Samsung Electronics said that they will replace plastic packaging used in its variety of products from mobile phones and tablets to home appliances and wearables. The company had thought of replacing them with paper and other environmentally sustainable materials like recycled/bio-based plastics.
Samsung will start making switches in the first half of the year, the goal of the company is to use only paper packaging materials certified by forestry initiatives by next year. By the year 2030, Samsung says it plans to use 500,000 tons of recycled plastics and collect 7.5 million tons of discarded products.
The company also said that it will change the design of its phone charger to reduce the use of plastic, to swape the glossy exterior with a matte finish and eliminating plastic protection films, reducing the use of plastics. Samsung will replace plastic bags used to protect its air conditioners, refrigerators, TVs, and washing machines with recycled materials and bioplastics that come from non-fossil fuel sources.
Moreover, Samsung claims that it had formed an internal task force to come up with some innovative packaging ideas that will avoid plastic usage. Like, the plastic trays made to hold mobile phones and tablets will be replaced with ones made with pulp. Bioplastics which are going to be used in packaging are made from plastic wastes and non-fossil fuel materials like starch or sugar cane.
Samsung has committed to use only 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 for packaging and manuals by 2020. Apart from these, the company will adopt more environmentally sustainable materials even if the cost of the appliances would increase, Gyeong-bin Jeon, head of Samsung’s Global Customer Satisfaction Center, said in a statement.