Samsung Electronics Co. has announced that it will replace plastic packaging for its products with more environmentally sustainable packaging materials. The electronics manufacturer is one of the latest to reduce its plastic use, after Heinz and The Walt Disney Co.
The manufacturer plans to use paper-pulp molds in place of plastic for its mobile phones, wearables, and tablets, while larger items will use recycled plastics and starch- or sugar-cane-based bioplastics in place of plastic protective bags. Product changes include a switch from glossy to matte finishes on phone chargers, eliminating the need for plastic protective film.
By 2030, Samsung said it plans to use 500,000 tons of recycled plastics and collect 7.5 million tons of discarded products, cumulative from 2009.
“We are committed to recycling resources and minimizing pollution coming from our products,” Gyeong-bin Jeon, head of Samsung’s Global Customer Satisfaction Center, said in a statement. “We will adopt more environmentally sustainable materials even if it means an increase in cost.”
