Supporting Marine Ecosystems Through Global Collaboration

Introduced at Galaxy Unpacked in January 2025, Coral in Focus is an initiative launched last year that supports local communities, including Fiji, Indonesia and the United States, to restore coastal ecosystems.

Samsung has partnered with Seatrees, a nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring marine ecosystems, to explore new, innovative solutions for coral reef restoration. The company has introduced Ocean Mode¹ on the Galaxy S24 Ultra, an exclusive camera feature that enables vivid image capture even underwater. These images provide accurate visual data for marine researchers who create 3D photogrammetry models to continuously monitor and analyze coral reefs. Local partner organizations then use these findings to guide their on-site coral restoration efforts.

Ocean Mode: How Galaxy Camera Innovation Is Helping Restore Coral Reefs

Partners and local field teams use Ocean Mode to reduce the excessive blue tones common in underwater photography, allowing for a more accurate representation of coral colors. The feature also helps minimize motion blur through optimized shutter speed and multi-frame image processing. Additionally, the interval shooting function enables thousands of high-resolution coral images to be captured in a single session — improving both efficiency and image clarity.

With these coral restoration initiatives, photos taken with Ocean Mode have been used to produce 17 3D models of coral reefs to analyze the health and growth of reefs. In total, 11,046 coral fragments were planted to restore 10,705 square meters of coral reef habitat — roughly the size of 25 basketball courts.

Since unveiling its “Galaxy for the Planet” environmental vision in 2021, Samsung has continued its efforts toward a more sustainable future — not only by incorporating ocean-bound plastics from discarded fishing nets into its products but also by expanding into marine ecosystem restoration. These actions reflect the company’s ongoing commitment to reducing its environmental impact across the entire product life cycle and beyond.

¹ Ocean Mode was exclusively developed for this project and is only available to participating partners.

▲ Blanco, an Urban Venue

The forum was organized into four sessions — Sustainability, Health AI, Galaxy AI and Home AI — each addressing the transformative changes and challenges innovation will bring to these areas. With around 100 media representatives and industry professionals in attendance, the panels centered on the disruptive potential of AI and offered blueprints for future technologies across various sectors.

Samsung Newsroom visited the first Galaxy Tech Forum session, titled “How Mobile Technology Can Accelerate a Sustainable Future,” to learn about Samsung’s mobile innovations and partnerships that are contributing to a brighter tomorrow.

Driving Mobile Innovation and Sustainability

Samsung is committed to accelerating a sustainable future for both people and the planet.

▲ (From left to right) Tamara Gondo, Michael Stewart, Dr. Stuart Sandin, Daniel Araujo and Cassie Smith

Despite the numerous benefits offered to modern society, the rapid growth of the mobile industry has also brought significant environmental challenges. To address those challenges, Samsung has made the actualization of a sustainable future a cornerstone of the company’s vision for mobile devices.

▲ Daniel Araujo from Samsung Electronics

“We’ve made significant progress in fostering sustainable practices throughout our product lifecycle and this is only possible through open collaboration with like-minded partners. And there is even more to come,” said Daniel Araujo, Head of Sustainability Management Office, Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics.

“Each device of the S25 series will include at least 50% recycled cobalt, and for the first time in Galaxy history, the battery of the S25 model will be made with recycled cobalt sourced from previously used Galaxy smartphones,” he continued, highlighting Samsung’s advancements in product circularity.

Leveraging Galaxy Camera Technology To Restore Vital Marine Ecosystems

Since the launch of the Galaxy S22 series in 2022, Samsung has incorporated over 150 tonnes of discarded fishing nets — equivalent to the weight of 15 million plastic water bottles — into Galaxy products. Along the way, the company has recognized the critical threat ocean-bound plastic poses to coral reefs and has taken a leading role in restoration efforts through strategic partnerships.

Dr. Stuart Sandin, a professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego said coral reefs are home to a quarter of all marine life, and over half a billion people depend on reefs for food, income and protection from storms and erosion. He added that with more than 50% of the world’s coral reefs already lost and ocean-bound plastic threatening the remaining marine ecosystems, new restoration methods using mobile technology are gaining traction.

▲ Dr. Stuart Sandin from the University of California San Diego, Scripps Institute of Oceanography

“We partnered with Samsung because of our shared commitment to innovation and collaboration. Our optimistic and technology-forward approach is contributing to new solutions for coral reef restoration,” said Michael Stewart, co-founder of Seatrees — a nonprofit dedicated to protecting marine ecosystems. His announcement of the organization’s partnership with Samsung was followed by a trailer for an upcoming documentary about the collaborative efforts between the companies.

▲ Michael Stewart from Seatrees

Araujo explained that to support Seatrees’ efforts, Samsung developed Ocean Mode¹ — a new camera setting that optimizes underwater photography on the Galaxy S24 Ultra. He discussed how the feature will provide valuable visual data that can be used to 3D map coral reefs to aid efforts for their restoration. The panelists acknowledged that mobile technology is making environmental conservation more accessible since high-quality data can now be collected with lightweight, user-friendly smartphones.

Empowering Young Leaders Through Technology

“Beyond environmental efforts, Samsung has collaborated with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to empower future generations in achieving the Global Goals,” explained moderator Cassie Smith, Senior Manager of Corporate Sustainability and U.S. Public Affairs at Samsung Electronics America. The success of Samsung’s five-year partnership with the UNDP led to the launch of the Samsung Global Goals app and Generation17 initiative.

▲ Cassie Smith from Samsung Electronics America

“Being part of Generation17 gave me confidence, access to resources and a global platform, which opened up a world of possibilities that inspired me to grow my business, Liberty Society, and its impact,” said Tamara Gondo, CEO of Liberty Society — a social enterprise that funds upskilling for marginalized women. “Participating in global events such as Mobile World Congress and the United Nations General Assembly gave me a seat at the decision-making table.”

▲ Tamara Gondo, CEO of Liberty Society and a Generation17 Young Leader

Araujo underscored Tamara’s remarks and stressed the importance of young leaders in achieving the Global Goals, encouraging ongoing efforts and inviting attendees to look forward to the new group of Young Leaders later this year.

The Sustainability session provided an in-depth exploration of how mobile technology can address environmental and social challenges. Samsung’s unwavering commitment to innovation and sustainability is paving the way for meaningful change on a global scale.

¹ Exclusively developed for this project and only available to Seatrees and its partners.