Samsung Electronics today announced that Galaxy S25 has been honored with the 2025 Design for Recycling® Award, the highest recognition for leadership in sustainable product design presented by the Recycled Materials Association (ReMA), a leading industry organization dedicated to promoting recycling and circular innovation.

This award recognizes Samsung’s innovative efforts to scale its use of recycled materials and do more with less of the planet’s natural resources. Galaxy S25 is the first Galaxy device to incorporate recycled cobalt — a critical material used in batteries — sourced through Samsung’s new Circular Battery Supply Chain.¹ This system recovers cobalt from previously used Galaxy devices and batteries discarded during the manufacturing process,² helping to reuse valuable materials and reduce the need for newly-mined cobalt.

“Samsung is committed to embedding sustainability throughout our products’ life cycle from design, to usage and disposal,” said Daniel Araujo, VP and Head of the Sustainability Management Office, Mobile eXperience (MX) Business at Samsung Electronics. “Galaxy S25 represents an important milestone in our journey to enhance circularity in our products and operations, combining cutting-edge innovation with responsibility for the planet. We will continue expanding our efforts to create a more sustainable future for future generations.”

“Samsung has demonstrated true leadership by incorporating design for recycling principles into every phase of Galaxy S25,” said Robin Wiener, President of the Recycled Materials Association (ReMA). “Their use of various recycled materials shows a clear commitment to designing the products we rely on every day with innovation and environmental responsibility.”

Building on its progress in battery recycling, the Galaxy S25 features eight different recycled materials³ across its components, including aluminum, rare earth elements like neodymium and steel. For the first time, recycled material has been integrated into armor aluminum frame,⁴ ensuring that every external component of Galaxy S25 contains at least one recycled material. The Galaxy S25 series packaging box is also made with 100% recycled paper, eliminating single-use plastics.

Samsung also supports consumer repairability with its Self-Repair program,⁵ empowering users to extend product life and reduce e-waste.

These initiatives support Samsung’s broader environmental goals, including working toward transitioning to 100 percent renewable energy across global DX operations by 2027 and incorporating at least one recycled material in every module of every mobile product⁶ by 2030 investing in innovative eco-conscious materials without compromising strength, aesthetics or durability.

The award ceremony will be held on May 14 at the ReMA Convention in San Diego, California.

¹ Uses a minimum of 50% recycled cobalt for batteries — a minimum of 25% of the Galaxy S25 battery is cobalt by weight, 50% of which is recycled cobalt.
² Inclusion may differ by markets.
³ The percentage of each recycled material differs per component. Please visit Samsung Sustainability Website for more information.
⁴ The Metal Frame (Case Front) of S25 contains a minimum of 20% recycled aluminum by weight.
⁵ Samsung’s Self-Repair program is available in select markets. Self-Repair program details including model availability, components, kit cost may differ by region. For more details, please visit Samsung.com Self-Repair website.
⁶ Based on our announcement during Samsung Galaxy Unpacked January 2024. Samsung defines a module of a smartphone as the Antenna, Battery, Camera, Display, Mechanical Components, Motor, PBA/FPCB, Speaker, Wireless Charger Module and Packaging.

Previously confined to the imagination, this idea is now a reality with Samsung Electronics’ Circular Battery Supply Chain — an initiative that recovers and reuses key materials from the batteries of used Galaxy smartphones. The Galaxy S25 marks the first time this closed-loop battery recycling system has been applied to Samsung’s flagship lineup.

Samsung Newsroom spoke with Youngmin Kim from the Circular Economy Lab in the Global Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) Office and Sangcheul Lee from the Battery Group in the Mobile eXperience (MX) Business at Samsung Electronics to learn more about the development and impact of this project.

▲ (From left) Sangcheul Lee and Youngmin Kim

Used Galaxy Devices Reborn as Valuable Resources

Each year, approximately 200 tons of waste battery material were collected at Samsung’s production facilities in Vietnam. Countries with proper recycling infrastructure can repurpose used batteries for applications like electric vehicle batteries. Vietnam, however, lacked the means to do so. Recognizing the need for a sustainable solution, the company decided to address the issue.

“Samsung’s Vietnam facilities are among those that generate the highest volume of waste batteries, including defective units from the manufacturing process and batteries recovered from a factory that repairs Galaxy phones traded in from the United States,” said Youngmin Kim. “Our goal was to create a system that would allow us to recycle these resources and reintegrate them into our products.”

▲ Youngmin Kim explains the Circular Battery Supply Chain while showcasing cobalt and cathode materials.

To develop an efficient recycling process for Vietnam’s waste batteries, Samsung partnered with multiple companies to build an optimized resource circularity system that connected cobalt extraction plants with battery production lines in neighboring countries.

“For the Galaxy S24 series, we sourced recycled cobalt externally,” he explained. “However, with the Galaxy S25, we implemented a fully closed-loop recycling system that extracts cobalt directly from discarded Galaxy batteries.”

