Samsung Wins Sustainability Awards from EPA

Samsung Electronics America announced it has received two awards for sustainability from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Samsung is the first brand to be honored with the Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Champion Award, Product Category for the Galaxy S6. The company will also receive The SMM Electronics Challenge Tier Award – Gold Level for Samsung’s leadership in e-waste collection.

The Champion Award was presented to Samsung because of its use of sustainable materials in the Samsung Galaxy S6, and is the only mobile phone recognized by the EPA’s SMM program. The Samsung Galaxy S6 is 99.9 percent recyclable and comes in 100 percent recycled packaging. Additionally, the phone’s charger is made partially out of recycled plastic, and soy-bean ink is used to print the materials included with the smartphone.

The second award for e-waste leadership honors Samsung’s long-term commitment to the proper disposal and recycling of e-waste in the United States. In 2014, Samsung collected over 114 million pounds of e-waste in the U.S., one of the world’s biggest collectors of e-waste. Samsung is being recognized for the company’s robust voluntary collection network, as well as for the recycler audits the company conducts to confirm e-Stewards® compliance.

“As one of the two SMM Electronics Champion award winners, Samsung Electronics has shown exceptional leadership and innovation in the sustainable management of electronics and for demonstrating significant environmental, social and economic outcomes that go above and beyond the requirements of the SMM Electronics Challenge,” said Mathy Stanislaus, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Land and Emergency Management. “I salute congratulate Samsung for their innovative efforts to divert electronics from landfills and recover valuable resources, and for its vision to make the Galaxy S6 mobile phone, its packaging, and its accessories meet high environmental standards while maintaining its status as a high-end product and I encourage others to follow their lead by implementing these best practices.”

“We are honored by the EPA’s acknowledgement of Samsung’s efforts in sustainability and e-waste leadership,” said Mark Newton, director of corporate environmental and regulatory affairs. “It has been a company-wide focus to grow our recycling and sustainable programs, and it is wonderful to be recognized for doing great work that helps preserve the environment.”

The awards were presented to Samsung today at a ceremony that was attended by representatives of the EPA’s Office of Land and Emergency Management, General Services Administration, and the Department of Energy.