Samsung Replaces Plastic Packaging with Eco-Friendly Materials

Samsung Electronics has announced that the company will be replacing their current plastic packaging materials with paper and other environmentally sustainable elements.

The company will start off the effort from the first half of 2019, by replacing the packaging of their products and accessories – ranging from mobile phones to home appliances. All of their current plastic materials will be replaced by either paper or recycled/bio-based plastics. They even formed a task force that specifically works in the design and development, purchasing, marketing and quality control for innovative packaging ideas.

The current plastic holder in the mobile phone, tablet and wearable products will be replaced with pulp moulds. The best of all? Samsung is finally ditching the glossy charger design for a matte finish. It means eliminating plastic protection films.

The plastic bags used to protect the surface of home appliances such as TVs, refrigerators, air conditioners and washing machines as well as other kitchen appliances will also be replaced with bags containing recycled materials and bioplastics, which are respectively made from plastic wastes and non-fossil fuel materials like starch or sugar cane.

Regarding paper, Samsung will only use 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.

Under the company’s circular economy policy, Samsung Electronics has set a mid-term implementation plan to only use paper packaging materials certified by forestry initiatives by next year. By 2030, Samsung aims to use 500 thousand tons of recycled plastics and collect 7.5 million tons of discarded products (both cumulative from 2009).