This week Paris is hosting the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21); one of the most anticipated cross-sector climate summits of the decade. The main objective is to achieve a legally binding and universal agreement on climate change.

As these discussions begin, I would like to express our support for this ambition in line with Samsung’s long-standing commitment to mitigating climate change and improving resource efficiency to protect the environment. I will also be sharing some thoughts on the history of Samsung Electronics’ environmental action.

Our Environmental Origins

The Conference of Parties was established to review the implementation of the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) intergovernmental body responsible for stimulating action against climate change. It was formed at the United Nations Rio Earth Summit of 1992; a major environmental gathering of 172 governments from around the globe, at the same time as the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development.

Environmental professionals around the world were excited about this ambitious action and at Samsung Electronics we asked ourselves what we could do to recognise and react to this pivotal moment.

In response we signed our first Environment Declaration in 1992 and committed to reduce our impact on the environment and tackle urgent problems such as climate change and resource depletion.

Eco Management

So how have we turned this commitment into action?

In 2009 we launched our first Eco-Management plan; setting medium and long-term targets. Simultaneously, we established the PlanetFirst slogan as a symbol of our commitment to providing a better green experience through eco-friendly products, solutions and technologies that benefit our customers’ lives; affirm our shared values; and respect our planet.

Since the launch of Eco-Management, Samsung Electronics has had many achievements.

Below I have listed some of the accomplishments we are most proud of:

• We achieved greenhouse gas emissions reductions of 47% from a 2008 baseline (as a ratio of emissions over revenue) from our investments in F-gas treatment and the increased energy efficiencies of our semiconductor manufacturing processes,
• The energy consumption of our entire product portfolio is now less than 60% of what it was six years ago,
• The Samsung Galaxy S Series recently won the prestigious Best in Product Carbon Footprint Prize from the Carbon Trust for the highest cumulative carbon footprint reduction of 37% since 2012,
• We have been recognised for our leadership in carbon reporting and combating climate change; featuring on the 2015 Climate ‘A’ list.

Looking to the Future

Finally, how do we plan to improve our environmental performance?

In order to further our ambitions we recently established Eco-Management 2020 plan; setting long-term goals to reduce GHG (Greenhouse gas) emissions during product use phase and reduce emissions intensity at manufacturing sites. In addition we continue to implement a large range of eco management initiatives throughout the product life cycle such as; eco-partner certification, eco-design, water re-use, management of hazardous chemicals, green logistics, packaging material reduction and e-waste recycling.

Our business has an important responsibility in the countries where we operate to contribute to emissions reduction, and we have an important innovation opportunity to provide our customers with outstanding premium technology and reduced environmental impacts. We will continue striving towards our Environmental Management vision: “Providing Green Experience, Creating Sustainable Future” and will aim to harness the $11.4 trillion sustainability business opportunity of the ICT sector to build a sustainable future which makes business sense.

In conclusion, I would like to express our support to all Paris delegates throughout the summit.

We are looking forward to seeing what positive business challenges will arise from the intergovernmental climate discussions in Paris that will drive further environmental leadership from the ICT sector.

Samsung Electronics has received one of the most prestigious awards for environmental sustainability in recognition of its reduction of the carbon footprint of its flagship Galaxy S smartphones.

On October 8, Samsung won the Best in Product Carbon Footprint Prize at the Carbon Trust Standard and Label Bearers Conference and Awards 2015, held by Carbon Trust of the United Kingdom.

Carbon Trust’s performance awards have been presented annually for four years, recognizing companies and products that have shown outstanding results in carbon reduction. The win by Samsung is a first for the consumer electronics industry, the result of a reduction in carbon emissions of the Galaxy S smartphones.

Samsung began working with the Carbon Trust in 2012, pledging to certify the carbon footprint of all models within its flagship Galaxy smartphone range. The Galaxy S2 was the first to be certified in 2012, and all Galaxy S and Galaxy Note smartphones up to, including the Galaxy S5, have also been certified. The carbon emission level of the Galaxy S5 has been reduced by 37 percent compared to the Galaxy S2.

Throughout each product’s life cycle, from product development to disposal, Samsung Electronics analyzes carbon emissions at each stage and makes efforts to reduce the environmental footprints of its products.

Wouter van Tol, European Head of Corporate Citizenship and Sustainability at Samsung Electronics said, “As the world’s leading manufacturer of smartphones, we have a responsibility to minimize our environmental footprint. Being recognized for substantially reducing greenhouse emissions across our flagship range of Galaxy smartphones is a great honor. This is thanks to our PlanetFirst approach, where we consider the environmental impact of everything we manufacture, right from the start. We are committed to an on-going program of lowering our impact on the environment, and look forward to making even further progress in this area in the future.”