While previous efforts were localized to Samsung employees in Korea, this year Samsung has expanded its participation to locations across the globe and included both employees and consumers in the campaign.

A diverse range of activities have been arranged for the campaign. Samsung is collecting used electronics from their employees in order to recycle them, placing collection boxes in convenient places, including building entrances and cafeterias. In addition to Korea, the collection drive is currently taking place in several other countries, including the U.S., Germany, Russia and India.

Samsung employees take part in a collection drive for used mobile devices in Korea (top) and Russia (bottom).

Samsung’s customer support centers in 25 countries are also participating in the campaign. In Mexico, for example, Samsung is providing seeds to customers on April 22. The seedlings grown from these seeds will be planted at a national park designated by the government on Mexico’s Earth Day, which is celebrated towards the end of October. The names of the individual customers who nurtured them will be placed beside each plant. Children who visit Samsung support centers in Turkey on Earth Day receive coloring books and pencils made from recycled materials. In addition, Samsung will be providing gifts, such as potted plants and eco-bags, and leaflets to those who visit Samsung support centers in Canada, Spain, Germany, Ukraine and Taiwan, as well as other regions and countries.

Samsung Electronics Support Centers in Canada (left) and Ukraine (right) are helping to raise awareness about environmental issues through eco-friendly campaigns, offering eco-bags to visitors and collecting used batteries.

Alongside the Earth Day campaigns, Samsung is incorporating eco-friendly materials into its designs. The company utilizes regenerating plastic in a variety of product lines, including refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners, TVs, monitors and cell phone chargers, to minimize waste. After announcing plans to increase the use of eco-friendly and recycled materials in its packaging in January this year, Samsung introduced the company’s first plastic-free packaging design with the launch of the S10 line.

Since announcing the Samsung Environmental Declaration in 1992, Samsung has implemented a variety of environmentally responsible policies that have made its industry-leading innovations more eco-friendly and sustainable. In particular, when producing new products, Samsung recycles as much plastic as possible from electronic waste. And recently, the company announced plans to replace plastic packaging materials with paper and other environmentally sustainable elements.

Click on the video below to learn more about how Samsung’s sustainability efforts are putting the planet first.

Addressing the need for a cleaner way to cook, Samsung’s recent partnerships with Green Development SA and Rural Development Solutions have helped to deliver 20,000 bioethanol stoves to residents of Mombasa, the second largest city in Kenya, and the Kakuma Refugee camp, in northern Kenya. Samsung has stepped in to subsidize the costs of the cook stoves, allowing them to be sold at a reduced price of 1,995 Kenyan shillings (approximately US$19.80).

These eco-friendly stoves provide an affordable and sustainable substitute for the traditional method of cooking on charcoal. By using bioethanol cook stoves instead of charcoal, the risks to the environment and to physical health are significantly reduced.

Choosing Charcoal

Charcoal is the most popular fuel in the cities of Kenya: according to a study from the Stockholm Environment Institute, over 80% of the urban population rely on charcoal. In comparison to other popular sources of fuel – such as liquid petroleum gas and kerosene – charcoal is less expensive and safer to use.

However, producing and burning charcoal have considerable drawbacks for the environment. Production is very inefficient, with 1 metric ton of wood yielding just 100kg of charcoal. As a result, demand for charcoal has led to rapid deforestation, animal habitat destruction and soil erosion.

Moreover, when burned, charcoal also generates toxic fumes which contribute to global warming and have damaging effects on human health. It is estimated by the World Health Organization that over 4 million people around the world die prematurely from illness attributable to the household air pollution from cooking with solid fuels (such as charcoal).

The Benefits of Bioethanol

Bioethanol is a renewable, clean energy source and an attractive alternative to charcoal and burns six times more efficiently.

In Kenya’s poorest regions, price is a major obstacle to replacing charcoal, but the lower cost of purchasing bioethanol could change this. Per day, it costs a total of 60 Kenyan Shillings (approx. US$0.60) to provide one family with three meals cooked on charcoal. By contrast, the amount of bioethanol required would cost just 20 Kenyan Shillings (US$0.20), making the eco-friendly fuel significantly more affordable for many households.

It is relatively inexpensive to produce bioethanol. A byproduct of sugar refinement, bioethanol is made by fermenting molasses that are wasted from sugar refineries. What is more, there are many sugar factories in Mombasa and so, in time, the production of bioethanol can help to stimulate the local economy by providing an additional source of income.

