Samsung has just launched its new family of flagship smartphones and, with it, reaffirmed its commitment to making sustainability part of technological innovation. At the latest Unpacked, I had the opportunity to talk about the company’s priority on sustainability, the challenges and hopes that can come true with Won-Joon Choi, EVP, head of research and development at Samsung Mobile eXperience and Mark Newton, head of corporate sustainability at Samsung Electronics America.
Zero emissions
Two years ago, Samsung Mobile set its sustainability goals to go carbon neutral by 2030 and has been guided in its mission ever since by what it called the “Galaxy for the Planet” vision. Recently reorganized under the Samsung Mobile eXperience (DX) division, the team aims to achieve 100% renewable energy by 2027 and improve the energy efficiency of products by 30% by 2030, using energy-saving technologies and achieving a zero standby energy consumption in smartphone chargers by 2025. Furthermore, by 2025, Samsung aims to achieve the goal of zero waste to landfill in its global operations, minimizing the waste generated and optimizing the life cycle of its products to last longer and be reused and recycled.
Don’t give up on anything
“Some believe that if you prioritize sustainability, you may neglect performance and vice versa. At Samsung, we think very differently. We don’t believe it’s about choosing one or the other. that people don’t have to sacrifice the things they love to become more environmentally conscious,” says Choi.
One of the challenges of using recycled materials is to do so without compromising the robustness of a device. With the Galaxy S23, Samsung has increased the amount and variety of recycled materials used compared to the previous model: it continues to use post-consumer recycled plastic from the oceans, but adds pre-consumer recycled aluminum and recycled glass. The total number of components using recycled materials thus rises to 12 – double that of the Galaxy S22. The Galaxy S23 screen uses Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, which contains 22% pre-consumer recycled glass and maintains the same strength as the previous version. On the back of the device, Samsung has used 80% recycled PET film. The packaging has been completely redesigned and made with 100% recycled paper and certified as coming from sustainable sources.
Decline sustainability
The increase in the use of recycled materials in devices is not just about sustainability. When it comes to metals, for example, it’s about having enough materials to meet the demand for all the devices built. “If we don’t get smarter about literally mining for scrap, we’ll end up running out of materials that we need to make batteries and everything else. So we’re thinking more broadly about this issue, not about where to get the materials, but also when and how to use them in other sectors,” explains Newton.
Samsung is also implementing other lifecycle measures to make its smartphones more sustainable, from increased durability to increased longevity through operating system and security updates.
Last year, in partnership with iFixit, Samsung launched a well-received self-repair program in the United States that aims to help consumers solve the three main problems that usually arise with a device : the screen, the rear glass and the charging port. The kit supports the Galaxy S20, S21 and S22 and will now also add the S23. Consumers who want to repair their own devices can purchase original device parts and tools directly from iFixit, the Samsung 837 store, and other Korean company sales and service outlets. Once the repair has been made, consumers can return the rejected parts for responsible recycling using the pre-paid return label provided with the repair kit.
A new life
Upcycling is also an important tool that Samsung uses to breathe new life into outdated devices. In 2021, it launched the Samsung Galaxy Upcycling at the Home initiative in the US, UK and Korea. Through SmartThings Labs, a feature within SmartThings apps, users can reuse built-in sensors to provide enhanced sound and light control functions. For example, using artificial intelligence, these repurposed Galaxy devices can detect sounds like a baby crying, a dog barking, a cat meowing and send an alert to the user’s phone. In 2022, Samsung went one step further and used upcycling to have a social impact on an issue affecting 1.1 billion people, 90% of whom live in low- and middle-income countries: the loss of view. Samsung has partnered with the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and the Yonsei University Health System (YUHS) to transform old and unused Galaxy devices into medical diagnostic cameras called EYELIKE fundus cameras, which allow to medical and non-medical professionals to screen people for conditions that can lead to blindness.
Values and profits
I agree with Newton that sustainability and corporate values in general are something younger consumers are very interested in. This means that for Samsung these initiatives, as they often are, are not only good for the environment and society, but can also have a positive impact on corporate bottom line.
In the February 1st Unpacked the focus was mainly on the new Galaxy S23 line, but Samsung also presented three new laptops, the Galaxy Book3 Pro, the Book3 Pro 360 and the Book3 Ultra, all made with recycled plastic from the oceans and post-consumer material. “We are only at the beginning of our sustainability journey. As an engineer, there is nothing more inspiring than finding solutions to difficult problems. Knowing that a small investment in one of our products can have a major impact on the environment thanks to the our size is extremely exciting,” notes Choi.
As we look to the next generation of computing and Samsung celebrates partnering with Qualcomm and Google to build the next immersive reality platform, it’s reassuring to know that sustainability will be an important component of the innovation journey the company takes.
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