IDEA is one of the world’s most prestigious design awards programs held by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), founded in 1980, to acknowledge achievements in industrial design. This year, IDEA has chosen winners in 20 categories, including Home, Consumer Technology, Digital Interaction and Design Strategy. Key criteria for evaluation also include Design Innovation, Benefit to User, Benefit to Society and more.

Samsung’s product design reflects the company’s changing values and innovative technology. The interactive, region-specific and advanced designs were recognized to be progressive and diverse.

“It is important to provide an optimized experience for changing consumer values and lifestyles,” said Jinsoo Kim, Executive Vice President at Corporate Design Center in Samsung Electronics. “We will constantly strive to provide sustainable experiences with creative innovations for our customers.”

Bespoke Won Two Golds for Its Customizable Designs and User Experiences That Fits Different Lifestyles

The Bespoke U.S. Kitchen Package (Bespoke U.S. Kitchen Package & Bespoke FDR RF8000B), a home appliance package including refrigerator, oven-range, microwave and dishwasher available in the North America region, was one of two Gold award winners. Based on the Bespoke philosophy that caters to the preference of users, the package provides an integrated design experience that emphasizes harmony in the kitchen space.

The design of the 4-door (French door) refrigerator, newly launched in North America, maximizes convenience for consumers as it comes with replaceable door panels that owners can choose according to their preferences and lifestyles. The Beverage Center, built into the interior to minimize contamination, stores clean and purified water, and the Dual Auto Ice Maker quickly makes Cubed Ice and smaller Ice Bites.

The Bespoke Jet, the cordless stick vacuum with an all-in-one Clean Station, has also won the Gold award for its excellence in design. It offers a unique experience that covers the whole process from cleaning and disposal to storage. After placing the vacuum on the Clean Station, users can empty the dust bin with a simple press of a button, keeping the home area and air fresh and clean from dust. The all-in-one design of the Bespoke Jet ensures convenience that also looks great to match any living space.

A Wide Range of Samsung Products Achieved Five Silver Awards and One Bronze Award for Their Advance Designs 

The Galaxy Tab S8, out of the Silver awarded, has been highlighted for its slimmest, lightest, but strongest body yet, combined with the largest 14.6-inch AMOLED display. The expansive display is protected by the Armor Aluminum frame, allowing the device to be scratch-resistant and less prone to bending. The tablet also features a dedicated S Pen charging pad on the back of the device that is seamlessly integrated with the camera housing for a satisfying design experience.

Another Silver winner was the Galaxy Upcycling at Home, a program that gives new life to older Galaxy smartphones by repurposing them into IoT devices with a simple software update. Through the SmartThings app, users can repurpose unused smartphones into convenient smart home devices such as a childcare monitor or a pet care.

In addition, other Silver awards went to:

• Samsung India Keyboard, which provides an optimized smartphone keyboard experience that supports faster & easier typing in 29 Indian languages.

• Cook Sensor, which helps you cook your favorite food much more easily by connecting the Samsung Induction Cooktop to the SmartThings Kitchen Service.
• Samsung Air Hood, a concept design that combines the functions of hood, air conditioner and air purifier to help improve the cooking environment in the kitchens of Southwest Asia.

The Bronze award was given to the Galaxy Z Flip3 case, which provides a variety of options to customize the phone using a ring or a colorful strap.

Samsung Electronics announces today that it has made progress towards achieving the 2025 sustainability goals for the MX(Mobile eXperience) Business. Key initiatives include developing and incorporating recycled materials into products, designing more eco-conscious packaging and giving new life to older Samsung Galaxy devices to reduce e-waste.

Since announcing the Galaxy for the Planet vision at Unpacked in August 2021, Samsung has worked diligently to create new ways to recycle and repurpose resources that would otherwise become harmful waste, minimize its environmental footprint and inspire innovation that helps preserve the planet. Today, Samsung is sharing the progress so far on its sustainability journey.

“Samsung is taking consistent and impactful actions that help protect people and the planet. We marry sustainability and innovation in everything we do,” said TM Roh, President and Head of Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics. “I am proud of our progress to date. At the same time, it’s been a humbling experience that enables us to continue on our journey towards achieving our sustainability vision with even more conviction and rigor than before.”

