As the carbon neutrality agenda has a significant impact on corporate management, ESG management and the development of products equipped with eco-friendly components are now emerging as essential capabilities for the electronics industry.

At 'Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2022: Unfold Your World,' held online on the 10th (Korea time), Samsung Electronics shared the achievements and progress of its Mobile eXperience (MX) division's eco-friendly vision, 'Galaxy for the Planet.'

Samsung Electronics announced its eco-friendly vision, "Galaxy for the Earth," last August and disclosed detailed goals to address climate change and realize a circular economy by 2025, including applying recycled materials to all new Galaxy products, removing all plastic materials from product packaging, achieving zero standby power for smartphone chargers, and eliminating landfill waste at all global sites.

■ Expanded use of recycled materials
The newly unveiled foldable phones and wearable products are all equipped with components made from recycled materials.

In particular, materials made from recycled fishing nets have been applied to the side key bracket and display connector cover of the 'Galaxy Z Fold 4', the volume key bracket of the 'Galaxy Z Flip 4', and the battery mounting bracket, cradle PCB mounting bracket, and internal mechanism rigidity reinforcement bracket of the 'Galaxy Buds 2 Pro'. In the case of the 'Galaxy Buds 2 Pro' unveiled at this Unpacked event, components made from recycled materials account for 90% of the total weight of the device.
Samsung Electronics first applied recycled fishing net materials to the 'Galaxy S22' series, 'Galaxy Book 2 Pro' series, and 'Galaxy Tab S8' series released earlier this year, and is continuously expanding the scope of their use. Through this, it is expected that about 50 tons of discarded fishing nets will be collected and recycled this year alone, contributing to reducing the threat to the marine ecosystem caused by marine plastics.

Samsung Electronics is striving to develop new recycled materials while continuously expanding the application scope of existing Post-Consumer Materials (PCM). The development and application of recycled materials require innovative technologies to ensure quality and reliability, as well as collaboration with experts from various fields. Samsung plans to continue strengthening its efforts to develop new recycled materials and expand the range of products in which they are applied.

■ Reduction of product packaging and electronic waste
In accordance with its plan to achieve zero single-use plastic use in mobile product packaging by 2025, Samsung Electronics has removed a significant amount of plastic from the product packages of the 'Galaxy Z Fold4' and 'Galaxy Z Flip4'. The package volumes of the 'Galaxy Z Flip4' and 'Galaxy Z Fold4' have been reduced by 52.8% and 58.2%, respectively, compared to the first-generation Galaxy Foldable, and thanks to this, carbon emissions during product transportation are estimated to decrease by more than 10,000 tons this year.

In addition, Samsung Electronics is applying 100% recycled paper to the packaging of its flagship models, starting with the 'Galaxy S22' series. It is expected that the Galaxy S22 series and the new Galaxy Z series will have the effect of preserving approximately 51,000 trees this year.

This eco-friendly packaging design is planned to continuously expand its application not only to future flagship models but also to other product categories.
According to the World Economic Forum, 57 million tons of electronic waste were generated last year, and it is expected to increase by 2 million tons annually in the future.

Samsung Electronics has been expanding its Galaxy Upcycling program to reduce electronic waste by adding new use value to older Galaxy smartphones. Through a simple software update, smartphones can be transformed into smart home devices usable in users' daily lives, such as for childcare or pet care.

Galaxy Upcycling focuses not only on environmental sustainability but also on improving the quality of life. A representative example is the 'EYELIKE™' fundus camera, which transforms a used Galaxy smartphone into a portable digital eye examination device. Through this, it contributed to the early detection and treatment of fundus diseases by providing eye examination services to more than 13,000 patients in four countries with poor eye health infrastructure, including Vietnam, India, Morocco, and Papua New Guinea.

"Samsung is striving for innovation for a better future for people and the planet, going beyond innovation in product technology," said Roh Tae-moon, President and Head of Samsung Electronics' MX Business Division, at the Unpack event. "Based on our experience of consistently and practically implementing our eco-friendly vision, we will work to achieve the 'Galaxy for the Earth' vision with even firmer determination and conviction."