The EPA’s SMM Electronics Challenge program honors brands that have employed innovative strategies to use materials in a more environmentally responsible way throughout their lifecycle. Samsung’s eco-innovation in materials and responsible recycling program have been recognized each year by the EPA and our consumer recycling programs have received the highest SMM award level since the SMM Program’s inception in 2014. The 2021 SMM Electronics Challenge Award winners were recognized at a virtual award ceremony held today.

“At Samsung, we’re making sustainability the driving force of our bold innovations and we’re deeply honored by the EPA’s recognition of those efforts,” said Mark Newton, Head of Corporate Sustainability for Samsung Electronics America. “Our engineers and designers are continuously finding meaningful ways to reduce waste and minimize our environmental impact as part of our journey toward a more circular economy. When consumers buy a Samsung product, we want them to feel confident that they’re not only experiencing our cutting-edge technology and eco-innovation advances, but we’re also making it easy for them to repair, refurbish and recycle their products as well.”

“It’s going to take all of us working together to build a sustainable future, and I applaud the organizations recognized today for their leadership in essential electronic recycling efforts,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Electronics are a global economic driver with supply chains that reach around the world and products that play a big role in our daily lives. Because of these organizations’ efforts, we’re able to recover and recycle valuable resources like precious metals, critical minerals, plastics and glass.”

The EPA SMM Gold Tier Award, which Samsung has won for the eighth consecutive year, acknowledges our excellence in e-waste collection throughout the United States. We collect and recycle an average of 100 million pounds of e-waste per year in the United States, the greenhouse gas (GHG) equivalent of over two million trees sequestering carbon for ten years. Since 2008, we’ve responsibly recycled more than a billion pounds of electronics, diverting them from U.S. landfills and recovering reusable materials. And Samsung has an aggressive goal to incorporate 500,000 tons of recycled plastics into our products globally by 2030.

In addition to our legacy of SMM innovations over the years, the EPA Sustained Excellence Award recognizes Samsung’s SolarCell Remote, which was introduced in early 2021 and developed to reduce battery waste and to help close the loop on plastic waste. This innovation — which is currently available with Samsung 4K and 8K QLED (Neo, Q80A, Q70A, Q60A) and MicroLED televisions — is projected to eliminate the disposal of 99 million AA batteries and avoid 5,840 tons of GHG over the course of seven years of usage.* Beyond reducing battery waste, Samsung is cutting down on plastic waste as the remote contains 24% upcycled Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and Polycarbonate (PC).

What’s more is that, in January 2022, Samsung unveiled advancements on the second generation of its SolarCell Remote, which can now draw electricity from radio frequencies in devices like Wi-Fi routers. The remote has also been included in more Samsung products, such as new Samsung TVs and home appliances – all with the aim of eliminating the disposal of more than 200 million AA batteries from landfills.

To explore more about Samsung’s responsible recycling programs and innovative sustainability efforts, please visit https://www.samsung.com/us/explore/sustainability/. And to learn more about the EPA Sustainable Materials Management programs, head to https://www.epa.gov/smm.

* Seven years is the average lifecycle of TV products.

Ask yourself: what happens to your old smartphone? Maybe you throw it in a drawer or maybe you toss it in the trash to eventually end up in a landfill. Without properly disposing of our old devices, we all contribute to the rapidly growing global problem of electronic waste – or ‘e-waste’.

Each year, the world produces more than fifty million tons¹ of waste from electronics alone, and less than 20% is formally recycled. Our world’s resources are finite, and we need to find a better, more sustainable way to use technology – one that transforms our system into a circular economy that continuously reuses and recycles our materials in an infinite loop.

We believe e-waste is a problem that we can tackle together. Seemingly simple actions can have a large ripple effect.

For example, did you know that extending the lifespan of all smartphones and other electronic devices by just one year can save as much carbon emissions as taking two million cars off the road² each year?

We know that no one can solve this e-waste problem on their own. At Samsung, we have the responsibility and the opportunity to offer the infrastructure and the inspiration to our Galaxy users, so we can make progress together. Through our new sustainability platform, Galaxy for the Planet, we are committed to protecting the planet in everything we do from diverting all waste from landfills by 2025 to combatting global e-waste.

Across the product lifecycle, we’re enabling the entire Galaxy ecosystem to take simple, individual actions – billions of actions around the world – that, when amplified on a global scale, have the power to create positive change. Samsung offers several programs focused on promoting more eco-conscious habits in our daily lives that help Galaxy users to reduce, reuse and recycle the waste generated from old electronic devices.

Optimizing Product Life With Android OS Upgrades

We help users maximize the life of their current device by supporting three generations of Android operating system (OS) upgrades and firmware security updates for a minimum of four years on millions of Galaxy devices.³ With this offering, we are extending the lifecycle of our Galaxy products and making a promise that we will provide a simple and secure mobile experience that takes advantage of the latest innovations for good.

REUSE

Creating New Possibilities With Galaxy Upcycling

Our Galaxy Upcycling initiative enables consumers to repurpose Galaxy smartphones – giving them new life and opening new possibilities and extended value. Whether we’re providing innovative technologies to bring greater access to ophthalmic health care for underserved populations or converting smartphones into Internet of Things (IoT) devices like a baby or pet monitor, these simple changes not only help meet our personalized lifestyle needs but also foster a more circular economy.