Expanding the Use of Recycled Materials to the Galaxy Z Fold4 and Galaxy Z Flip4

Developing new, recycled materials is a key focus area for Galaxy for the Planet. The more Samsung recycles, the more resources it preserves. While repurposing materials into Galaxy devices presents many challenges, the benefits for the planet make it well worth the effort.

Samsung designed the new Galaxy Z series and Galaxy Buds2 Pro with repurposed fishing nets, or ghost nets, that could otherwise end up in the ocean.

First integrated into the Galaxy S22 series in February 2022, today there are eleven Galaxy devices that use repurposed fishing nets including Galaxy Book2 Pro series and Galaxy Tab S8 series as well. By repurposing abandoned fishing nets into a high-performance material for Galaxy technology, Samsung helps to minimize the effects of plastic pollution — 640,000 tons of fishing nets are abandoned and pollute the world’s oceans every year.¹

Repurposing discarded fishing nets is only one example of Samsung’s advancements in increasing its use of recycled materials in its products.

Samsung has incorporated eco-conscious materials including repurposed fishing nets, post-consumer materials (PCM) or bio-based resin into 90% of Galaxy devices launched in the past year.² For the Galaxy Buds2 Pro, more than 90% of the plastic components are made with partly recycled materials.³

This process requires complex engineering and technical skills to ensure the overall quality, safety and reliability of all new materials for Samsung’s innovative technologies. Samsung plans to make further investments in research and development to source and transform other, new materials for use in Galaxy products and to increase the presence of recycled materials in each device. 

Changing the Way Galaxy Products Are Packaged

Samsung set a goal to eliminate all single-use plastics in mobile product packaging by 2025, and the company has already reduced a sizeable amount of single-use plastics in its current packaging for Galaxy smartphones including the new Galaxy foldables. Samsung will explore more ways to eliminate single-use plastics in packaging by assessing every aspect of its packaging designs, down to the smallest of details.

Starting with the launch of the Galaxy S22 series, Samsung now uses 100% recycled paper for flagship product packaging.

By doing so, Samsung will be able to save the equivalent of nearly 51,000 trees⁴ with the Galaxy S22 series and the new Galaxy Z series this year.

Samsung has also reduced the volume of packaging for Galaxy Z Flip4 by 52.8% and for Galaxy Z Fold4 by 58.2% respectively compared to the first-generation Galaxy foldables. By reducing each device package’s volume, Samsung ultimately reduces its environmental footprint in transporting these units using trucks, planes and ships. The company estimates that this reduction in packaging volume equates to a reduction in carbon emissions from transportation of approximately 10,000 tons by the end of 2022.⁵ In addition to continually evolving packaging for flagship smartphones, Samsung will expand eco-conscious packaging to other product categories.

Scaling Solutions That Reduce E-waste

More than ever, reducing e-waste is crucial to advancing a circular economy that preserves and repurposes the planet’s finite resources. According to the World Economic Forum, 57 million tons of e-waste was generated in 2021, and it is expected to grow by 2 million tons per year.⁶

To address this, Samsung has been expanding the Galaxy Upcycling program, which gives new life to older Galaxy smartphones. Through Galaxy Upcycling at Home,⁷ Samsung repurposes smartphones with a simple software update that turns them into smart home devices that support everyday needs, such as childcare and pet care.

An important part of Galaxy Upcycling is ensuring that these sustainable practices not only support the environment but also improve people’s lives. The company also upcycles secondhand Galaxy devices into medical diagnosis equipment called EYELIKE fundus cameras that provide necessary eye care services in underserved communities. This program has already upcycled hundreds of Galaxy devices and provided basic eye care for over 13,000 patients in Vietnam, Morocco, India and Papua New Guinea.

The Path Forward

Samsung has set clear sustainability goals by scaling solutions across its business. Whether it is repurposing discarded fishing nets for Galaxy devices, striving to achieve plastic-free packaging or moving us forward to achieve zero waste to landfill and zero standby power of smartphone chargers, Samsung is realizing its Galaxy for the Planet vision one step at a time.

