Samsung Electronics announced that the company was named a winner of the 2022 SEAL Business Sustainability Award for transforming discarded fishing nets into a high-performance, recycled material used in Galaxy devices.

Every year, judged by a panel of sustainability and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) experts, the SEAL Awards recognizes the most impactful sustainability initiatives and top companies that drive environmental progress. Samsung is a recipient of the 2022 SEAL Business Sustainability Award, which honors inspiring companies with purpose-built products that move and change the world in a better way.

“We are honored to receive the 2022 SEAL Sustainable Product Award for our efforts to advance more circular product designs and by doing more with less when it comes to ocean plastic waste,” said Sungsun Park, EVP and Head of Mechanical R&D Team of MX Business at Samsung Electronics. “Samsung is committed to continuing our sustainability journey and unleashing the company’s scale, innovation and spirit of open collaboration to deliver even more tangible climate actions.”

“A staggering 640,000 tons of fishing equipment are abandoned in the ocean each year, trapping and entangling marine life and damaging coral reefs. We applaud Samsung for transforming the Galaxy smartphone series to combat this environmental challenge,” said Matt Harney, Founder of SEAL Awards.

Discarded fishing nets are one of the most widespread and invasive ocean-bound plastics[1] that pose a serious threat to marine life and our planet. Samsung first incorporated recycled discarded fishing nets with the Galaxy S22 Series and since then, has used the material in designs throughout the Galaxy ecosystem, including in tablets, laptops and earbuds. By collaborating with like-minded organizations, Samsung created a new material from recycled ocean-bound plastic and upheld its high-quality standards.

This innovation is part of Samsung MX’s sustainability vision, Galaxy for the Planet, which outlines the company’s journey to taking tangible climate actions across global business operations and product lifecycles. Through Galaxy for the Planet, Samsung strives to develop and incorporate recycled materials in all new products[2], eliminate single-use plastics in mobile packaging[3], achieve zero standby power consumption[4] for all smartphone chargers[5], and divert all waste from landfill by 2025[6].

For more information on global sustainability efforts from Samsung, please visit samsung.ca.

—

[1] Ocean-bound plastic is abandoned plastic waste of all sizes (micro-plastics, mezzo-plastics and macro-plastics) that are located within 50km of shores in communities or areas where waste management is inexistent or very inefficient.

[2] With the goal of using recycled material across all new mobile products by 2025, Samsung will use various recycled materials within its products, taking their strength, aesthetics and durability into consideration.

[3] Samsung is working towards the full elimination of single use plastics from product packaging by 2025 – reducing, removing and replacing unnecessary resources and materials traditionally used in device packaging and incorporating eco-conscious solutions.

[4] Standby power consumption is the power used after a smartphone is fully charged or disconnected, but the charger remains plugged-in.

[5] Based on 15W, 25W and 45W Galaxy smartphone chargers.

[6]  Samsung will also work to reduce e-waste on a global scale by optimizing the product lifecycle, improving product design processes, and engaging in initiatives like Galaxy Upcycling and Trade-In programs.

When I started my career at Samsung 25 years ago, I was a young engineer with a passion for technology and all it could do. Over the years, the capacity of mobile innovation has exceeded even my ambitious expectations. It has brought us conveniences and capabilities that make our lives better, but it has also given us the opportunity to be better. The ability to connect without proximity empowers us to break down barriers and work together to make progress. And with humanity facing some of its most complex challenges yet, we need to collaborate and innovate solutions more than ever before. That’s why I believe mobile technology has a vital role to play in helping us protect our planet.

Samsung has always challenged what’s possible with technology. And now, we are taking our next step towards putting sustainability at the centre of our innovations. From eco-conscious materials to global partnerships, we are exploring every opportunity to help power the world with mobile technology that serves as a tool for positive change.

Innovation with Impact

We’ve been on a journey for years at Samsung, marrying sustainability and innovation by using recycled materials in our smartphones, wearables and accessories. In addition to our on-going effort to use more eco-conscious materials including recycled PCM (post-consumer materials), the new Galaxy smartphones and tablets that were unveiled at our latest Unpacked used select components containing 20% recycled ocean-bound plastic[1] from discarded fishing nets[2].

We focused our innovation efforts on a pervasive and especially hazardous type of plastic waste that is harming marine life and our natural ecosystems – discarded fishing nets. Every year, 640,000 tons of fishing nets are abandoned in and around our oceans. With help from like-minded partners, we found a way to repurpose them into a new, high-performance material that can be incorporated into critical components of the Galaxy S22 series. From now on, more and more Galaxy devices will play a small part in reducing plastic waste in our oceans.

I know we still have a long way to go. And at Mobile World Congress 2022, we will share our next wave of innovations that incorporate recycled ocean-bound plastics.

Using Technology as a Force for Good

At Samsung, we believe in making mobile technology that has positive environmental impact and putting the power of our Galaxy ecosystem into the hands of passionate change makers.

I’ve seen this first-hand with our growing Generation17 initiative, which Samsung leads in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme. Generation17 empowers young activists to take on pressing issues like climate change, education, and more, so the world can make headway towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, also known as the Global Goals, by 2030. And with the recent addition of six new Young Leaders, the program now spans countries in Africa, Asia & The Pacific, Europe, North America, Latin America and the Middle East and supports work across all 17 Global Goals.

That’s how mobile innovation fuels transformation. It amplifies simple actions and individual voices and brings them together to amount to big, global change.

We Need Collective Action

I am in awe of the impactful ways people are helping to change the world with Galaxy, and I promise our work does not end here. Samsung will continue developing innovative technology that bridges barriers, connects communities and addresses the climate crisis.

Samsung is ready to do more. We will take real action, hold ourselves accountable and share our journey – from our successes to our challenges and lessons learned. We will act with our industry peers, with developers, with the Galaxy community, with everyone, to strengthen technology as a force for good.

—

[1] Ocean-bound plastic is abandoned plastic waste of all sizes (micro-plastics, mezzo-plastics and macro-plastics) that are located within 50km of shores in communities or areas where waste management is inexistent or very inefficient.

[2] Discarded fishing nets are purchased through Samsung’s partner that works with local fishermen who collect them from the Indian Ocean and neighboring coastal areas. Samsung does not directly recover fishing nets from the ocean.