According to a 2016 report from the World Economic Forum (WEF), research suggests that by the year 2050, there may be more plastic (by weight) in the ocean than fish.¹ The use of plastics, the WEF notes, “has increased twentyfold in the past half-century, and is expected to double again in the next 20 years.”

Recently, Samsung Newsroom spotlighted eco-friendly initiatives that Samsung Electronics has undertaken as part of its decades-long commitment to sustainable innovation. Here, we’ll outline the company’s efforts to combat e-waste and promote a circular economy by recycling resources safely and efficiently.

A Simple Solution

E-waste recycling is a complicated process that involves disassembling or shredding old devices to recover useful resources. To help simplify the first step of the process, collecting e-waste, in 1998, Samsung Electronics initiated a take-back and recycling program in Korea. Now known as the Re+ Program, this free service, which lets consumers dispose of old smartphones and appliances by dropping them off at Samsung stores and service centers, was up and running in a total of 54 countries.²

Once a smartphone has been collected, its battery is removed and processed separately. Rather than burning the battery, as is common when electronic devices are discarded, Samsung will instead dispose of the battery safely and in an eco-friendly manner. The smartphone batteries go through four processing phases in all, which include salting, perforation, drying and fragmentation stages. Any cobalt, nickel or other rare metals that are extracted during processing are set aside for use in new products.

Once an old appliance has been collected and transferred to a recycling facility, it’s put through a preconditioning phase that helps ensure that it’s processed efficiently. Here, any devices that would decrease in value if they were subjected to the first stage of the recycling process, which involves crushing the devices to extract resources such as steel, copper, aluminum and plastic, are separated from the rest.

After the devices have been pulverized, an automated procedure sorts the extracted resources by type. The post-processing required to transform these resources into raw materials is completed not at the recycling facility itself, but at offsite smelting firms.

Making a Difference

As part of its commitment to creating a circular economy, Samsung Electronics has established an increased use of recycled plastic as one of its mid- to long-term goals. The hope is to utilize what amounts to 500,000 tons of recycled plastic by 2030. Since 2009, approximately 220,000 tons² of recycled plastic have been used to create new products. Recycled plastic is not only difficult and expensive to process, it’s also known to be hard to use because the quality of the final product varies more widely than with metals.

Youngjin Seo, Director of Samsung Electronics’ Product Environment Team, shed some light on the importance of these recycling efforts from a business standpoint. “Recycling plastic from discarded devices not only helps reduce e-waste, it also reduces the amount of petrochemicals needed to produce new products,” Seo explained. “This is why resource circulation is especially important to businesses.”

You can watch the recycling process in action in the video below. See how a device – in this case, a refrigerator – is collected and broken down at a recycling facility, and how plastic is extracted and reprocessed for use in new devices.

¹ The World Economic Forum, The New Plastics Economy: Rethinking the Future of Plastics (2016.01.19)

² As of 2018.

It is often said that the world is running out of oil reserves, and humanity only has enough for a couple more decades. One reason for this is the sheer amount of resources that are being wasted. Many products are simply used once, and then thrown in the garbage. That sort of waste is costly – both in terms of disposal costs and for the burden it imposes on the environment.

However, an environmentally-conscious trend has emerged that aims at mitigating this problem – the “Circular Economy.” As opposed to a linear economy, in which resources are used one time and then thrown away, the circular economy works to minimize resource waste, boosting sustainability by repairing, refurbishing, and recycling existing products.

The circular economy represents a major policy initiative, focusing both on boosting economic development and environmental protection. It reduces the costs of extracting and processing resources, while lessening the environmental impact caused by excessive waste. To implement a circular-style economic system, companies need to decrease the quantity of natural resources they use and redesign their production system so resources can last longer. Additionally, products should be reused after production, recycled after disposal to find new life.

Circular Economy Efforts Globally

Today, many countries are working toward circular economies. In particular, the nations of the European Union (“EU”) have been the most active in making this transition. The EU first put forward a Circular Economy Package in July 2014 and is continuing to improve its associated systems and technical standards.

Major international cooperation organizations, including the UN and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), are also encouraging the development of related circular economy policies, conducting a wide range of research into efficient resource utilization. That research includes how to assess resource sustainability, mineral recycling rates, and economic policy.

In the electronics industry, the circular economy requires designing products that are easy to upgrade and repair, as well as increasing the use of recyclable parts. More changes will occur in the manufacturing industry as various EU policies take effect, including in the areas of resource efficiency, product policies, waste alleviation, and finance.

How Samsung Reuses, Conserves, and Uses Resources Longer

To do its part to support the circular economy, Samsung Electronics is engaging in a range of activities that improve the efficiency of its resource usage and minimize the waste it generates. Among those steps, Samsung is trying to ease the repair and recycling of its products from the planning and designing stages, as well as prohibiting the use of harmful elements in its parts.

One example is with recycling plastics. Samsung Electronics is increasingly using plastics from disposed of electronics goods, processing the plastics for reuse in some new products. It is also designing products that are easier to disassemble, to increase recyclability. Furthermore, Samsung Electronics changes parts, reinstalls software, or changes labels for returned products and sells them as refurbished phones for reduced prices. This service is provided in the U.S. and U.K., and improves resource efficiency by facilitating the reuse of goods.

Another example is in recycling packing materials. In Korea, packing materials for items like refrigerators used to be thrown away after being used just one time. But then Samsung changed the material it uses for packing, switching to more durable materials, so now packing materials can be reused. Recycled paper is also being used for the boxes that cellphones and PCs come in. In 2015 in Korea alone, Samsung Electronics recycled 79,950 tons of products, including refrigerators, washing machines and displays, as well as 7,040 tons of packaging.

The company is also reducing the resources it uses by minimizing screen thickness, bezel width, and TV screen weight. Products with rapid replacement cycles, like cellphones, can be restored as usable products. In some countries, Samsung collects old cellphones from consumers, then repairs and refurbishes them. Those restored devices can be provided to consumers at an affordable price, once again saving on resources.

Samsung’s efforts to implement a circular economy are not limited to recycling resources. The company is also working to release products with a longer life expectancy, so that consumers can use them for a long time before needing replacements. Software is updated regularly to help extend device lifespans. Furthermore, the company provides a range of customer assistance services, both online and offline, so consumers can resolve issues that may arise with their products and use them longer.

The world is striving to create a more circular economy, and Samsung Electronics is actively trying to make those changes, too. Creating a more sustainable economy will change the world in many ways, and Samsung will continue to do all it can to implement environmental and resource-related solutions while producing the best products.