Sustainability in Suwon, South Korea:

Sungmin is located in the centre of Suwon City, infact they are next to the vast Samsung Research and Development facility, so since the Sungmin factory operation commenced they have been required to meet very strict government controls for water consumption, wastage and use all energy efficiently.

All aspects of Sungmins’ production is tightly monitored and controlled by the Korean government to meet environmental standards and conserve energy and water consumption. There can be no threat or damage to the environment in such a highly populated area or to the surrounding businesses.

The Korean government require performance reports on a bi-annual basis and are constantly increasing the standards and targets to perform more and more efficiently. Sungmin have always worked with this level of transparency and consideration so it is deep routed in both the managements objectives and the business operations.

In addition, Sungmin have introduced paperless quality controls and internal systems, every process is now tracked digitally, with very few processes requiring paper instructions.

Sustainable certification and processes:

In May 2020, Sungmin were awarded Bluesign and Oeko-tex certifications for their printing inks and their finishing chemicals which are all from approved Bluesign suppliers.

In March 2021 they achieved full Oeko-tex certification for the printing site and production processes.

Every effort to operate with minimum impact on people, the environment, natural resources and prevent waste is at the centre of every decision and action taken.

Sustainability is a long term commitment and is at the core of the business operation.

Digital printing benefits:

Digital printing is as environmentally friendly as printing can be, since only the minimum amount of ink is used during the process and with great accuracy; there is also limited colour loss due to the high quality inks Sungmin use.

August 2020, Sungmin has purchased new, state of the art digital printing machines, that takes the print definition and ink accuracy to a new, unpredicted level. There is minimal waste, 100% colour and printing accuracy and therefore a reduction in energy and water consumption.

Sungmin conform to all restricted chemical legislations issued by Reach and do not use any dyes with metal content or restricted substances.

Over 75% of the total printing production in Sungmin is digitally produced, which is approximately 130,000mts per month. The demand for digital production is increasing, possibly due to the environmental directives and Sungmin are continuing to proactively drive the digital printing innovation in the Far East.

Code of Ethics:

Sungmin work with maximum transparency, fairness and reliability for all employees, suppliers, customers and external contacts.Equal opportunities and gender equality are amongst the most important values adopted from the start of the business.A clear ‘Code of Ethics’ listing the values required by Korean legislation means Sungmin do not discriminate based on ethnic-racial, sexual orientation, religion, politics, personal or social conditions of any individual.

The ‘Code of Ethics’ stipulates the government criteria for over time and extra pay requirements and Sungmin take a strong stance against corruption, fraud and illegality.The minimum age for employment is 18, currently the youngest in the team is 21 years old.

Sungmin take the responsibility and welfare of its employees very seriously, many of the team being employed in the company for many years, using their knowledge and experience in roles across the business.