The collected waste batteries are processed into high-purity cobalt, then shipped to the battery production line where it is integrated into Galaxy S25 batteries. This process transforms electronic waste from used Galaxy devices into a valuable resource, supporting Samsung’s vision for a sustainable circular economy.

▲ Samsung’s Circular Battery Supply Chain in action

More specifically, the Circular Battery Supply Chain begins with collecting used Galaxy smartphones, followed by dismantling and discharging their batteries. These batteries are then shredded and processed into a fine powder known as “black mass.” This material is subsequently refined to extract cobalt — which is used to produce cathode materials, a key component of the Galaxy S25 battery.

The Endless Recyclability of Cobalt

Cobalt is essential for maintaining the stability and performance of lithium-ion batteries in smartphones. While lithium carries electrons within the battery, cobalt facilitates lithium’s movement to ensure optimal battery operation.

▲ Cobalt ore samples

“Cobalt does not degrade with battery use, meaning it can theoretically be recycled indefinitely,” said Lee. “Recycled cobalt and newly mined cobalt are virtually identical — so much so that the difference is indistinguishable in the manufacturing process.”

In essence, Galaxy devices containing cobalt can be recycled and repurposed regardless of their manufacturing date.

▲ Samsung’s Circular Battery Supply Chain on display at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2025 in Barcelona

“The key to extracting high-purity cobalt lies in technology,” said Kim. “Through our Circular Battery Supply Chain, we have successfully recovered and utilized over 90% of the cobalt from the discarded batteries that have been collected.”

Half of the cobalt used in the Galaxy S25 batteries comes from recycled sources — a strong testament to Samsung’s environmental strategy and commitment to reducing its environmental impact while maintaining premium product quality.

The Road to a Reliable and Efficient Circular Supply Chain

Nonetheless, establishing the Circular Battery Supply Chain was no easy feat as the batteries were required to meet stringent global safety and environmental regulations.

▲ Sangcheul Lee explains the certification management process.

“We had to engage with numerous partner companies, navigating complex and rigorous procedures,” recalled Lee. “To prevent fire hazards during transport, the batteries had to be crushed and obtaining the necessary certifications to comply with relevant environmental regulations took considerable time.”

“With constantly evolving regulations and Samsung’s exceptionally high internal standards, we underwent multiple rounds of reviews and certifications,” he added. “Despite the challenges, we persisted as a team and successfully implemented the system in the Galaxy S25.”

Samsung’s Evolving Vision for a Circular Economy

“I felt a great sense of pride when our Circular Battery Supply Chain was showcased at the recent Galaxy Unpacked event,” said Lee, reflecting on the achievement. “I hope to continue developing sustainable batteries by expanding our recycling efforts to include lithium and other materials.”

“With the Galaxy S25, we’ve also reached another significant milestone in resource circularity — wafer trays discarded after semiconductor manufacturing have been repurposed into a plastic used in the side and volume keys,” shared Kim. “We are working on various projects to expand resource circularity across other product lines as well, and we hope our users will continue to join us on our journey.”

Samsung has successfully established a closed-loop battery recycling system through the Circular Battery Supply Chain — turning a vision launched under its 2022 environmental strategy into reality with the Galaxy S25. This milestone has sparked growing anticipation for the next innovations that will emerge from Samsung’s pursuit of a more sustainable future.

September 18 saw the official launch of the “Cobalt for Development” pilot project – a cross-industrial initiative that seeks to promote responsible mining practices and improve conditions at an artisanal cobalt mine site in a southern province of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Samsung Electronics, Samsung SDI, BMW Group and BASF SE are collaborating on the project and have commissioned the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH to test within three years how living and working conditions in the artisanal cobalt mine site and the surrounding communities can be improved.

Cobalt is a key component in the production of batteries for electronic devices and electrified vehicles, with the world’s largest known reserves of raw cobalt being found in the DR Congo. Together with the relevant authorities in the province of Lualaba, the project has selected a legal artisanal mine site near the town of Kolwezi to pilot the approach. The site was selected based on six criteria: legality, environmental impact, social impact, health and safety, transparency and viability.

The “Cobalt for Development” project team visits an artisanal mine in Kolwezi, DR Kongo with the Minister of Mines of Lualaba Province, Jean-Marie Tshizainga Sanama Popa.

At the pilot site, the initiative aims to promote practices that comply with human rights, respect the environment and contribute to the development of the wider community. In the surrounding community, “Cobalt for Development” seeks to improve access to education, as well as financial literacy and alternative sources of income for its residents.

“Samsung prioritizes preventing the use of conflict minerals in manufacturing,” said Soo Jin Kim, Vice President of Global Public Affairs at Samsung Electronics. “This year, we have taken this a step further with our participation in the “Cobalt for Development” project, which seeks to address the challenges around artisanal cobalt mining in DR Congo. Going forward, Samsung will continue to promote responsible practices around the sourcing and supply of minerals.”

The progress of the “Cobalt for Development” project will be evaluated by a committee of local representatives on a regular basis to ensure the approach is continuously being improved. Following assessment, the lessons learned could then form the basis for the project measures to be extended to other mine sites.