Earth Month: Samsung’s Simple Steps Toward Sustainability

Sustainability is central to how Samsung operates and innovates. It informs how our company designs products, manages resources, and creates value beyond our products. This Earth Month, Samsung is highlighting how thoughtful engineering, smarter software, and everyday features are helping people live more sustainably – without compromising performance, convenience or style. From the phones in our pockets to the screens and appliances in our homes, Samsung is building a more energy-efficient future – one innovation at a time.

Mobile: Designed With Purpose, Built to Last

Samsung’s latest Galaxy devices reflect a continued commitment to reducing environmental impact through smarter materials and thoughtful design.

The Galaxy S26 series, building on the Galaxy Z Fold7 and Flip7, expands Samsung’s use of recycled materials across devices – including plastics, glass, aluminum, cobalt, lithium, rare earth elements and steel. Across our mobile line-up, sustainable innovation is the lens through which we’ve designed and built our technology. From repurposed fishing nets transformed into durable plastics to closed-loop systems that recover cobalt from used batteries, Samsung is rethinking how materials are sourced and reused.

The Galaxy S26 series, the most intuitive Galaxy AI phone yet, builds on Samsung’s progress in materials innovation, incorporating 10 different recycled materials across both internal and external components. For the first time in the Galaxy S26 Ultra, recycled tantalum is introduced, further broadening the range of materials being reused. Batteries in the S26 and S26 Ultra also include a minimum of 98% recycled lithium and at least 50% recycled cobalt, marking a significant step forward in battery sustainability.

Even small details add up. Speakers use recycled neodymium and steel, while side and volume keys incorporate recycled TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane). Altogether, recycled content accounts for a meaningful portion (more than 17%) of each device’s total materials by weight.

The Galaxy Z Fold7 and Flip7 continue this progress, shaping the future of foldables with a thoughtful approach to sustainability, with a wide variety of components across dozens of parts designed with reuse in mind – bringing Samsung closer to its goal of including at least one recycled material in every module of every mobile product by 2030.

In addition to the current lineup of smartphones included in Samsung’s Certified Re-Newed program, which offers expertly refurbished phones when an upgrade is needed, more devices will be coming soon.

And sustainability doesn’t stop at what’s inside. Packaging for the latest Galaxy devices is made with 100% recycled paper, helping reduce waste from the moment a product is unboxed.

Samsung is also innovating through software. A groundbreaking example is Ocean Mode¹, a camera feature on the Galaxy S26 series designed to help protect marine environments by optimizing image capture while minimizing disruption to underwater ecosystems – showing just how technology can support both creativity and conservation.

Home Entertainment: Smarter Screens, Lower Energy and Emissions

Samsung TVs are designed to deliver stunning picture quality, while helping to reduce carbon emissions and lower energy consumption.

This week, Samsung announced more than 30 models across its 2026 TV and soundbar lineup have received Product Carbon Reduction and Product Carbon Footprint certifications from TÜV Rheinland, a globally recognized certification organization based in Germany. These achievements represent our continued commitment to combining cutting-edge technology with a responsible product experience.

Samsung TVs also leverage AI-powered intelligence to cut down energy consumption. AI Energy Mode uses the TV’s built-in processor and sensors to analyze your viewing environment and automatically adjust brightness based on ambient lighting and on-screen content.

And with help from advanced motion sensors, your TV will lower its brightness when the room is empty for more than two hours. The result is a more efficient viewing experience that adapts in real time – helping reduce energy use without manual adjustment.

Included with many of our premium TVs, the Samsung SolarCell remote is also designed to reduce the environmental impact of discarded batteries. This rechargeable remote control includes a solar panel capable of harnessing energy from sunlight or indoor lighting for charging.

Samsung is also making screens more inclusive. Features like Relumino Mode enhance contrast, outline objects, and adjust brightness and color to make content easier to see for people with low vision. It’s a reminder that sustainability isn’t just about energy savings or emission reductions – it’s also about designing technology that works better for everyone.

Home Appliances: Smarter Living, Everyday Efficiency

In the kitchen and laundry room, Samsung is bringing sustainability into the routines people rely on every day.

The latest Bespoke AI appliances, including the new 3-Door French Door Refrigerators, expand the reach of AI Energy Mode – helping households better manage energy use without sacrificing performance. These appliances learn usage patterns and optimize energy consumption automatically, making efficiency effortless.

Samsung is also advancing smart laundry solutions with the an ENERGY STAR® Certified  Bespoke AI Laundry Vented and Ventless Combo – the first all-in-one Vented Combo in its class – which combines washing and drying into a single, space-saving unit. By streamlining cycles and optimizing energy, detergent and water use, this system is designed to reduce both environmental impact and time spent on chores. The Vented Combo is also equipped with Samsung’s Less Microfiber™ cycle setting, which allows users to gently clean synthetic textiles while reducing 39% of microfibers released into the ocean².

Together, these innovations bring sustainability into the heart of the home – where small daily choices can add up to meaningful impact.

Displays: Low Power, High Performance

Samsung’s Color E-Paper display represents a breakthrough in energy-efficient signage.

Designed to maintain static images using zero watts of power, the display reduces energy consumption in retail, restaurant, hospitality and workplace environments. Power is only needed when content is updated – keeping overall energy use lower than traditional signage.

The innovation extends to its materials as well. The 13-inch model features a housing made with recycled plastics and bio-based resin derived from plankton oil, making it the first product of its kind verified for using this material. Even the packaging is thoughtfully designed – the box, cushioning and accessory boxes are made from 100% paper.

It’s a glimpse into how future displays can be both high-performing and low-impact.

SmartThings Energy: Smarter Homes, Smarter Choices

Samsung’s SmartThings Energy helps users take control of their energy use across connected devices.

Through real-time monitoring, automation, and personalized insights, SmartThings Energy makes it easier to understand how energy is being used – and where it can be saved, helping users reduce consumption and even lower energy bills. Users can set goals, receive alerts and optimize device settings to reduce consumption, all from a single app.

Whether it’s adjusting appliance usage during peak hours or tracking overall household energy trends, SmartThings turns awareness into action – empowering people to make more sustainable choices every day.

Samsung Global Goals App: Small Actions, Global Impact

Sustainability isn’t just about products – it’s about people.

The Samsung Global Goals app, pre-installed on every Galaxy device, connects users to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Through simple actions like viewing ads or engaging with content, users can help generate donations that support global initiatives addressing issues like climate change, education, and inequality.

It’s an easy, accessible way for millions of people to contribute to meaningful change – right from their phone.

Overall, Samsung is demonstrating that when sustainability is built into the products, solutions and features we use every day, better choices become second nature.

1  Galaxy mobile phones are required to be placed in a waterproof underwater housing to use Ocean Mode underwater. Galaxy mobile phones are not designed to be waterproof against seawater.

2 Based on testing by the Ocean Wise Plastics Lab using a 2kg load of 100% polyester hoodies, comparing the Synthetics cycle on a Samsung conventional model 27″ washing machine with US design and the Less Microfiber cycle. Results may vary depending on the actual clothes and usage conditions. Applicable to wash only.