There will be more challenges along the way, but Samsung will hold itself accountable and continue to report progress on its mission to effect positive change and inspire others to protect the planet for generations to come.

* The content has been revised as of January 22, 2024, to provide more accurate information.

¹ FAO and UNEP.
² By number of models. This includes Galaxy smartphones, tablets, laptops and wearables Samsung launched globally from September 2021 to August 2022. There are 37 models launched globally during this period and 34 models include at least one component that is made of recycled materials or bio-based resin.
³ More than 90% of all the plastic components of Galaxy Buds2 Pro are made of partly recycled materials. 29 grams of plastics are used in the Galaxy Buds2 Pro in total, and components weighing more than 27 grams are made with partly recycled materials. Each of these components contains at least 20% of either discarded fishing nets (ocean-bound plastic) or post-consumer materials. Recycled fishing nets are used in three internal components of the cradle case in its bracket deco front, bracket battery holder and bracket-PCB. Post-consumer recycled materials are used in eight exterior components. Four components in both Ear Buds in its case front left/right, case rear left/right. And four components in the cradle case in its deco front, case-upper, case-upper inner and case-lower.
⁴ A 30-year-old pine tree can produce 59 kg of paper.
⁵ This is calculated based on ISO 14040:2006 and 14044:2006 standard, using Ecoinvent 3.8 database for transportation of SM-F700F, SM-F721B, SM-F900F and SM-F936B models from Korea to Europe.
⁶ World Economic Forum, “This year’s e-waste to outweigh Great Wall of China,” October 18, 2021. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/10/2021-years-e-waste-outweigh-great-wall-of-china/.
⁷ Galaxy Upcycling at Home is available in the US, the UK and Korea currently and availability may vary by carrier. This feature is available on all Galaxy S, Note and Z series released since 2018(Galaxy S9, Galaxy Note9 or later) running Android 9 and above. More devices will be supported in the future

Founded in 1953 as Die Gute Industrieform e.V., the iF Design Award conducts comprehensive evaluations of differentiation and impact, among others, in a total of nine categories — Product, Packaging, Communication, Professional Concept, Interior Architecture, Architecture, Service Design, User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI).

“It is important for a design to connect the changing values with innovative technologies,” said Jinsoo Kim, Executive Vice President at Corporate Design Center in Samsung Electronics. “We are committed to offering a meaningful experience that both meets the various demands of customers and improves the quality of our lives.”

Three Gold Award Winning Products Recognized for Designs That Offer Customized Experiences to Different Lifestyles

The Freestyle is a portable screen that can display as large as 254cm in diagonal length depending on the environment where it is used, be it on the wall, the ceiling or the floor as it rotates 180 degrees.

Thanks to its lightweight and minimal design, The Freestyle is highly portable, allowing the user to hold it in one hand, and can be used with ease both indoors and outside such as on camping sites. Depending on each individual lifestyle, it can also be used as a Bluetooth speaker or as an ambient lamp that can glow light in various colors.

The Galaxy Z Flip3 was honored for its iconic and compact design that comes with premium features and exclusive foldable experiences, providing a truly personalized smartphone experience. With Galaxy Z Flip3’s unique form factor, users are able to enjoy the full smartphone experience when unfolded and pocketable design when folded in half. Not only is the design refined by providing a large Cover Screen, but it also maximizes the usability by allowing users to view notifications and capture a quick photo even when folded.

The vacuum cleaner The Bespoke Slim also won the Gold Award for its simple design that blends well with the surrounding living space. The Bespoke concept, which brings customized products to fit lifestyles and tastes, was applied to the product, improving the experience throughout the entire cleaning process from product storage to dust emptying.

Total of 71 Awards, From Product to UX Design, Including TV, Home appliance and Smartphones

With its designs being recognized in all categories at the iF Design Award 2022 including Product and User Interface (UI), Samsung Electronics won the most number of awards totaling 71.

In addition to the three Gold Awards, the Neo QLED 8K, the Bespoke French Door Refrigerator and the Galaxy Buds2 also won awards in the Product category.

The One UI 4, new interface of Galaxy smartphones that enables users to customize their devices, and the Galaxy Upcycling at Home, which allows users to build a smart home by recycling unused Galaxy phones into Home IoT devices were also recognized for the design excellence.

