Even as all focus was on the new devices that Samsung unveiled at its Unpacked event, towards the end of the show the South Korean electronics major slipped in a small bit of announcement that should warm the cockles of the heart of green warriors.
Just days after the disturbing UN Climate Panel Policy report was unveiled, Samsung has made a commitment that it would fully eliminate single use plastics from product packaging by 2025.
Samsung said it would reduce, remove and replace unnecessary resources and materials traditionally used in device packaging and incorporate eco-conscious solutions.
On the face of it, this might seem a typical bleeding-heart spiel that corporates lapse into from time to time. But Samsung is among the top smartphone brands globally and makes several millions of shipments every year. Such a company promising to remove plastics from its packaging is indeed huge and important. It can be, as they say, a game-changer for the industry.
Recycled material in all Samsung devices
Unveiling its new sustainable vision for the mobile business, “Galaxy for the Planet,” Samsung also said that it would use recycled material in all of its new mobile products by 2025.
Its initial targets are to reduce its environmental footprint and lessen resource depletion from production to disposal of its Galaxy products.
In terms of technology in products itself, Samsung has plans to achieve zero power standby consumption of smartphone chargers, aiming for a reduction to below 0.005 watts by 2025. It has so far reduced the standby power consumption across all of its smartphone chargers to 0.02 W.
Among its other green promises is the one to reduce “e-waste” by improving the product lifecycle, design processes through Galaxy Upcycling and trade-in programs.
Further, the Koran company said that it would cut down waste from its mobile worksites with a goal to divert all waste from landfills by 2025.
Samsung is committed to creating solutions that enable a better future for our people and our planet. However, we know we cannot do this alone, and the collective fight for the planet is not a competition,” said Stephanie Choi, SVP & Head of Marketing of the Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics.
