“Zero Waste to Landfill” is a claim validation program administered by UL Solutions, a global safety science company. Designations are determined by the percentage of waste diverted from landfills, serving as a key indicator of a company’s resource circularity efforts. Platinum represents a 100% landfill diversion rate, while Gold and Silver represent 95% to 99% and 90% to 94% respectively.

Since announcing its Environmental Strategy in 2022, focused on climate action and resource circularity, Samsung has steadily advanced sustainable management practices — repurposing waste generated at its sites into valuable resources and expanding other recycling initiatives worldwide.

Last year, all 10 business sites of the Device Solutions (DS) Division earned Platinum designation through integrated validation. This year in July, the Device eXperience (DX) Division’s Hungarian subsidiary, SEH-P, also achieved Platinum, marking the final step in securing Platinum status across all 22 domestic and overseas DX manufacturing sites.

▲ “Zero Waste to Landfill” Platinum designation for Samsung’s headquarters in Suwon, issued by UL Solutions

Samsung Electronics has established key directions for waste management — strengthening sorting systems, expanding reuse and increasing resource recovery — and has been implementing them through concrete initiatives.

Examples include introducing more refined waste separation systems within worksites and strengthening employee training to ensure thorough sorting.¹ Food waste and used paper are composted,² while general and construction waste is recycled into alternative fuels³ or basic raw materials.⁴ In addition, e-waste and battery residues are repurposed for solid fuel production.⁵ Through these efforts, Samsung has made steady progress toward its goal of achieving Zero Waste to Landfill.

▲ Plastic waste reduction training at Samsung Electronics’ SEHC subsidiary in Vietnam

Samsung is continuously developing technologies to recycle waste generated from semiconductor production processes into materials that can be reused in semiconductor manufacturing. For example, waste liquids are reused as a cleaning agent in scrubbers that reduce air pollutants and as water treatment agents in wastewater treatment facilities. In addition, adsorbents, activated carbon and catalysts used to control air pollutants undergo regeneration and are reused as raw materials for the same applications.

▲ Waste adsorbent regeneration process

Samsung recycled approximately 1.32 million tonnes of waste in 2024 — equivalent to 260,000 five-tonne waste trucks.

In addition to reducing waste at its worksites, Samsung has also repurposed by-products and discarded materials into new resources. The Galaxy S25, launched this year, has incorporated recycled cobalt extracted from previously used Galaxy smartphones and batteries discarded during the manufacturing process through Samsung’s Circular Battery Supply Chain. Discarded wafer trays from semiconductor manufacturing were recycled and applied to the Galaxy S25 series’ components as well.

Looking ahead, Samsung Electronics plans to further enhance systematic waste sorting and material-specific management to secure high-quality recycled resources and expand their application in products, strengthening its commitment to resource circularity.

Junhwa Lee, Executive Vice President and Head of Global EHS Office, DX Division at Samsung Electronics, highlighted the significance of the achievement as “a major milestone” in the company’s environmental management strategy, adding that the company will continue to apply innovation across all areas of its business to put sustainable management into practice.

More information on Samsung Electronics’ sustainability initiatives can be found on the Samsung Electronics Sustainability website.

¹ Subsidiaries in Hungary (SEH-P), Malaysia (SEMA), Brazil (SEDA-P(M)), Türkiye (SETK-P), etc.
² Subsidiaries in Thailand (TSE-P), India (SIEL-P(C)), Malaysia (SEMA), Mexico (SEM-P), etc.
³ Subsidiaries in Vietnam (SEHC), Malaysia (SEMA), the United States (SEHA), etc.
⁴ Subsidiaries in Vietnam (SEV, SEVT), etc.
⁵ Subsidiary in Indonesia (SEIN-P)

“The Zero Waste to Landfill Gold validation is testament to the care and effort by our employees around the world to protect the environment,” said Chanhoon Park, executive vice president of global infrastructure technology at Samsung Electronics. “Eco-friendly operations are now a must for any business and we will continue to ensure sustainable growth that is mindful of the environment that we live and operate in.”

Starting with Samsung Austin Semiconductor’s (Austin, USA) validation in January, the five semiconductor manufacturing sites in Korea (Giheung, Hwaseong, Pyeongtaek, Onyang and Cheonan) and two in China (Xi’an and Suzhou) have all received validation for Zero Waste to Landfill Gold level and above for their waste diversion initiatives as of June, 2020. These programs were designed to minimize the environmental footprint by shifting waste management methods from thermal processing or landfill disposals to recycling and reuse, enabled by innovation in manufacturing techniques and continued investment on existing systems, as well as robust employee awareness and waste reduction campaigns.

Reviewed and certified by a third-party industry testing and certification organization, UL, the achievement is a milestone that affirms Samsung’s commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainability. These efforts are visible not only with Samsung’s high-performance energy-efficient products but also throughout its semiconductor manufacturing operations spanning across its global network of more than 60,000 employees worldwide.

“By pursuing zero waste to landfill validation, Samsung is demonstrating its commitment to reducing waste as a key sustainability initiative at the semiconductor sites,” said Alberto Uggetti, vice president and general manager, environment and sustainability division at UL. “The Zero Waste to Landfill achievements at its semiconductor sites reflect its dedication to the environmental leadership and UL is pleased to validate its efforts.”

Samsung Smart City in Gumi, the outpost of Samsung Electronics smartphone production

Samsung Smart City has been managing its ‘green growth’ initiative since it was certified to the Environmental Management System (ISO14001) and named a ‘green company’ in 1996. The company continues its efforts to convert materials waste, including packaging boxes and plastics generated during production, into recycling.

One other part and materials production business in South Korea was certified as a zero waste landfill in the past by the UL, but Samsung Smart City is the first company that produces finished products to receive the prestigious award.

Hyun Kim, Vice President at Samsung Electronics said, “The ‘Gold’ validation is the result of Samsung employees taking part in the company’s environment-friendly initiative. We’ll continue in our efforts to achieve zero waste.”

UL was founded in 1894 in the U.S. and provides services such as safety standard development and certification. UL’s Zero Waste to Landfill program evaluates the amount of waste diverted from landfills from a facility or location and grants achievement of Platinum to companies that reach 100% diversion, Gold for those reaching 95% to 99%, Silver for 90% to 94% and a ‘Certified’ level for those above 80%.