Since 2009, the Reuters Responsible Business Awards celebrates businesses that showcase world-class sustainability strategies and deliver positive impacts on society and the environment. The Circular Transition Award recognizes innovations that help the world’s transition to a more circular economy.

Honored at a virtual award ceremony, Galaxy Upcycling at Home is an initiative that gives new life to older Galaxy smartphones by repurposing them into IoT (Internet of Things) devices with a simple software update. Through the SmartThings app, users can repurpose unused smartphones into convenient smart home devices such as a childcare monitor or a pet care solution.

Judges noted that Samsung’s upcycling solution is “A simple initiative with a basic idea, which helps shift the mindset on the value of old phones. A genuine closed loop versus recycling of e-waste with an innovative twist.”

This innovative program exemplifies Samsung’s global efforts to transition to a circular economy through greater use of sustainable materials, reusing resources and extending product longevity with added value and alternative purposes. Embodying Samsung’s determination to create a better world through promoting more sustainable production practices and consumer behaviors, Galaxy Upcycling at Home enables users around the world to make a positive impact and help build a better future for generations to come.

“Samsung is dedicated to finding new, innovative ways to minimize global e-waste and we’re proud to be recognized for our leadership in integrating sustainable practices into our product lifecycle,” said Sung-Koo Kim, VP of the Sustainability Management Office, Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics. “We invite the larger Galaxy community to join us in our mission to breathe new life into unused devices and increase reuse habits, and we hope our efforts will serve as a blueprint for a more sustainable and prosperous future for all.”

Galaxy Upcycling at Home is a part of Samsung’s continued commitment to use the power of technology to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Galaxy Upcycling at Home specifically focuses on Goal 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production – by minimizing environmental impact and promoting eco-conscious habits. The program also supports Galaxy for the Planet, Samsung’s recently announced sustainability platform for its Mobile Communications Business.

Science and technology have made our lives easier and more convenient thanks to the addition of various innovative products and services into our daily routines. But the downside of these additions has been the development of serious global environmental challenges including climate change and resource depletion – issues that threaten the future of our world.

In order to help mitigate these issues, Samsung Electronics strives to incorporate environmental sustainability into everything we do. Let’s take a look at how Samsung’s eco-conscious product innovation and consumer engagement come together to help us all achieve a sustainable future.

Senior Vice President Hyeongnam Kim, Head of Global CS Center, Samsung Electronics

Minimizing the Environmental Impact of a Product’s Entire Life Cycle

Based on the principle of product stewardship, our products are thoughtfully designed to minimize their impact on the environment. Samsung is deeply engaged in activities to minimize the environmental impact of its products throughout their entire life cycle – from development and manufacturing to distribution and usage through to after-sales service and recycling.

Firstly, Samsung incorporates environmental concerns into its product development process. To this end, the company has introduced an Eco-Design Process to evaluate its products against eco-conscious standards across different countries, including the U.S. and Korea. In 2008, the company established a company-wide eco-committee and division-level task forces to step up its efforts in developing eco-conscious products. To this day, Samsung is committed to developing innovative, high-performing products that have minimal impact on the environment.

Samsung’s emphasis on sustainability continues into the manufacturing stage. The company has been expanding its usage of renewable energy sources such as solar and geothermal heat in its facilities and is also incorporating the use of recycled water and waste. As a representative example, Samsung has also made strides in sustainability by sourcing 100% renewable electricity for all its facilities in the U.S., Europe and China last year. What’s more, Samsung plans to expand the usage of renewable energy to the rest of its facilities around the world following the development of local systems and infrastructure in each region.

Moving on to the distribution stage, Samsung has replaced its plastic and shrink wrap with packaging made of renewable biomaterials in order to reduce packaging waste. The company also now holds its paper suppliers to requiring a Forest Stewardship certification, and following these efforts, managed to completely replace all the paper used in the manuals and packaging for its mobile and consumer electronics products at the end of 2020.

