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.

At the 2019 Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Electronics Challenge awards ceremony, hosted by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Samsung received the Champion and Tier Awards, and at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Innovation Awards, Samsung was recognized as this year’s winner for promoting efficient resource use.

Samsung Electronics wins the EPA’s annual SMM Award. Jenni Chun (center-left), Head of Regulatory & Environmental Affairs, Samsung Electronics America, receives the Gold Tier Award. Kyungmo Yang (center-right), Manager of Galaxy Upcycling Program, Samsung Electronics, receives the Cutting Edge Champion Award.

A Winning Commitment to a Circular Economy

The SMM Electronics Challenge, hosted since 2014, is the EPA’s annual awards ceremony recognizing participants for their commitment to sustainable materials management and the responsible recycling, honoring those companies who, in the US, voluntarily engage in recycling programs. Honors are awarded in two categories, the Champion Award for products, non-products and new technologies that are harnessed in environmentally conscious ways, and the Tier Award for recycling activities. This year, Samsung won awards in both categories, and on January 8, several leading Samsung figures attended the SMM Electronics Challenge awards ceremony in Las Vegas.

In the Champion Award category, Samsung received its third Cutting-Edge Award since the award’s creation in 2016, which recognizes participants for pioneering ideas in electronics sustainability. The company was recognized for the Galaxy Upcycling project, a project dedicated to reusing end-of-life mobile phones for both environmental protection and societal gain.

The award-winning Galaxy Upcycling project transforms obsolete mobile phones no longer in use into internet-of-things (IoT) devices with the power to benefit underserved communities; since 2017, the project has, in partnership with Korean medical researchers, harnessed recycled smartphone devices for the development of portable eye examination equipment. In 2017, the project won the SMM Cutting-Edge Award for the first time, and last year supplied 90 portable ophthalmoscopes for use in Vietnam, benefitting the lives and vision of around 14,000 residents.

In the Tier Award category, Samsung has, for the sixth year in a row, been awarded Gold, an honor bestowed upon only those companies that send at least 96% of all used electronics to certified third-party recyclers. Samsung was recognized for collecting and recycling 60,000 tons of waste electronics in 2018, along with once again only making contracts with only those vendors certified by e-Stewards, a third-party certification management program for electronics recyclers. Furthermore, the company actively participates in eCycling, a voluntary e-waste collection program for companies organized by the CTA (Consumer Technology Association).

Innovating Sustainability

At this year’s CES in Las Vegas, Nevada, Samsung received a wide range of honors at the CES Innovation Awards, with products and services from display technologies to mobile devices awarded for standing out in the industry as leading, innovative solutions. Among these, Samsung’s The Serif Eco-Packaging design has been recognized for promoting the efficient use of resources.

The Eco-Packaging design allows consumers to upcycle the packaging of a product into small, versatile pieces of furniture. Once they have assembled their devices, consumers can repurpose the thick corrugated cardboard packaging into small tables or shelves, guided by manuals available by scanning a QR code on the box. This packaging is to be rolled out with Samsung’s TV line The Serif within the first half of 2020.

Also, ahead of this year’s CES, Samsung on January 4 hosted an e-waste collection event where attendees could dispose of their obsolete electronics, free of charge. Samsung has been hosting this e-waste recycling event annually since 2017.

On April 9, for the sixth year, Samsung Electronics America received the highest honor in the ENERGY STAR Awards category, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2019 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award.

The achievement highlights Samsung’s continued efforts in sustainability and the company’s strategic undertaking of various projects in partnership with ENERGY STAR, the first of which was a 12 percent increase in the number of ENERGY STAR-certified products, adding 75 to the product line.

“At Samsung, we have always embraced sustainable innovation and design because we believe that our customers should be able to purchase energy efficient products that offer savings on energy bills without sacrificing performance, features or comfort,” said Shane Higby, Vice President for Home Appliance Product Marketing at Samsung Electronics America. “Samsung invests in ENERGY STAR because consumers demand energy efficient products, consumers recognize the ENERGY STAR logo for innovation in energy efficiency and we are honored our efforts continue to be recognized by the EPA.”

Among the new ENERGY STAR-certified products added in 2018 is the Heat Pump Dryer that uses innovative energy-saving technologies, consisting of moisture sensors that detect when clothes are dry and automatically shuts the dryer off. The Heat Pump Dryer circulates and reheats the air instead of venting air to the outside.

“I applaud the 2019 ENERGY STAR Award Winners,” said Bill Wehrum, EPA Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation. “Their innovation and leadership enhance America’s economic competitiveness. Reducing costly energy waste improves air quality and public health while protecting the environment.”

Next, Samsung took part in “ENERGY STAR Day” in October, organizing an employee-wide event where 500 Samsung employees signed the ENERGY STAR pledge, vowing to take action to save energy, money, and protect the environment.

Finally, Samsung also organized a Boys and Girls Club of America Climate Superstars contest dedicated to ENERGY STAR programs. This contest was designed to ignite science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) interest among kids and teens while raising awareness around the importance of environmentalism and sustainability. The contest challenged Boys and Girls Club members nationwide to complete tasks centered on core themes, such as improving energy efficiency, conserving water and reducing waste, as well as identifying energy-efficient ENERGY STAR products, planting trees, recycling electronics and more.