Fueling Change

Samsung is committed to mitigating climate change and improving public health through its initiatives. Bioethanol stoves are already improving lives through their reduced impacts on the environment and on health. Perhaps this small change in Kenya will spark widespread interest in eco-friendly cooking methods.

Watch the video below to discover more about Samsung’s bioethanol stoves.

In part two of our “Strides in Stewardship” series, we explore some of the ways Samsung is providing new value for customers and the environment through its green practices and eco-friendly mobile innovations.

Using Sustainable Materials and Technologies to Create a Sustainable World

How can a smartphone be eco-friendly? Samsung works tirelessly to develop materials with improved eco-properties through collaborative projects between various departments including R&D and quality management.

As a result of this effort, the company has released products containing bio-material using industrial corn, mineral-based plastic and a novel application of polyketone, a polymer produced with carbon monoxide captured during the formulary process, used in TVs for the first time in the industry.

Samsung also uses recycled plastics for select products after classifying, cleaning and remanufacturing plastics from collected waste products in collaboration with recycling companies. The Galaxy S8, for example, uses recycled plastic in its inner packaging tray (30 percent) and charging adapter (20 percent). Half of the phone’s box is made up of recycled paper while its packaging and manual are printed with soy ink.

Energy efficiency is another consideration for sustainability. For example, the Galaxy S8’s Fast Charging Charger (5V/2A, 9V/1.67A) is optimized with low no-load power consumption (0.02w) and enhanced charging efficiency (86 percent).

Such efforts are the reasons why Samsung’s devices have continuously been recognized for their sustainable design and technology, achieving eco-labels in many markets around the world. The Galaxy S8, for example, has been granted a number of eco-labels including EPEAT and ECOLOGO Gold Certification by UL (USA), Carbon Trust (U.K.), Vitality Leaf (Russia) and Selo Colibri (Brazil).

Green and Clean: Responsible Chemical Management

With the expansion of worldwide RoHS and REACH-like regulations, Samsung increasingly conducts rigorous inspections and management procedures for raw materials and parts it uses to ensure it provides safe, responsible products for customers.

Among the company’s management efforts include the maintenance of an Environmental Analysis Lab for analyzing hazardous substances and volatile organic compounds, and an in-house monitoring process on restricted substances. Furthermore, Samsung has trained more than 650 internal auditors to execute environmental quality control to ensure that restricted substances are not intentionally present in its products.

The company also operates the Eco-Partner Certification Program, a comprehensive environmental initiative, to assess the environmental impact of product components, raw materials and the manufacturing processes of its suppliers. To ensure the efficiency of the program, Samsung has developed the Environmental-Chemicals Integrated Management System (e-CIMS) to monitor hazardous substances used by its Eco-Partners, and works only with companies that have acquired all necessary eco-related certification. Currently, Samsung manages 1,058 partners – a number that has quadrupled since 2010.

Additionally, the company has been voluntarily working to completely phase out the use of potentially dangerous chemicals such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and phthalates, and is continuously reducing usage of hazardous substances in its products.

Environmentally Conscious Product Assessment and Development

Over the past few years, Samsung has conducted a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for its leading smartphones. This methodology assesses 12 potential environmental impacts such as global warming, ocean acidification and ozone layer depletion contained at each stage of a product’s life cycle, from design and manufacturing, to purchase and usage, to end-of-life processing and disposal.

This technique was first implemented in 2015 with the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy Note5, and was followed through to the Galaxy Note8, Samsung’s most recent flagship smartphone. The devices that underwent the 12 processes showed their largest environmental impact in the areas of pre-manufacturing and distribution. Based on LCA results, these areas are where Samsung is putting its focus on improving energy efficiency and reducing supply chain emissions of the devices, thus reducing the environmental impact of the products.

In line with its commitment to constantly improve energy efficiency and recyclability, and reduce hazardous substances in products, Samsung has also established its own Eco-rating System which evaluates the sustainability performance of every product development project. The rating system consists of three grades – Premium Eco-Product, Good Eco-Product and Eco-Product – which are designated based on a product’s energy efficiency, resource efficiency and compliance with global environmental standards.

Through continuous revision and evaluation of standards, Samsung reflects new eco features and the latest environmental innovation in its products. Product ratings have been increasingly improving, and the company is striving to have 90 percent of new development projects receive the Good Eco-Product stamp of approval or higher by 2020.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Contributing to a Circular Economy

To do its part to support the circular economy, Samsung is partaking in a variety of activities that improve resource efficiency and reuse resources. These initiatives include extending the periods of product use by offering services such as repairing products, upgrading firmware for performance improvement and extending warranty coverage periods.

