadmaps in different industries.
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