Samsung to reuse discarded fishing nets for Galaxy devices


Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G cellphones displayed at a store in New York City. The material made of ocean-bound plastics will be first used in the Galaxy S22, which will be unveiled at the Galaxy Unpacked event slated for 12am on Thursday (Feb 10). — Reuters

SEOUL: Samsung Electronics Co said on Feb 7 it will repurpose discarded ocean-bound fishing nets in its Galaxy devices as part of its efforts to expand the use of eco-conscious materials and make its business more environmentally friendly.

The world’s largest smartphone maker said the use of new material “marks another step in our ‘Galaxy for the Planet’ journey that aims to minimise our environmental footprint and help foster more sustainable lifestyles for the Galaxy community” in a press release.

The material made of ocean-bound plastics will be first used in the Galaxy S22, which will be unveiled at the Galaxy Unpacked event slated for 12am on Thursday (Feb 10). More details will be announced during the online event, Yonhap news agency quoted the tech giant.

According to Samsung, 640,000 tonnes of fishing nets are abandoned and discarded each year, endangering marine life and natural habitats, and ultimately ending up in people’s food and water sources.

“Collecting and repurposing these nets are vital first steps in keeping our oceans clean, as well as preserving the planet and our collective future,” it said, adding that it “looks forward to using our scale, innovation and open collaboration to uncover additional solutions”.

In August last year, the company announced its vision for a sustainable business named Galaxy for the Planet “to take tangible climate actions across its business”.

Its goals included using recycled material across all its new mobile products, eliminating all plastics in mobile packaging and minimising waste generated at its worksites by 2025.

It also said it would continue developing energy-saving technology for higher energy efficiency and less power consumption, thereby achieving nearly zero power standby consumption of smartphone chargers, referring to the power used after a smartphone is fully charged, by the same year. – Bernama

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