Additionally, rather than just discarding returned mobile products, Samsung changes their parts, reinstalls software and repackages them as refurbished devices, selling them at reduced prices. Provided in the U.S. and U.K., this service improves resource efficiency by facilitating the reuse of goods.

For instance, Samsung earlier this year announced plans for reusing and recycling select components of Galaxy Note7 devices. Parts such as OLED display modules, memory chips, camera modules and raw materials have since been used for service purposes, sold as components or incorporated into the Galaxy Note FE, working with companies that specialize in the collection of recycling materials.

Another ongoing project by Samsung is C-lab’s Galaxy Upcycling, which provides an environmentally-responsible way for old Galaxy mobile devices to be recycled. Seventy percent of used devices is left untouched after three years of their launch, and the number of such products is estimated to be 0.2 billion units every year. Those devices that might otherwise be forgotten in desk drawers or discarded are utilized to build new IoT open platforms, CCTV systems, game consoles and more.

Samsung is also making multiple efforts to reuse resources by conducting activities such as the establishment of waste product collection systems, an expanded use of recycled materials and global take-back and recycling programs in approximately 60 countries.

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 providing consumers with an increasing number and quality of responsibly-designed products.

Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and S8+ have received a Gold rating from the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT), the definitive rating system for evaluating electronic devices’ eco-friendliness. The devices are the first smartphones to earn the certification, which assesses, among other criteria, material selection, product longevity, the manufacturer’s social contributions, and energy conservation during production and use.

The certification is a joint initiative of the non-profit Green Electronics Council and Underwriters Laboratories (UL), a global safety science organization. The rating was earned in recognition of Samsung’s efforts to produce the devices in a sustainable way, which included increasing the efficiency of their chargers, using recycled plastics in accessories, and other eco-friendly measures.

This distinction is the second that the Galaxy S8 and S8+ have received from UL. This past June, the organization’s UL Environment division awarded both devices ECOLOGO Gold Certification to the ANSI/UL 110 Standard for Sustainability for Mobile Phones.

In addition to receiving a top EPEAT rating, both the Galaxy S8 and S8+ have also been given a “Carbon Footprint Label” from the Carbon Trust, a leading authority on carbon-reduction programs and certifications, as well as a “Vitality Leaf” eco-label from the Russian Ecological Union.

The SSD 850 EVO 250GB received the certification with the lowest carbon footprint per product in the market at 9.327kg CO2, which is less than the amount of carbon absorbed by an average 30-year-old tree in a year (9.36kg CO2).

“Through the EPD certification, we are very pleased to be able to assure our customers that Samsung SSDs not only offer cutting-edge technology, but also are eco-friendly products,” said Un-Soo Kim, Senior Vice President of Brand Product Marketing, Memory Business at Samsung Electronics. “At Samsung, we are proactively working to reduce our environmental footprint, and we look forward to more of our leading-edge SSD products being recognized for their eco-friendliness.”

Samsung’s Ongoing Efforts to Reduce Its Environmental Footprint

Samsung has continuously placed significant priority on minimizing its overall environmental footprint by designing and operating highly energy-efficient production facilities, optimizing its entire manufacturing processes and engaging its customers and suppliers along every step. Samsung earned its first low carbon footprint certification for the DDR3 DRAM server module in 2009 and has since expanded its certification portfolio across its key products, including NAND flash and application processors.

Samsung’s greenhouse gas reduction facility utilizes our proprietary technology for effective greenhouse gas management

In particular, Samsung’s Device Solutions division which manufactures the 850 EVO has set three goals as part of its eco-friendly manufacturing initiatives: 1) minimize the input of greenhouse gases during the semiconductor manufacturing process, 2) replace harmful substances whenever possible and 3) finely decompose greenhouse gases that were inevitably produced.

While these goals present inherent challenges, Samsung Electronics and Samsung Engineering jointly built a facility that decomposes greenhouse gases created during semiconductor processing in 2007. Through continuous enhancements made to the facility, Samsung has effectively been able to decompose more than 90% of greenhouse gases, reducing 1.25 total million tons of greenhouse gases and saving 2,527 TJ of energy in 2016.

Samsung will continue to strengthen its commitment to a sustainable future through a dedicated, comprehensive examination across its processes and businesses.

¹ The Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is a national certification system in Korea for open environmental information. The certification is developed in accordance with the International Standards ISO 14025, 14040s, 14046, 14064s and ISO/TS 14067. The certification is managed by the Ministry of Environment and operated by the Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute.

