NC

NC dreams about connecting the world with joy. This includes achieving an environment-friendly management based on righteous and authentic values. NC is an IT company generating values through intangible services, but it truly understands the importance of environment-friendly management and its ethical responsibility and actively implements environment-friendly management. In this article, we will introduce NC’s activities and determinations to achieve sustainable environment and the future vision for environment-friendly management.

For NC, environment-friendly management is not limited to achieving results over the short term; rather, it is an objective and a vision that will be consistently pursued for a qualitative leap of the society. NC has tried to lay solid stepping stones to enhance environment-friendly management based on sustainable and consistent directions and established the Environmental Management Principles. The Principles are the first step towards environment-friendly management and show the determination and will of NC to move forward in an authentic way.

The ESG Steering Committee composed of C-level personnel is responsible for the management, supervision, and decision-making of the Principles. ESG Management Division carries out working level execution and operation through cooperation with other organizations related to environment-friendly management. The Environmental Management Principles were stated in ‘NCSOFT ESG PLAYBOOK 2021’, the second sustainability report of NC published in June. Based on the Principles, NC plans to continue its efforts to develop an independent system for environment-friendly management and establish specific and deliverable Environmental Goals.

NC has strived to improve energy efficiency through establishing an ecofriendly infrastructure inside its premises. Stable data management is required to provide comfortable playing experiences to players, and it inevitably requires much energy to manage data collected from various services. NC’s data centers save much energy through turning off the servers that are not in operation. Also, it is making efforts to improve energy efficiency through cooling the IT rooms using the air outside the building and the ice thermal energy facilities to save energy from non-peak periods and use it during peak periods.

In addition to the data centers, NC continues to make efforts mainly in Pangyo R&D Center to reduce its environmental impact through managing waste and water usage. Related information is disclosed through the sustainability report published every year

NC also reflected its vision for environmental protection in its new office building to be completed in 2026. It plans to build the building in an ecofriendly way, considering environment and energy saving even from the designing process. It plans to install various devices to manage energy efficiency and facilities powered by clean energy sources and to acquire ecofriendly certificates.

Also, NC is reviewing whether to introduce the water source cooling and heating system among various ideas submitted through a contest for sustainable construction. The water source cooling and heating system is the one to use hydrothermal energy for cooling and heating. Using hydrothermal energy, carbon emissions may be reduced through saving energies used for air-conditioning. In the case of general air-conditioning systems in buildings, the heat generated through cooling system will be emitted into the air through the cooling towers on the rooftop, causing the urban heat island effect. However, in the case of water source cooling and heating system, the hydrothermal sources like river water would absorb heat, replacing the role of cooling towers. This is considered ecofriendly, since it would contribute to alleviation of the urban heat island effect. NC’s new office building will put utmost priority on eco-friendliness of resources, including energy, water, and materials, with the aim to enable sustainable construction.

A sustainable environment can be made with the joint efforts of all members of the society. As part of such efforts, NC has expanded the activities to share green values both in and outside the company. DOGURI, a character featuring ones that are just starting out in a career, has consistently shown good ideas for building of a sustainable society. (Read the article here) Also, NC is carrying out various employee engagement campaigns such as informing correct ways for recycling and encouraging employees to commute on bicycle with the aim to improve awareness of ecofriendly activities.

Environment-friendly management cannot be achieved overnight; it requires long-term plans and consistent efforts. NC will spare no efforts and thoughts to enable righteous and authentic management practices for environment protection based on the newly established Environmental Management Principles. We hope that many will join NC’s journey to take steps forward, enabling a qualitative leap of the society.