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The recycling milestone comes on the heels of a bevy of sustainability achievements and successes from Samsung. As companies get ready for National Recycling Day on November 15th, the U.S. EPA “PlugIn To e-Cycling” project gave Samsung an honorable mention for covering the cost of recycling for more than 2 million pounds of TV waste without a mandate or funding e-waste recycling programs. The company has also received state recognition awards in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and New Hampshire for its recycling efforts, and recently received three Eco-Design honors from the Consumer Electronics Association.
At a global level, the Korea-based manufacturer in September ranked tenth globally and first in Asia among corporations on the Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index, which assesses corporate policies and activities companies engage in to respond to climate change. Samsung also announced recently its collaboration with Microsoft involving efficient energy usage in computers utilizing Microsoft’s Windows 7 Operating System and Samsung’s 40 nanometer class DDR3 DRAM, which decrease energy usage, reduce energy demands and the amount of electricity that must be generated, therefore reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
“Samsung has always been known for our top consumer electronics. Now we are utilizing our expertise in cutting-edge technology to make our products greener, increasing their energy efficiency, as well as improving the manufacturing and distribution processes behind them,” said David Steel, SVP of Strategic Marketing, Samsung Electronics America. “Our sustainability commitment is holistic in our 360 degree approach, addressing the impact of our products from creation to discard.”
Samsung’s 360-degree approach is part of a 2009 launch of Eco-Management 2013, a company-wide environmental sustainability initiative that emphasizes a commitment to making environmental guardianship a priority across the business. The initiative, announced in July this year, includes a $4.3 billion pledge to eco-management, a 50 percent reduction target for greenhouse gas emissions normalized by sales from global manufacturing facilities, an 84 million ton reduction of indirect greenhouse gas emissions from manufacturing products, and a promise to make 100 percent of Samsung products eco-friendly over the next five years.
Fifty-two percent of Americans say they want to be more green or environmentally conscious, ranking that as a priority over dieting, exercise and changing jobs in 2009, according to Roper Green Gauge 2009.
Samsung is passing its greener ways onto consumers, allowing them to choose products that operate more sustainably once at home. Earlier this year, the company launched its line of LED HDTVs that are mercury free and consume up to 40 percent less energy than similarly sized 2008 LCD HDTVs. Samsung’s 2009 plasma HDTVs consume 39 percent less power than 2008 models of similar sizes, and the Samsung ReclaimTM, the company’s first eco-friendly U.S. mobile phone is built using bio-plastics from corn and made up of 80 percent recyclable materials. The Reclaim includes a virtual user manual and packaging made from 70 percent recycled materials printed with soy ink. Additionally, a portion of the ReclaimTM mobile phone sales are donated to the Nature Conservancy’s Adopt an Acre program, which supports land conservation across the U.S.
Samsung Sustainable Facts
End of Life
- 12 million pounds of recycled e-waste in 2009
- No-fee recycling of all Samsung products (except appliances)
- 200+ drop-off recycling locations
- 50-state coverage
- Strict enforcement of recycling principles
- Committed to Basel Ban Amendments: Hazardous electronic waste will not be incinerated; be placed into solid waste landfills; or be exported to developing countries
Processes
- All 37 global manufacturing facilities are ISO 14001 certificated
- 100% of new facilities are OHSAS 18001 certified (by 2010)
- More seals of approval from the top six environmental certifications than any other CE company globally-for more than 1,900 models (as of January 2009)
- EPA Green Power Certification for its Austin semiconductor facility powered with wind-generated electricity
- EPA SmartWay™ Transport Partner
Products
- As the leader, Samsung has the most ENERGY STAR qualified TV models amongst all CE Brands
- 100% of HDTV’s are ENERGY STAR 3.0 qualified; including LED, LCD & PDP TVs
- 100% of dishwasher and clothes washers are ENERGY STAR qualified
- 100% of monitors, printers, notebooks are ENERGY STAR qualified
- 100% of monitors and notebooks are EPEAT Silver rated or higher
- 100% of our mobile phone chargers are ENERGY STAR qualified
- More EPEAT™ rated monitors than any other monitor brand
- No. 1 among IT manufacturers in EPEAT rated notebooks
[November 18, 2009]
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