For its achievement, Samsung was formally recognized at an award ceremony on January 6 at the Samsung CES 2017 Booth at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The EPA first awarded the ENERGY STAR Emerging Technology Award in 2011, and focuses on a different product category or eco-conscious theme each year. For 2016, the EPA recognized Innovative Refrigerant Systems used in ENERGY STAR certified residential and commercial products that aim to reduce energy use and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

As a naturally occurring and climate-friendly refrigerant, R-600a has no ozone depletion potential and boasts a low Global Warming Potential (GWP) rating. It requires less work to be done by the unit’s condenser, which reduces energy usage by 6.5 percent and makes the refrigerator quieter than previous models.

In addition to being recognized for its 2017 refrigerators, Samsung also received the award in 2013 for its eco-friendly DV457 clothes dryer.

Samsung receives the ENERGY STAR Emerging Technology Award during CES 2017. From left: Steve Sungki Kim, Vice President of Customer Satisfaction Team at Samsung Electronics North America; Hye Soon Yang, Principal Engineer of R&D Team, Digital Appliances Business, Samsung Electronics; Verena Radulovic, ‎Product Manager at ENERGY STAR Program, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; and Shane Higby, Vice President of Home Appliance Product Marketing, Samsung Electronics America.

The EPA’s ENERGY STAR program is the trusted source for energy-efficient product labeling and consumer education. This award recognizes products that are at the forefront of energy conservation and climate protection.

Samsung developed the R-600a technology ahead of the EPA’s planned changes to refrigerant qualifications by 2021. In addition to meeting these qualifications, Samsung’s R-600a refrigerant has been approved for use in the US market by the EPA’s Significant New Use Alternative Policy (SNAP) Program.

The use of low-Global Warming Potential (GWP) refrigerant systems like Samsung’s R-600a, can offer customers and end-users additional energy savings along with the superior product performance that they already expect from ENERGY STAR certified equipment.

The ENERGY STAR Emerging Technology Award provides forward-thinking, environmentally conscious consumers and end users with a tool to identify and purchase cutting-edge technologies that offer energy savings and help to reduce their carbon footprint

As the planet faces a growing list of problems, from climate change and pollution to environmental degradation and resource depletion, the preservation and conservation of the environment has never been more significant.

Recognizing these challenges, and acknowledging its responsibility to work toward solving them, Samsung Electronics has aimed to carry out various environmentally-focused campaigns in all corners of the globe. In honor of the United Nations’ World Environment Day (WED) on June 5, Samsung Newsroom would like to introduce some of them.

Environmental Cleanup Activities

Among Samsung’s campaigns include those directed at making Earth a cleaner, healthier place to live. Leading by example, Samsung employees around the globe have personally participated in environmental cleanups, end-of-life (EOL) recovery campaigns and community tree plantings.

Panama

On May 31, 2015, 17 employees of Samsung Electronics Panama, along with 325 other volunteers, collected litter on a beach in Casco Viejo, Panama. The cleanup aimed to conserve one of Panama’s coastal environments; over 3,800 kilograms of trash was collected during the event.

United Kingdom

On September 18, 2015, employees of Samsung Electronics UK visited West Wittering Beach to clean up garbage along the shoreline.

Germany

On October 23, 2015, 54 employees of Samsung Electronics Germany celebrated Clean Business Day—a day designated by the Hessische Ministry of Environment—by cleaning up the local community.

Ukraine

From April 23 to 25, 2015 and on October 9, 2015, 150 employees of Samsung Electronics Ukraine participated in environmental cleanup activities that were organized by a local non-governmental organization. Employees planted trees in parks and cleaned up areas around the area.

Portugal

From November 23 to December 4, 2015, Samsung Electronics Portugal conducted an EOL recovery campaign with the employees and customers of a local Samsung Electronics service center. As a result, about four tons of EOL products including computers, mobile devices and batteries were recovered, with 500 kilograms of the devices from employees. Samsung Electronics Portugal used the profits from the EOL recovery to purchase four Samsung TVs and donated them to a Lisbon-based hospital. On World Environment Day last year, Samsung Electronics Portugal held a test-drive event with 50 of its employees to encourage the use of electric-hybrid vehicles. They also made a poster that raised awareness of existing environmental problems.

Romania

For the past five years, Samsung Electronics Romania has actively maintained its partnership with ECOTIC, a recycling organization of producers and importers of electric and electronic equipment (EEE), to lead recycling activities and raise environmental awareness. Samsung employees in Romania also provided materials to Caravanaecotic, a mobile educational experience center that ECOTIC operates to educate citizens on EOL recovery and recycling.

