Samsung unveils its new sustainable initiatives

Samsung announced on World Earth Day its new sustainable initiatives, ranging from greener equipment innovations and features to sustainable packaging that enables it to reduce resource use and respond more effectively to environmental issues. Samsung’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions throughout the production cycle have won recognition from the Carbon Trust, the world’s leading authority on carbon footprinting. Last year, the company’s Carbon Trust-certified memory chips helped reduce carbon emissions by almost 700,000 tonnes. The technology company first points to low-impact production methods, packaging that reduces the carbon footprint and provides a more sustainable customer experience, and the responsible reuse of products at the end of their life cycle. Technology “Energy efficiency is key to securing the carbon footprint and thus generating more sustainable change,” he said in a statement. In terms of technological advances in the area of sustainability, the company has introduced improvements in the Eco Command of its televisions, replacing the battery with a built-in solar panel that can be charged with natural or artificial light, as well as through radio frequencies captured from Wi-Fi networks. Through this action, Samsung aims to eliminate more than 200 million batteries. Energy and resource management Energy management was another point that Samsung took into account. Through a partnership with Q CELLS, Samsung is developing a new Zero Energy Home Integration feature for its SmartThings Energy app, integrating data on the production and storage of a home’s solar panels and energy storage systems, and helping to monitor its energy self-sufficiency. It also monitors the energy use of connected devices and recommends energy-saving methods based on their usage patterns. Recycled plastic Samsung also announced that it intends to increase the percentage of recycled plastic used in its appliances, having expanded its use in both interior and exterior components. In 2021 the company’s commitment was to increase the use of recycled plastic by 5%, and by 2024 it had increased the figure to 30%. This will increase the use of this component from 25,000 tonnes to 158,000 tonnes in 2024. In addition to this commitment, it has also developed a new type of recycled polypropylene plastic for its washing machines, using this material, or reusing it from disposable products, the company has created a type of recycled resin, more resistant to external shocks. Electronic waste and packaging “E-waste is another big challenge for the industry,” Samsung points out, noting that since 2009 it has reused more than five million tonnes of such waste. Samsung has launched Galaxy for the Planet, a sustainability platform for mobile devices, designed to define tangible climate action to minimise the environmental footprint of mobile devices throughout all stages of their life cycles. “Plastic pollution poses serious threats to our environment, and discarded fishing nets are especially harmful to marine life and our oceans. Samsung’s collaboration with leading organisations helps recover discarded fishing nets and transforms them into a high-performance material for its smartphones,” the company said. This material was also used in the latest Galaxy S22 range, which contains 20% recycled plastic from these nets, and in addition, its packaging is also made from 100% recycled paper and the protective films are made from recycled plastic. “Samsung is also ensuring the use of eco-friendly packaging to cover a wider range of products, including household appliances such as hoovers and microwaves,” the company points out. One of the main efforts lies in the packaging of all models of TVs and soundbars, through its eco-packaging solution, with 90% less ink, in addition to removing staples during production. “Both improvements reduce waste and facilitate processing at recycling centres,” the company notes.