Samsung Electronics Co. announced that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) presented it with two awards for its sustainable practices. Since it launched the Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Program, the EPA has acknowledged Samsung’s sustainability efforts for the past years. For instance, in 2020, Samsung received the Sustained Excellence Award, EPA’s highest honor, for its energy efficiency and environmental stewardship.
Moreover, the EPA gives awards to outstanding SMM participants every year to promote cost reduction, resource conservation, and environmental protection. The EPA also held an online SMM Electronics Challenge Award ceremony to recognize this year’s top performers.
According to Michael Regan, the EPA Administrator, the SMM Electronics Challenge award winners created products that successfully incorporated eco-friendly solutions and technological advancements. Regan added that the EPA aims to encourage other companies to follow the winners’ footsteps and develop innovative solutions further.
Awards for Sustainability Efforts
This year, the South Korean tech giant’s latest awards include a Champion Award for the Galaxy S10’s eco-conscious packaging. Samsung also received EPA’s highest recycling recognition, a Gold Tier Award, for its responsible electronic waste collection and recycling operations.
“Samsung is humbled by the EPA’s recognition of our long-term commitment to the proper collection and recycling of e-waste and the sustainable design innovations that we continue to drive in product packaging,” stated Mark Newton, Head of Samsung Electronics America’s Corporate Sustainability. Newton also said that Samsung plans to continue making investments for its eco-friendly practices and management, reducing climate change impacts.
Samsung won the SMM Gold Tier Award due to its skillful e-waste management throughout its US operations. Samsung has also been recycling electronics for over a decade, saving over a billion pounds of e-waste and reusable materials.
Furthermore, Samsung won the SMM Champion Award for the Galaxy S10 and its eco-friendly packaging materials and strategies. In addition to not using plastics, Samsung specifically designed the Galaxy S10 box to consume lesser materials, reducing carbon footprint.
Eco-Conscious Packaging of Galaxy S Products
Aside from the Galaxy S10 box design, Samsung extended the eco-conscious packaging solution to its other products. For example, Samsung replaced the plastic materials in the Galaxy S20 boxes with paper and removed all unnecessary in-box accessories. Additionally, for the Galaxy S21 packaging, Samsung used corrugated cardboard material to enhance recyclability. The Galaxy S21 packaging saves over 44,000 trees annually and uses only 58% of the paper compared to previous models.
Samsung also revealed that its sustainable packaging designs revolve around three core principles: reduce, replace, and recycle. Thanks to its leading platform, Samsung Electronics is fully dedicated to providing users and customers with innovative products and services. As the company stated, its commitment to creating solutions go hand in hand with protecting the environment and conserving resources.