Samsung helps users decrease their electricity consumption during the usage stage of a product’s lifecycle by providing them with energy-efficient products – thus contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, the company is making continuous efforts towards developing durable products and a quick and easy repair process, since if consumers use their products for longer, they are then making a difference by reducing their environmental impact.

Going through to the final stage of a product’s lifecycle, disposal, Samsung is continuing to pioneer its waste collection and recycling programs around the globe, currently operating in 55 different countries. Users can in the U.S., for example, can drop off their end-of-life mobile devices at any of over 500 uBreakiFix locations, an independent repair chain. The company is also currently planning to expand its closed-loop recycling system in order to recover and reuse more iron, copper and plastics from e-waste.

Reducing 301 Million Tons of Greenhouse Gas Through Initiative and Innovation

Thanks to its product stewardship practices, Samsung has reduced the average energy consumption per unit of a product by 32%,¹ equivalent to the cumulative reduction of 301 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions over the past 12 years since 2009. The company has also recycled over 4.54 million tons of e-waste through its global e-waste collection sites from 2009 to 2020.

To encourage customers to use their products for longer as part of a circular economy, Samsung has established a quick and easy repair process for users, through which the company supplies product repair information and parts to contracted repair shops as well as independent repair stores.

Upholding User Values Through Eco-Conscious Upcycling

Going beyond employing eco-conscious practices solely in the development of its products, Samsung has been making various efforts to reduce the use of resources across all of its supply lines in order to promote more sustainable consumption.

Last year, Samsung introduced its revolutionary Eco-Packaging for its TV products made from cardboard boxes in an effort to encourage upcycling and creativity in users, as they can form animal toys or small furniture pieces using their discarded packaging.

In addition, Samsung has also recently launched its Galaxy Upcycling at Home program, which enables users to harness their unused Galaxy smartphones as IoT devices, in Korea, the U.S. and U.K. The program also repurposes older smartphones into medical diagnosis cameras, helping to address vision impairment cases that are preventable with proper diagnosis.

We at Samsung are dedicated to creating a sustainable future that provides a better life for all by introducing creative eco-conscious products and solutions across all of our business areas. With a focus on sustainable management, we are putting carbon reduction, resource circulation and ecosystem restoration at the forefront of our efforts to protect the environment.

¹ Figure from 2020 compared with 2008 level of energy consumption.

This is why the company is this June launching a month-long celebration of sustainability initiatives, programs, and innovations to celebrate World Environment Day, a global day of sustainability awareness created by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) that sees participation from people all around the world.

In order to encourage people to embrace creative and sustainable solutions for World Environment Day this year, Samsung is kicking off its month of sustainable celebration with the launch of Small World, a make-it-yourself cardboard collection to give packaging a second life developed in collaboration with artist Papersmith.

Putting a New Spin on Cardboard Packaging

Since 2020, Samsung has been expanding its revolutionary Eco-packaging solution that lets you upcycle your TV product packaging into helpful home décor items. Inspired by this program’s easy-to-use dot matrix design as a fun and simple way to encourage users to act sustainably, Samsung is commencing its month of eco-conscious activity with Small World, a program that provides users with even more creative ways of re-using cardboard boxes.

In order to bring the Small World program to life, Samsung collaborated with renowned Amsterdam-based paper artist AJ Smith, known as Papersmith, to create an astonishing art piece featuring buildings, animals, and plants built from the product packaging of Samsung TVs, Galaxy S21, Galaxy Buds Pro – and more – alone. What’s more, people around the world, too, can get involved at home through twelve downloadable prints of some of the characters featured in Small World. Along with this do-it-yourself cardboard template collection, users can then share their creations online using the hashtag #ReimagineABetterPlanet.

Towards a Better World for All

This June, Samsung is also going to highlight its existing range of programs, initiatives, and products that support environmental sustainability across the company’s social media channels and website, including the Galaxy Upcycling and Galaxy Upcycling at Home programs that encourage the repurposing of older smartphones into IoT devices and the company’s industry-leading energy-efficient memory chips that enable smarter power consumption from the inside out.

