Take a Step with Samsung towards a Sustainable Future Together

South Africans encouraged to take Small Actions for a Better Planet in their daily lives

Samsung is envisioning a world where technology can exist together with people to preserve this planet for future generations. It is for this reason that Samsung is encouraging South African consumers to join its mission of “Everyday Sustainability” – by taking small actions together for a better planet in their daily lives.

Samsung knows that alone, it cannot achieve its sustainability goals without people taking an active role in the process. The company is therefore inspiring customer participation so that they can also play an equal part in this important journey towards a sustainable future. Samsung is striving to create inclusive and social innovations that empower everyone to build a better tomorrow, together.

Accordingly, Samsung is empowering everyone to make small and subtle changes in daily life as these can actually have a huge impact as a whole in the environment. These small changes come together to make everyone’s lives more sustainable – that is Samsung’s story of sustainable life.

In the last few years – companies and consumers at large – faced several challenges that included both the COVID-pandemic, but most importantly, the acceleration of the climate crisis that is now threatening the sustainable future of humanity. These challenges served as a stark reminder that everyone needs to put in extra effort into securing a ‘sustainable future’.

Consumers nowadays also want to do their part and live more sustainably, but they do not think that a climate-friendly lifestyle is easy. About 85 percent of consumers worldwide see a gap between their current lifestyle and how sustainable they would like to be ¹. Samsung also knows that drastic changes cannot happen overnight however, it is committed to enabling more sustainable lifestyles for its consumers by continuously creating premium technology that lasts with more power and less environmental impact.

To take a step towards a better future together, Samsung is advocating for consumers to make small yet meaningful changes every day. This is what Samsung calls: “Everyday Sustainability”. The company believes that Earth Day – the globally recognised day commemorated in April annually is an opportune time for everyone to protect the planet and demonstrate support to the environment. This year, Samsung is building on its environmental strategy – its Planet-First philosophy – a goal towards “Everyday Sustainability”.

This environmental strategy is a comprehensive plan for Samsung to join global efforts to tackle climate change.The current environmental challenges together with the upcoming commemoration of Global Earth Day have prompted Samsung to strengthen its governance even further and ensure that ‘sustainability’ continues to be a top priority in all its business operations. It is for these reasons that South African consumers are requested to follow suit and join Samsung on its mission towards a sustainable future.

Samsung believes that in order to overcome these challenges, everyone including consumers’ need to commit to minimising the current environmental impact and aggressively move towards both sustainable business and lifestyle practices. To achieve these ambitious goals, Samsung is bringing local consumers four new ways to live sustainably,  in particular, focusing on Recycled Materials, Eco-Packaging, Energy Efficiency and Recycling or Upcycling. As part of this environmental strategy for 2023, Samsung’s brand product lifecycle journey is focusing on:

1. Sourcing which includes Recycled Materials – in an effort to expand the use of eco-conscious materials. Samsung is expanding the application of recycled plastic across a range of product categories. Also, Samsung MX Business is aiming to achieve its own sustainability goals — by incorporating recycled materials in all mobile products, eliminating plastics in packaging, achieving zero standby power consumption for smartphone chargers and zero waste to landfill by 2025.

2. Production includes Renewable Energy & Chemical Management – this is an expansion of renewable energy that is factored into the manufacturing process. On chemical management – Samsung is developing alternatives for chemical substances and also striving to minimise the negative impacts of hazardous substances that may enter its products, as well as chemicals used in the front-lines of manufacturing on the health of customers and employees.

3. Distribution now includes Eco-Packaging efforts & Logistical Optimisation – this process involves constant application of eco-conscious materials to packaging. Samsung is replacing plastic and vinyl materials with paper and recycled materials to reduce the environmental impact of its product packaging. Also, Samsung is now reducing the volume and weight of packaging to mitigate Greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions in the transportation and shipping process.

4. Energy Efficiency, Durability and Repair & Re-use in Product Usage – Samsung is reducing indirect GHG emissions through products in high energy and is now improving product performance. Samsung’s commitment to sustainabilityas demonstrated by its environmental strategy – was recently recognised when it received two 2023 ENERGY STAR^® Partner of the Year Awards from the S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

5. Recycling and Upcycling as well as Collection – this is where recyclables are separated by material for recycling. Through its latest Galaxy S23 Series, Samsung is now able to deliver a high-performance device that meets the highest of quality standards while also using more recycled materials than any other Galaxy smartphone to date. The latest Galaxy S23 Series has used more recycled plastics and newly incorporated pre-consumer recycled aluminium and glass.

In particular, Samsung’s “Everyday Sustainability” vision is focusing on creating sustainable products for local consumers and how these can be designed to benefit the environment. Samsung has embraced the responsibility of ensuring that the future of this planet is healthy and secure. It has thus committed itself to incorporating sustainability into everything it does – from product design to development. Samsung is determined to continue championing responsible innovation in the future to ensure that it leaves a better planet for generations to come.

As part of its commitment, Samsung is continuing to make a concerted effort to not only achieve enterprise-wide net zero carbon emissions, but to also use more renewable energy, invest in and research new technologies to develop energy-efficient products as well as increase water re-use and develop carbon capture technology.

The technology giant’s “Everyday Sustainability” vision is now being entrenched in every aspect of its organisation. Samsung firmly believes that its competitiveness and sustainable growth goes hand-in-hand with harnessing its technological solutions to preserve the environment and contribute to building a better world.

Social justice and Samsung’s brand initiatives are deliberately focusing on innovation and sustainability without any compromise. Samsung believes that it is everyone’s responsibility to take care of the environment to make this planet a wonderful place to live in – that is why the company is advocating for all South African consumers to do their part and together – Re-Imagine A Better Planet!

Samsung proudly supports Busan’s bid for the World Expo 2030.

1 Source: 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer, Special Report: Trust and Climate Change

2 Samsung’s five (5) key categories include: (Sourcing, Production, Distribution, Using, and Recycling – the pillars included above form part of these key categories.