While e-waste is a big problem that we’re still solving, the packaging our devices arrive in can also be wasteful and Samsung is moving to address that with a move to more environmentally friendly packaging starting in h1 2019.
Samsung products ranging from tablets and phones through to home appliances and TVs will be packaged using ‘environmentally sustainable materials like recycled/bio-based plastics and paper’ including pulp molds and paper replacing the plastic trays normally found in boxes. TVs and home appliances including air-conditioners, fridges and washing machines will also be wrapped in recylced materials and bioplastics made from non-fossil fuel materials like starch or sugar cane.
It’s not just the packaging though, with Samsung opting to change the glossy finish of their charger design for a matte finish and will also get rid of the plastic protection films. Paper manuals and packaging will be made from ‘fiber materials certified by global environmental organizations like the Forest Stewardship Council, Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Scheme and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative’.
Gyeong-bin Jeon, head of Samsung’s Global Customer Satisfaction Center said of the move
Samsung Electronics is stepping up in addressing society’s environmental issues such as resource depletion and plastic wastes. We are committed to recycling resources and minimizing pollution coming from our products. We will adopt more environmentally sustainable materials even if it means an increase in cost.
Samsung has already begun transitioning to a more environmentally friendly packaging in 2009 with efforts of collecting 7.5 million tons of discarded products, and using 500 thousand tons of recycled plastics by 2030.
We all have a responsibility to our environment, and it’s promising to see Samsung taking the lead on this one.
