Samsung Electronics announced on Sunday that it will replace plastic packaging used for its wide variety of products ranging from mobile phones and tablets to home appliances and wearables with paper and other environmentally sustainable materials like recycled/bio-based plastics.
It will start making the change in the first half of the 2019. It also aims to only use paper packaging materials certified by forestry initiatives by next year. According to Samsung, it plans to use 500,000 tons of recycled plastics and collect 7.5 million tons of discarded products by 2030 both cumulative from 2009.
Samsung is said to have formed an internal task force to come up with innovative packaging ideas that avoid plastic.
For example, the plastic trays used to hold mobile phones and tablets will be replaced with ones made from pulp. The company also added that it will also alter the phone charger design, eliminating plastic protection films, reducing the use of plastics.
Samsung Plastic Phone Tray | Credit: Samsung
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Plastic bags used to protect the surface of home appliances such as TVs, refrigerators, air conditioners and washing machines as well as other kitchen appliances will also be replaced with packaging material containing recycled materials and bio plastics. Bio plastics are made from plastic wastes and non-fossil fuel materials like starch or sugar cane.
Samsung also committed to only using fiber materials certified by global environmental organizations like the Forest Stewardship Council, Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Scheme and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative for packaging and manuals by 2020.
“The company will adopt more environmentally sustainable materials even if it means an increase in cost,” Gyeong-bin Jeon, head of Samsung’s Global Customer Satisfaction Center, said in a statement.
The degradation of plastic takes approximately one year. It is known to release a variety of chemicals during degradation, which has a negative impact on organisms and ecosystems. Samsung’s move is therefore seen as a good one and welcomed in good faith.
Major credits: TechCrunch