When It Comes to Sustainability, Every Bit Counts

When it comes to sustainability, no effort is too small. Accordingly, another event during Samsung’s month of sustainability awareness is seeing the company put the power of innovation right into the hands of its own employees. This June, Samsung employees based in Korea are set to have the opportunity to take part in an eco-conscious Idea Contest, hosted on the company’s collaboration platform, called MOSAIC. Starting June 9, employees will have two-weeks to share their own ingenious and creative eco-conscious product or service ideas via MOSAIC. By the end of the month, the winners of the competition will be announced internally and awards granted to the submissions that best build on or complement the company’s existing product, service, and packaging sustainability solutions.

Samsung Electronics strives to incorporate environmental sustainability into everything we do. Our products are thoughtfully designed to minimize the impact on the environment during their entire lifecycle – from planning and manufacturing to consumption and recycling.

Stay tuned for more updates on Small World, the Eco-conscious idea contest, and more during this June’s month-long celebration of sustainability, and be sure to share your own sustainable creations with the hashtag #ReimagineABetterPlanet.

Make Any Home a Smart Home

The Galaxy Upcycling at Home program provides enhanced sound and light-control features, by repurposing built-in sensors. Users can transform their old devices through SmartThings Labs, a feature within the SmartThings app.

• Using an improved artificial intelligence (AI) solution, Galaxy devices can more accurately distinguish sounds in everyday surroundings, and users can choose to save certain sound recordings. For example, if the device detects sounds such as a baby crying, dog barking, cat meowing, or a knock, it will send an alert directly to the user’s smartphone and the user can listen to the recorded sound.
• Devices can also be used as a light sensor to measure the brightness level of the room. Users can easily set the device to automatically turn on the lights or the TV through SmartThings if the room becomes darker than the preset standard of light.

For a device to continuously detect sound and light, it needs to be actively operating for long periods of time. For this reason, Samsung equipped the Galaxy Upcycling at Home upgrade with battery optimization solutions to minimize battery usage. Devices will also be able to connect effortlessly to SmartThings, allowing them to interact with countless other IoT devices in the SmartThings ecosystem.

“Smart home devices are a fast-growing trend for consumer electronics, and we believe that Galaxy devices currently not in use can play an important role in turning every home into a smart home,” said Jaeyeon Jung, VP & Head of the SmartThings team, Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics. “The program transforms Galaxy devices into SmartThings devices and demonstrates the power of our intelligent IoT platform to broaden the possibilities of what users can do with their old phones. Through Galaxy Upcycling at Home, users will have access to the complete SmartThings ecosystem, enabling them to explore broader updates and features without having to purchase a new device.”

Shaping a Sustainable Future With Repurposed Technology

“We created Galaxy Upcycling at Home to enable more people to repurpose their old devices into useful tools, allowing both Samsung and our users to be mindful of the impact we have on the environment,” said Sung-Koo Kim, VP of the Sustainability Management Office, Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics. “We are rethinking how we use existing resources, and we believe the key to upcycling is to enable solutions that transform old technology into something new by adding value. We are committed to integrating sustainable practices into our day-to-day lives, and through Galaxy Upcycling at Home, users can join our journey toward a more sustainable future.”

This innovative solution is part of Samsung’s continued commitment to support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a global blueprint for the world to achieve a more sustainable and prosperous future for all by 2030 through 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Galaxy Upcycling at Home specifically focuses on Goal 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production – by reducing waste and promoting more sustainable production practices and consumer behaviors.

Today, Galaxy Upcycling at Home provides a wide array of new solutions that help make everyday life a little easier while promoting more sustainable habits that benefit the planet. By offering consumers a way to upcycle their products with new features and alternative purposes, Samsung is helping to extend the lifecycle of its products while diverting its users from contributing to global e-waste.

Samsung is building environmental sustainability into everything we do. This includes taking dedicated action across every stage of the product lifecycle to help the world transition to a circular economy that makes greater use of sustainable materials, extends product longevity and reuses resources. Through programs like Galaxy Upcycling, Samsung intends to deliver innovative technologies that reshape consumer experiences while empowering them to play a part in sustainable practices.

¹ Availability may vary by carrier.

² Galaxy Upcycling at Home feature is available on all S, Note, and Z series released from 2018 (S9, Note9 or later) running Android 9 and above. More devices will be supported in the future.