Samsung Electronics to open its eco-friendly tech to competitors

LAS VEGAS – Samsung Electronics Co. has announced that it will make its eco-friendly technologies openly available to its competitors as part of its commitment to sustainable growth and efforts to protect the environment.

The announcement, which came at CES 2022 on Wednesday, illustrates the South Korean tech giant’s vision to build a more sustainable and connected future by addressing some of the planet’s most pressing challenges, it said.

Samsung’s “eco-conscious technologies like the SolarCell Remote will be made open-source, so that others can utilize them for their new devices too,” the company said in a statement.

During a pre-show keynote speech at CES 2022, Samsung Vice Chairman and Co-CEO Han Jong-hee said technological breakthroughs and innovation should not come at the expense of the environment and that Samsung has the responsibility to protect the planet for the generations to come.

"I'm excited for you to be a part of our vision to see how innovation can create positive change, and to join us and work together for tomorrow," he said. "These developments will make sustainability part of your product experience, enabling you to live a more sustainable life."

Han is in charge of Samsung’s DX or design experience division, which launched in December after it combined the company’s consumer electronics, IT and mobile businesses into a single entity.

EVERYDAY SUSTAINABILITY

Samsung’s SolarCell Remote, a remote controller equipped with a built-in solar panel, also gets electricity from radio frequencies in devices like Wi-Fi routers.

The company said it will include the SolarCell Remote in more of its products, with a goal of eliminating over 200 million batteries from landfills.

“When you line them up, it is the distance from right here, Las Vegas, to Korea,” Han said.

By 2025, Samsung plans to make all of its TVs and phone chargers operate on near-zero standby power so that the products will consume almost no energy when not in use.

Samsung’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions throughout the production cycle have earned recognition from the Carbon Trust, the world’s leading carbon footprint authority.

Last year, the company’s Carbon Trust-certified memory chips helped reduce carbon emissions by nearly 700,000 tons, it said.

To achieve what Samsung called “everyday sustainability,” the company’s visual display business plans to use 30 times more recycled plastics than it did in 2021.

The company also said it plans to expand its use of recycled materials to include all of its mobile products and home appliances over the next three years.

Han said Samsung has partnered with Patagonia Inc., a US outdoor clothing company, to jointly develop technology that can be applied to washing machines to reduce microplastic particles, the main culprit for damaging the oceans.

“We are thrilled about this collaboration, but our work won’t stop there,” said Han. “We will continue to explore new partnerships and collaborations, aiming to address the challenges facing our planet.”

Write to Su-Bin Lee at lsb@hankyung.com
In-Soo Nam edited this article.