China

During last year’s World Water Day, 1,600 employees of Samsung Electronics China worked on a campaign that encouraged the installation of water economizer faucets and promoted a more economical use of water.

Thailand

Samsung Electronics Thailand worked on widening a canal area behind its factory on WED 2015. Additionally, 70 employees took part in collecting trash around the canal.

Environmental Education

In addition to holding environmental cleanups, Samsung Electronics has also led initiatives to promote environmental education among children in the US, Panama, Colombia, Sweden and other nations.

USA

Samsung Electronics America has consistently organized educational activities focused on increasing awareness of climate change issues among the country’s youth. Through their program, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) members were assigned tasks such as finding energy efficient products, reducing standby power consumption and visiting power plants. The best performing participants were rewarded with the latest Samsung Electronics products. The program attracted 1,038 participants from all over North America.

Panama

Samsung Electronics Panama employees led a class where they educated some 500 elementary school students about local history and traditions. They then carried out a cleanup with the students to demonstrate the importance of protecting the environment.

Colombia

Samsung Electronics Colombia conducted an eco-friendly program for elementary school students that focused on the themes of recycling used electronics and electronic waste. The program utilized “edutainment” with fun characters and songs to help children understand the importance of our environment in an engaging way.

Sweden

Last year, Samsung Electronics Sweden, along with local recycling businesses and the National Museum of Science and Technology, held a recycling education program for 75 children. Its upcycling class, which demonstrated how discarded products can be turned into new ones, was particularly popular.

Samsung remains committed to raising awareness of environmental issues, and will continue to participate in efforts aimed at making the planet a cleaner, more sustainable place to live.

TÜV Rheinland validated the 27-inch LCD monitor’s zero-watt power consumption, making the Samsung ECO-Power Off function the world’s first 0.00W power consumption technology. The OHD Series Outdoor displays also were validated for high visibility performance in outdoor environments.

The two validations were presented to Samsung Electronics at Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) 2015, the largest international B2B display exhibition on Tuesday, Feb. 10 – 12, 2015.

“Samsung Electronics is honored to be recognized for our excellence in sustainability, visibility and performance by one of the most well-respected certification organizations in the industry,” said Seoggi Kim, Senior Vice President, Enterprise Business Team, Samsung Electronics. “We are committed to creating new possibilities for our customers, and these validations reflect how we are taking innovation to the next level.”

World’s Most Eco-Friendly Monitor
Samsung’s S27E650D Eco-Friendly LCD monitor delivers an unmatched user experience, while maximizing energy efficiency and maintaining sustainable design for reduced environmental impact.

Using the monitor’s ECO-Power Off mode — the first-of-its-kind — the S27E650D offers 0.00W power consumption when in off mode. This is significantly lower than 0.3W – 0.5W power consumption experienced with the average monitor, leading to significant savings in energy, resource and cost over time.

As part of evaluation process by TÜV Rheinland, the monitor underwent rigorous testing under the validation standard of

Along with superior power consumption, the monitor is designed with a 30 percent recycled plastic and PVC-free body. The recycled plastic and PVC-free body offer health and environmental benefits throughout the monitor’s lifecycle, beginning from the production stage, where it reduces the emission of harmful pollutants. For the user, the monitor keeps PVC-related toxins out of the user’s home, school and office. Finally, when disposed in accordance with the procedure, the monitor prevents PVC from leaking into soil, crops, and water supplies.

High Outdoor Visibility
The Samsung OHD Series Outdoor displays are designed to help business owners produce brilliant messaging with highly-visible, energy-efficient and reliable LED BLU displays. With 3,000 nit brightness, a 5,000:1 contrast ratio and a patent-pending glass that cancels reflections, the 46-inch OH46D and 55-inch OHD Series displays ensure that messages are shown vibrantly amidst the demanding conditions and direct sunlight.

Prior to receiving validation from TÜV Rheinland for high visibility outdoor performance, the OHD Series displays underwent a thorough product readability test in outdoor, direct sunlight. Compared to conventional glass displays, each display delivered superior performance with high visibility, as well as enhanced picture quality, expression, and viewing angle based on the ISO9241-307 standard.

Built to be both durable and flexible for outdoor environment, the OHD Series displays can also withstand extreme temperatures. The displays feature a slim and innovative steady cooling system, ensuring 24/7 message delivery.

Designed to be dustproof and waterproof, the OHD Series displays’ components are also IP56 certified for superior performance even under the toughest conditions.