It doesn't even seem that humanity is living in the 21st century, but it is. Completing its majority, 21 years old now in 2022 (the century began on January 1, 2001), society has gone through many technological evolutions quickly. But none as expected in the 20th century, when animations like The Jetsons they showed flying cars and robots helping us in our daily lives.
We still drive cars powered by fossil fuel, we burn forests, we pollute our planet in general. But that has changed in recent years, in a small way, but it has. Companies like Samsung has worked to develop technologies that are less polluting and that think about environmental preservation.
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Its new devices have drawn attention not only for bringing speed, better cameras, among others, but mainly because their smartphones are designed for sustainability. In our interview with Anna Karina Pinto, Director of Corporate Marketing at Samsung Brazil, she spoke about preservation and also about Samsung's challenges for the coming years. Check it out below:
1. Why did Samsung choose precisely to work with fishing nets for their devices instead of doing the “same as usual” like other companies that always choose pet bottles?
As a leader in mobile technology innovation, Samsung also has a responsibility to lead initiatives and actions focused on environmental preservation issues. The company has set an initial set of goals to be achieved by 2025 to reduce its environmental footprint and reduce resource depletion from production to disposal of its products. Galaxy: O Galaxy for the Planet, through which it commits to reducing the energy consumption of stand-by chargers to 0.005W, using recycled material in its products, eliminating all plastics in cell phone packaging and reaching zero landfills by the year 2025.
Samsung has always been concerned about the environmental impact inside and outside of its operations. The company has invested in multiple actions for an increasingly sustainable operation and the use of components made with fishing nets is one of them. Aware of the fact that, every year, countless marine organisms die after becoming entangled in this waste discarded at sea, Samsung chose to use this resource in the manufacture of its devices.
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For this, the company made a partnership for the first time with Royal DSM, a leading scientific company to recover fishing nets from fishermen who collect them along the coasts of the Indian Ocean. After collecting them, the company separates, cuts, cleans and extrudes them to develop an eco-friendly material that consists of a minimum of 80% of recycled polyamide, or nylon. With this partnership, plastics that would be discarded in the ocean are rescued (OBP, or Ocean Bound Plastic, in the acronym in English) located 50 km from the coast.
The company has plans to extend the application of recycled materials to the entire production line. As a result, according to internal research, Samsung's use of recycled OBP plastics could prevent the disposal of more than 50 tons of fishing nets into the oceans this year.
2. Where else is Samsung working on sustainability?
There are several fronts, ranging from the production of mobile devices and household appliances, including packaging and electronic waste collection for recycling. In fact, for Samsung ESG practices are in line with its business philosophy that aims to dedicate human resources and technologies to create products and services that contribute to a better global society.
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In line with this, in 2022 the company announced the vision “Together for Tomorrow”, through which we are “Reimagining a Better Planet” and creating products and solutions that put sustainability at the heart of everything we do.
At the same time, through the reverse logistics program Re+, Samsung seeks to encourage the conscious disposal of electronic waste across the country with the help of our consumers. The company provides collection urns for small items of all brands, such as smartphones, tablets, accessories, batteries and smaller parts, in its stores and authorized technical assistance throughout Brazil. In addition, consumers can request the collection of medium and large products, such as refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners and televisions over 40 inches, directly at their residence.
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In 2021, in Brazil, Samsung collected and promoted the proper disposal of approximately a large amount of waste associated with unused appliances discarded by consumers at our collection points and parts removed from the repair of branded products – an increase of 54% compared to the previous year.
3. How important is it to link the brand with sustainability?
For Samsung, sustainability is linked to a business vision, in the sense of using human resources and technologies to positively impact society. In this way, the association of sustainability values to the brand happens naturally, since it is related to the actions we develop from a practical point of view. To reverberate this vision, the company has increasingly presented to the public all the actions adopted through the global vision “Together for Tomorrow”, so that sustainable practices are applied together.
4. When we talk about sustainability, many people think only of the environment, but forget that being sustainable is also the way we live, therefore, not only throwing the garbage in the street, but also what we buy and our mental health. Does Samsung already work this internally with its employees and does it have projects with other companies, NGOs, etc, that talk and work on mental health and way of life?
Samsung has a very strong culture of teamwork. Our employees and partners work together, aiming to achieve the company's goals and results that keep us in a position of recognition by the technology market and also by consumers. This sense of union is formed day by day internally with actions we develop so that everyone is welcomed, listened to and supported in their needs.
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An example of an action that involves employees is the Connected for the Future, the company's corporate volunteer program created in partnership with NGO tied. The project Social Marathon, which is part of the actions of the volunteer program, is an online game with four activities, designed for employees to act as mentors and create educational content to stimulate the skills of young people who are preparing for the job market. The activities, carried out through corporate volunteering, take place in groups and online through the platforms Whatsapp, e-mail and Google. Registration for the second mission is now open.
This year, the Social Marathon serves three NGOs with different challenges:
Young Compass Institute: created with the aim of transforming the lives of low-income youth through three pillars: education, work and career. The target audience is made up of young people aged between 15 and 18, who are attending or have completed high school and who are residents of Jardim Irene and/or its surroundings – although the impact of the project is much broader, reaching family, community and society .
NAIA – Brother Alfredo Assistance Center (NAIA): public non-profit organization. Currently, there are more than 220 children, adolescents and young people with and without disabilities assisted in the CCA and Jovem Aprendiz programs.
Anchieta Grajau Institute: Non-profit institution, which aims to promote the inclusion of families, children and adolescents in situations of vulnerability. In these years of operation, the Anchieta Grajaú Institute has been developing human and social promotion programs. Every day, it serves around 600 children, adolescents and young people, as well as 1,000 families, who receive home visits and social assistance guidance and participate in artistic, cultural and socio-educational activities.