Samsung will be recognized with the 2019 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. on April 11, 2019.

For the complete list of 2019 winners and more information about ENERGY STAR’s awards program, visit energystar.gov/awardwinners.

The award is presented by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) to honor organizations that have made outstanding contributions to protect the environment through energy efficiency, including designing and manufacturing high-efficiency products. In 2017, Samsung had over 800 ENERGY STAR certified products on the market, a nearly 20% increase in Samsung ENERGY STAR products versus 2016, in our efforts to continue helping consumers save on energy costs while protecting the environment.

“As our commitment to innovation advances, so does our commitment to sustainability,” said Michael Lawder, Senior Vice President of Customer Care at Samsung Electronics America. “We’re honored to receive this recognition for our efforts and look forward to continuing to ensure our products push the boundaries of technology today, with sustainability in mind.”

Earlier this year, the EPA also awarded Samsung with the 2017 Cutting Edge Champion Award for its innovative Galaxy Upcycling program, and honored the company’s U.S. e-waste collection efforts with the Gold Tier Award for the fourth consecutive year. In addition, Samsung now ranks at No. 9 on the EPA’s Green Power Partnership Top 30 Tech & Telecom list and No. 57 on the National Top 100 List.

More information about Samsung’s sustainability initiatives can be found at news.samsung.com/us/tag/sustainability/.

The Galaxy Upcycling program allows Galaxy phone owners to retrofit the hardware and software of antiquated, used Galaxy phones into new technology products such as closed circuit TVs, gaming consoles, and IoT devices. The program puts the tools for transforming devices into new technology in consumers’ hands by providing them with necessary software changes and suggested hardware changes that enable new functionality. The program was created from the company’s innovation hub, C-Lab; and will launch in 2018. The Cutting Edge Champion Award was presented to Samsung for the Galaxy Upcycling program’s innovative and environmentally responsible ways to use a product’s materials throughout its entire life cycle. Samsung has been the exclusive honoree of the Cutting Edge Champion Award since the award’s inception in 2017.

“In an effort to curb e-waste and extend the lifecycle of our existing technology, we introduced the Galaxy Upcycling program which repurposes technology resources into new devices,” said Michael Lawder, Senior Vice President of Customer Care at Samsung Electronics America. “We’re honored to receive the Cutting Edge Champion Award for this program and our efforts to extend a products’ life-cycle by repurposing its functionality.”

The second distinction was given to Samsung for the company’s long-term commitment to the proper recycling of e-waste in the U.S. In 2016, the company’s electronics recycling program collected and responsibly recycled over 118 million pounds of e-waste in the U.S., which made it one of the world’s biggest collectors of e-waste. Samsung is being recognized in this category for the fourth year in a row.

“Samsung’s creative reinvention of old electronics through their unique upcycling program is environmental ingenuity at its finest,” said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. “I commend Samsung for their innovative efforts to turn old smartphones into new technology products, and I encourage others to follow their lead.”

The awards were presented today in Las Vegas at a ceremony during CES 2018.

All 20 Samsung refrigerator models, set to be released in 2017, are recognized for the innovative R-600a refrigerant system which meets the EPA’s demanding performance criteria to reduce energy use and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Samsung Electronics is the first manufacturer to receive EPA approval to market full-sized, residential Top Mount Freezer and French Door models using this new technology.

The EPA first awarded the ENERGY STAR Emerging Technology Award in 2011, and focuses on a different product category or eco-conscious theme each year. Samsung is a two-time winner – in addition to recognition for 2017 refrigerators, the brand received the award in 2013 for its eco-friendly DV457 clothes dryer.

The Road to Energy Savings

Samsung’s new R-600a refrigerant is naturally occurring and climate-friendly, with no ozone depletion potential and very low Global Warming Potential (GWP) rating. R-600a requires less work to be done by the unit’s compressor, which not only reduces energy usage by 6.5% but also makes the refrigerator quieter than previous models.

Samsung developed the technology ahead of planned changes to refrigerant qualifications that EPA looks to influence by 2021. Equipped with the advanced technology, the 2017 award-winning refrigerators met the EPA’s new qualifications of a GWP rating below 15 while producing an energy efficiency gain of 5 percent or higher. Additionally, the R-600a refrigerant has been approved for use in the US market by the EPA’s Significant New Alternative Policy (SNAP) Program.

“Samsung strives to meet the highest environmental standards, and we are proud to be honored by the EPA for our innovative and eco-friendly refrigerator product development,” said Byung-Sam Seo, President of Home Appliances at Samsung Electronics. “The R-600a refrigerant is a game-changer in terms of reducing energy usage, and we are proud of the advancements we’ve made to create more environmentally responsible home appliance products.”

In addition to being energy efficient, Samsung’s 2017 refrigeration line delivers more choice, flexibility and connectivity for consumers today. New internal features such as enhanced precision cooling, flexible storage options and upgraded interior lighting are matched by updates to exterior details like redesigned handles and premium finishes, as well as seamless designs to fit well in any kitchen.

For more, please visit Samsung’s CES booth #15006, on Level 1 of the Central Hall in the Las Vegas Convention Center from January 5-8, 2017.