Samsung on February 9 hosted its Unpacked event, which saw the release of the three flagship variants of the latest Samsung Galaxy Series — the Galaxy S22, the Galaxy S22 Plus and the Galaxy S22 Ultra.
Amid the details of what features the new smartphones will bring, Samsung added one unusual but topical detail. Samsung’s new flagship phones will have bits of recycled waste in them.
The South Korean electronics giant said the latest phones will have components that have been made with recycled plastic bottles and fishing nets. These materials will be first turned into polyamide resin pellets, and then be used to form the brackets that hold the power and volume buttons on the phone.
The use of recycled plastics in phones is part of the ‘Galaxy for the Planet’ plan, which seeks to eliminate plastics from being used in packaging and stop manufacturing waste from ending up in landfills by 2025. The plan was launched by Samsung in 2021, and the company had pledged to introduce recycled materials in many of its household appliances by 2025 during this year’s Consumer Electronics Show.
E-waste is a growing concern around the world as consumption of electronics has increased but recycling still remains slow in many parts of the world. Globally, 50 million tonnes of e-waste are generated but only a fraction is ever recycled, leading to a bulk of the waste being sent to landfills.
Consumer electronics like smartphones today signify one of the most common forms of e-waste as older phones often do not get recycled. Smartphones contain several different rare earth metals, precious metals and other recyclable materials but due to design, lack of proper training and low awareness they are not recycled that often.
But with leading manufacturers like Apple and Samsung continuing to introduce changes in how these smartphones are produced, and the stronger calls for the right to repair legislation in many countries, experts hope that more and more smartphones will be saved from going to landfills.
"Today, most consumers have no clue how damaging it is for the planet to regularly renew their smartphone hardware. Once they realise, sustainability will become a key way to differentiate between premium smartphone brands,” said Forrester analyst Thomas Husson to the BBC.
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