An empty TV box becomes a cat's house!Samsung's sustainability activities that use recycled resin for smartphones

"Bear" and "turtle" made of cardboard. It looks like a masterpiece made by a child, but it's actually a reused package of Samsung TVs and home appliances, that is, it's made of empty boxes. Samsung has been using recycled paper for the packaging of some home appliances since 2020, but we are also thinking about it after taking out the product, so we will build a bookshelf and a cat's house without discarding empty boxes. We are developing an "eco package" that allows you to do this.

It may be quite difficult just to make cardboard, but the packaging is actually devised. If you look closely at the package, not only the product name and description are written, but also small dots are drawn at regular intervals. In addition, there is a QR code on the package, and when you read it with a smartphone, the shelves and racks that can be made from the empty box are displayed. When you select the one you want to make, the blueprint is displayed, and after connecting the dots with a line using a ruler, you can cut it with a cutter to complete it. The product package is originally intended to prevent damage during transportation, but it not only returns to its essence, but also reduces the amount of garbage by reusing it without disposing of it.

At first, only some TVs adopted the eco-package, but now there are more than dozens of compatible products. Since the size of the package is different between TVs and small home appliances, the variations of things that can be made are also different. Every package seems to make a small shelf, but a large package can make a cat's house, a tunnel, or even a scan stand for smartphones and tablets.

The difficulty level is displayed with 4 stars, and the standard working time is also displayed. It's a sign that Samsung is serious about reusing packages.

The bears and turtles in the photo at the beginning are the works of the winners of the contest to compete for ideas for this eco-package. Good ideas will be adopted in future developments of Samsung home appliance packages. In 2021, the "Pet House" challenge was also held in Southeast Asia, and excellent works were exhibited at the Samsung booth at CES 2022 held in Las Vegas in January.

Samsung is a major manufacturer not only for smartphones but also for TVs and home appliances, and it is a natural responsibility as a company to make products that consider the global environment. Without sustainability, the activities of manufacturers can no longer be established. Samsung not only reuses corrugated cardboard for home appliances, but also uses recycled plastic materials for the plastic of the "handle" and the cable ties that wrap around the box. In addition, by stopping the use of staples when assembling the box and changing to an adhesive, the time required to assemble the box is reduced by 20%, which leads to energy reduction such as utility costs for the line.

Meanwhile, we are also recycling mobile products such as smartphones. Samsung announced last year its new sustainable vision for mobile business, Galaxy for the Planet, which says it will use recycled materials in all new mobile products by 2025. The new product "Galaxy S22" series, which was just announced in February, uses a material in which 20% of recycled resin collected from ocean dumped fish nets is mixed in some parts inside the main body. According to Samsung, about 640,000 tons of fishing nets are dumped into the sea every year, and it is said that we will actively promote the adoption of this material as an ecological maintenance and environmental measure for marine life.

In addition, 100% recycled paper is used for the packaging. The package size has become smaller because the charger is no longer included in the main unit, and there is no need for a film to protect the internal partitions and accessories.

Some cases other than the smartphone itself are made of recycled plastic. Cases protect smartphones, but most of them are destroyed after about a year of use. If so, it is more environmentally friendly to use recycled materials from the beginning. If possible, I would like Samsung to collect this case and recycle it for new purposes.

Only Samsung, which sells about 300 million smartphones and about 40 million TVs a year, will produce great results with small stacks. It is expected that this movement will spread to manufacturers other than Samsung.