Samsung Electronics Wins Two Categories at the US Environmental Protection Agency's 'SMM Awards'

Samsung Electronics Galaxy S10 Eco-friendly Packaging (Photo by Samsung Electronics)

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Samsung Electronics announced on the 31st that it simultaneously won awards in two categories at the '2020 SMM Awards' hosted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The SMM Awards were established in 2014 to encourage sustainable resource management activities and are divided into two categories: the Champion Award, which selects outstanding eco-friendly products, programs, and new technologies, and the Tier Award, which evaluates companies' recycling performance. Samsung Electronics received the Program Award in the Champion Award category for the eco-friendly packaging of the Galaxy S10 and was recognized with the Gold Tier in the Tier Award category for its achievements in electronic waste collection.

Samsung Electronics replaced plastic packaging materials surrounding cables and earphones in the Galaxy S10 with paper and removed protective plastic films used on USB connectors. Additionally, the company minimized paper usage in the Galaxy S10 packaging and applied pulp molds, reducing packaging weight by 16% compared to previous models, which cut approximately 1,181 tons of greenhouse gases generated during product manufacturing and transportation. This is Samsung Electronics' fourth time winning in the Champion Award category.

Samsung Electronics was also selected as a Gold Tier company, the highest grade in the Tier Award category, for the seventh consecutive year in recognition of its achievements in expanding electronic waste collection and recycling. This reflects Samsung Electronics' collaboration with IT device repair specialists to provide free collection services and partnerships with companies certified for third-party electronic waste recycling such as 'e-Steward' and 'R2'. Samsung Electronics conducts resource management tailored to regional characteristics through self-collection, consignment collection, and stakeholder collaboration, reporting that it collected a total of 45,234 tons of electronic waste in the U.S. in 2019.

Kim Hyungnam, Executive Vice President and Head of Samsung Electronics' Global CS Center, stated, "Samsung Electronics is developing products that consider resource efficiency throughout the entire process from raw material selection to disposal," adding, "We will continue efforts for a circular economy, including applying eco-friendly technologies and minimizing resource use."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.