Samsung awarded for recycling, Eco-packaging that doubles as furniture

It’s the beginning of the year and Samsung already won three awards for its efforts in recycling, upcycling, and waste management. The company has received the ‘Gold’ Tier Award and the ‘Cutting-Edge’ Champion Award from the EPA at the annual Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Electronics Challenge.

Likewise, Samsung was recognized at CES 2020 for The Serif’s Eco-packaging, which will be used by The Serif TV series in the first half of 2020. As seen below, the Eco-packaging employed by Samsung’s new The Serif TV lineup can be repurposed into a nightstand, a shelve, or even a cat house. Designs and instructions for different furniture pieces are provided through a QR code located on the box.

Moving on to the Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Electronics Challenge, Samsung won the Gold Tier Award from the EPA for the sixth consecutive year. The Tier Award category recognizes companies that manage to send at least 96% of all used electronics to certified third-party recyclers. Similarly, the global safety certificate company, UL, awarded Samsung Display a Gold certificate a couple of months ago for achieving 95-99% material recycling.

The EPA also gave Samsung the Cutting-Edge Award in the Champion Award category for its efforts in sustainability, specifically through the Galaxy Upcycling program. It repurposed obsolete mobile phones into portable eye examination equipment which, according to the company, has been used in Vietnam to benefit the lives of around 14,000 residents.