Extending the Life of Our Devices Through Trade-In and Certified Re-Newed

Through our Trade-In and Certified Re-Newed (CRN) programs, we collect old and unused smartphones and prepare them to be reused for new uses and users. For example, users can donate their old smartphones for an instant credit toward a new one with our Trade-In program. Through Certified Re-Newed, old devices are evaluated, updated and repaired and receive the Certified Re-Newed stamp of approval, allowing us to offer like-new, powerful Galaxy technology to consumers while putting less strain on the planet.

RECYCLE

Transforming Waste With Take-Back

Our Take-Back program⁴ encourages users to donate old or unused smartphones, tablets and PCs to be recycled properly and safely. Rather than generating additional e-waste, Samsung will collect your unwanted electronics and repurpose them in new ways and ensure the materials in your devices don’t end up in a landfill.

When you participate in just one of these programs, you’re contributing to the sustainability efforts of Galaxy users across the globe who are joining together to combat this environmental issue. Together, we’re promoting a more circular economy and protecting our planet’s natural resources for generations to come. Consider participating in our programs today!

Samsung is dedicated to delivering innovative technologies that help build a better future and empower users to adopt more sustainable practices. This also includes taking tangible action to reduce our environmental impact and reshape consumer experiences through our sustainability platform, Galaxy for the Planet.

To view Samsung’s sustainability progress, check out the 2021 Sustainability Report.

¹ World Economic Forum, New Circular Vision for Electronics, 2019

² World Economic Forum, How to Save the Planet, One Mobile Device at a Time, 2020

³ Availability of Android OS upgrades and security updates may vary by device and market. Upgrade schedule will depend on factors including but not limited to complexity of the update, model, as well as market penetration and more.

⁴ To learn more, please visit Samsung Customer Service Center in your region.

According to a 2016 report from the World Economic Forum (WEF), research suggests that by the year 2050, there may be more plastic (by weight) in the ocean than fish.¹ The use of plastics, the WEF notes, “has increased twentyfold in the past half-century, and is expected to double again in the next 20 years.”

Recently, Samsung Newsroom spotlighted eco-friendly initiatives that Samsung Electronics has undertaken as part of its decades-long commitment to sustainable innovation. Here, we’ll outline the company’s efforts to combat e-waste and promote a circular economy by recycling resources safely and efficiently.

A Simple Solution

E-waste recycling is a complicated process that involves disassembling or shredding old devices to recover useful resources. To help simplify the first step of the process, collecting e-waste, in 1998, Samsung Electronics initiated a take-back and recycling program in Korea. Now known as the Re+ Program, this free service, which lets consumers dispose of old smartphones and appliances by dropping them off at Samsung stores and service centers, was up and running in a total of 54 countries.²

Once a smartphone has been collected, its battery is removed and processed separately. Rather than burning the battery, as is common when electronic devices are discarded, Samsung will instead dispose of the battery safely and in an eco-friendly manner. The smartphone batteries go through four processing phases in all, which include salting, perforation, drying and fragmentation stages. Any cobalt, nickel or other rare metals that are extracted during processing are set aside for use in new products.

Once an old appliance has been collected and transferred to a recycling facility, it’s put through a preconditioning phase that helps ensure that it’s processed efficiently. Here, any devices that would decrease in value if they were subjected to the first stage of the recycling process, which involves crushing the devices to extract resources such as steel, copper, aluminum and plastic, are separated from the rest.

After the devices have been pulverized, an automated procedure sorts the extracted resources by type. The post-processing required to transform these resources into raw materials is completed not at the recycling facility itself, but at offsite smelting firms.

Making a Difference

As part of its commitment to creating a circular economy, Samsung Electronics has established an increased use of recycled plastic as one of its mid- to long-term goals. The hope is to utilize what amounts to 500,000 tons of recycled plastic by 2030. Since 2009, approximately 220,000 tons² of recycled plastic have been used to create new products. Recycled plastic is not only difficult and expensive to process, it’s also known to be hard to use because the quality of the final product varies more widely than with metals.

Youngjin Seo, Director of Samsung Electronics’ Product Environment Team, shed some light on the importance of these recycling efforts from a business standpoint. “Recycling plastic from discarded devices not only helps reduce e-waste, it also reduces the amount of petrochemicals needed to produce new products,” Seo explained. “This is why resource circulation is especially important to businesses.”

You can watch the recycling process in action in the video below. See how a device – in this case, a refrigerator – is collected and broken down at a recycling facility, and how plastic is extracted and reprocessed for use in new devices.

What is Upcycling?

Upcycling is the process of finding new and useful applications for old items or devices.

Why is it Important?

According to the 2017 Global E-waste Monitor, nearly 45 million metric tons of e-waste is discarded annually. Finding innovative ways to repurpose older devices will save more tech from ending up in landfills, conserve considerable amounts of resources, and ultimately create a more sustainable future.

What Does Samsung’s Program Do?

Headquartered in Seoul, the Galaxy Upcycling team explores simple, ‘do-it-yourself’ ways for people to repurpose older Galaxy devices. Over the past year, the team has taken the show on the road, helping others learn how to conveniently connect their old devices to everyday household objects via the Internet of Things (IoT).

What are Some of Their Solutions?

One fun example of the team’s solutions is their Smart Fish Tank Monitor, which enables you to instantly feed your fish and turn on the aquarium light via text message. Another, the Smart Pet Bowl, helps on-the-go pet owners feed their furry little friend, and even snaps a photo of the pet eating that owners can view on their phone.

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