Samsung

A summary of Samsung's climate activity.

Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) Rating²

Samsung currently has a Carbon Disclosure Project(CDP) rating of A- (Climate Change). A CDP rating is based on how transparent a company is about its climate impact and the actions a company takes to limit its climate impact. There are headings for which every company receives a grade such as Water Security and Climate Change. There are 9 ratings with A being the best. One of them is F which means the company failed to disclose or did not provide enough information, this does not mean that the company is failing to have a positive climate impact. A- is the second highest score. For more information, click here.

ISO Certifications

All of Samsung's business sites are ISO 40001 and ISO 50001 certified. For more information on these ISO certifications click here.

Net Zero by 2050

Samsung aims to achieve net zero by 2050. This means all types of greenhouse gas emissions (including carbon emissions) being produced by Samsung are either reduced or offsetted. Offsetting means taking greenhouse house emissions out of the environment by carbon sinks for example. Carbon sinks such as trees have the ability to remove carbon emissions from the atmosphere. These are the ways Samsung intend on achieving this:

1. Samsung aims to make the switch and only use 100 percent renewable energy by 2050. Renewable energy comes from sources such as wind that will never run out and can be used repeatedly. They also produce zero or low amounts of greenhouse gas emissions. This aim will be achieved by only buying electricity from companies that use renewable energy sources.


2. In order to reduce the amount of emissions being created from its operations, Samsung will undergo the following measures to achieve this. All corporate vehicles will be switched for electric vehicles which are considered more environmentally friendly. Samsung will try to create new technologies that can improve (a large source of emissions) while also trying to increase their usage of electric heat sources and waste heat (two clean heat sources) . Samsung will expand carbon emissions reduction facilities across all of its manufacturing lines.


3. Samsung aims to apply recycled resin to 50 percent of plastics parts used in its products by 2030 and to 100 percent of percent of plastic parts used in its products by 2050. Recycled resin is a material made from recycled plastic. Benefits of recycled resin include less waste to landfill and less carbon emissions.


4. Samsung is currently planning to use ultra-power-saving technology in its semiconductors (an important part of electronic appliances). This technology has the ability to reduce the device's power consumption related to its memory. This technology will be applied to data centres and mobile devices and will help reduce that area of power consumption from 2025.


5. In recent years, Samsung has released certain products which are more environmentally friendly than their predecessors due to them either being made from more recycled materials,more energy efficient or have a lower carbon footprint.For example, the Galaxy Book 3 ultra which contains some discarded fishing nets or water bottles.

Green Fridge Initiative

Samsung distributed 3.64 million energy efficient refrigerators to communities in India over 8 years (before 2020). This helped in total to reduce over 550,000 tonnes of Greenhouse Gas emissions.

Eco-Partner System

Samsung has an Eco-Partner System which is used to ensure its suppliers do not include environmentally hazardous substances in their products, otherwise the suppliers will lose their place in Samsung's supply chain with Samsung. For example, suppliers can not have chemicals that could cause damage to the environment in their products.

Protecting Habitats

In areas where Samsung has its manufacturing worksites,Samsung have identified endangered species's habitats (This is a type of animal, plant or other organisms that could go extinct) and have worked with local organisations to protect them.

Semiconductor Pollution Reduction

When creating semiconductors,air and water pollutants can be created, Samsung aims to reduce this by creating and implementing new technology that can remove the pollutants. Also, Samsung aims to make sure that by 2040 that any water or air that is polluted during semiconductor manufacturing is returned to its normal state before being discharged. This will help air and water quality in the area.

Zero Waste to landfills by 2025

Samsung aims to send zero waste to landfills by 2025 .Landfills release large amounts of carbon emissions into the atmosphere. Better alternatives to landfills are reduce,recycle and reuse. This feat will be achieved by measures reducing the amount of waste created when creating a product or reusing material from old products it has collected through their e-waste (old phones-for example) collection program. he e-waste collection program operates in over 50 countries and Samsung aims to increase this number. The program's aim is to collect old products in which materials can be reused.

Environmental Investment

Samsung will invest ₩7 trillion (Korean currency) or €4 billion in environmental management systems by 2030. This means that Samsung will invest in areas such as their e-waste program,recycling and reducing the amount of pollutants produced as much as possible. The ₩7 trillion being invested does not cover Samsung buying renewable energy. This investment will help Samsung achieve their aims mentioned above.