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In addition, with the aim of providing a more welcoming work environment, in 2016 an internal committee called Women at Samsung. It is a space created to discuss topics such as career paths, insecurities, diversity and inclusion and other problems that become lighter when we share them with each other.
In addition to listening to and motivating the women of the company, this space is beneficial so that men, who have participated since the beginning and are always welcome, can listen, understand and, consequently, review possible sexist and oppressive behaviors and speeches. Samsung understands that this initiative contributes to a lighter work environment, enabling dialogue between employees across the company.
Also thinking about the well-being and quality of life of employees, Samsung adopted the hybrid model of work, so that teams can spend more time at home and close to their families. With this initiative, Samsung reinforces its commitment to maintaining a happier and more engaged workforce, understanding that time at home has positive impacts on people. Samsung's performance is not limited to excellent work to develop the best products on the market.
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In our work philosophy, we also provide development opportunities for employees so that, as a brand and as unique individuals, everyone reaches their full potential. We believe that an engaged team is the key to success and we promote a corporate culture that respects and fosters human talent.
At Samsung, we are committed to keeping the team engaged through development initiatives, including access to resources such as LinkedIn Learning and other formal programs to monitor the advancement of professionals, equal opportunities for all and, above all, an environment of respect, diversity and inclusion. It is to this sense of working together that we attribute the good results, as we see more and more employees passionate about what they do and the solutions that, together, we have offered the market.
5. Which other Samsung products are directly linked to sustainability?
There are several examples of Samsung products linked to sustainability. From using recycled materials in the production of high-resolution displays and Galaxy devices such as the Galaxy Tab S8 5G and the new smartphones of the line Galaxy S22 5G that rely on component parts that use recycled fishing nets, which would be discarded in the ocean and would have a major negative impact on marine life. In addition, components of the line keys Galaxy S22 5G and the S Pen, which is incorporated into the Galaxy S22 Ultra, use recycled polyamide resins.
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Samsung is also prioritizing energy-saving technology that increases energy efficiency and reduces energy consumption. the notebooks Galaxy Book Pro and Galaxy Book Pro 360, which are available in Brazil, have a long-lasting battery, with fast charging done, which in practice reduces the time the devices spend connected to the socket. They can be charged using a USB Type-C adapter, the same used in smartphones, which allows for the reuse of chargers.
Standby power consumption on all smartphone chargers has been reduced to 0.02W, which is among the most energy efficient in the mobile device industry. To build on this progress, Samsung will work towards achieving zero standby power consumption of smartphone chargers, targeting a reduction to less than 0.005W also by 2025.
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Among other sustainability initiatives, remote control SolarCell, launched in early 2021, was designed and developed to reduce battery waste and help close the plastic waste cycle. The second generation controller can extract electricity from radio frequencies in devices such as Wi-Fi routers, and has been included in more products, such as the 2022 Series TVs, with the aim of eliminating the waste of more than 200 million AA batteries in sanitary landfills.
In home appliances, Samsung consumers can also count on refrigerator models that are among the most efficient on the market according to Inmetro's new classification rules. The manufacturer is the only one in Brazil that has at least one model in the main categories (DuplexDuplex InverseFrench Door and Side by Side) with an A+++ rating and meet the new criteria of excellence, thanks to embedded technologies – including the Digital Inverter compressor.
In 2022, Samsung also presented novelties in home appliances, such as refrigerators and air conditioners, highlighting models and technological differentials that help consumers save money and reduce the impact on the environment. THE Washer and Dryer WD11T, just like the WD11A and WD11M, is #1 in water saving on the market. already the Washer and Dryer WD11M consumes less water per cycle than other washing machine models with front or top opening, ideal for those looking for more efficiency and economy.
In its air conditioning line, the technology Digital Inverter Ultra from Samsung, present in the models WindFree, in addition to making the product work more efficiently, it allows users to have full control over the device and its functions – among many other benefits.
7. We are going through a period of shortage of parts in the market and some companies like Sony and Microsoft have suffered from this. Is the cell phone market, especially Samsung, also having these problems?
At Samsung, we are globally making every effort to mitigate any potential impact and will continue to work actively with our partners to overcome any sourcing challenges.
8. What new challenges does Samsung see for the brand?
With DNA in innovation and a pioneering spirit, Samsung has always challenged what is possible with technology, creating and offering the market a wide range of innovative products. Samsung's proposal is to offer technologies that help redefine the future of how we use our connected mobile devices to work, learn, communicate and entertain.
We have been constantly working to deliver products that have some characteristics in common that speak to this vision, such as mobility with safety, high technological performance and improved connectivity. In this sense, we have the user experience as a priority.
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Samsung also wants to increasingly introduce the Galaxy ecosystem in the reality of its consumers. This is because, by offering a powerful connection experience between the devices, the user has a more practical and comfortable use of these products in their daily lives. This feature, which ranges from mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, notebooks, to smartwatches, wireless headphones and televisions, offers an integration between devices in a much more connected and simple way, becoming a facilitator for the routine. consumers and contributing to their productivity.
Another relevant and challenging front is being able to connect with the young audience, which is part of the Generation Z. With that in mind, Samsung created the Future Generation Lab. The group is formed, so far, by 73 Samsung employees from around the world in their 20s, who are part of Generation Z. They were selected to guide the company in the development of new actions, products and services aimed at this audience. More than that, these people have a mission to create genuine dialogues around their common interests in a totally innovative, fun and creative way.
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