Starting in the first half of 2019, the plastic currently used to package Samsung products and accessories will be replaced with environmentally sustainable materials, such as recycled or bio-based plastic and paper.

In order to renew these materials, Samsung Electronics has formed a working group that includes design and development, purchasing, marketing and quality control to obtain innovative and sustainable ideas.

In the case of mobile phones, tablets and wearables, Samsung will replace the plastic used for the support trays with pulp molds, and the bags that wrap the accessories with ecological materials. Samsung will also modify the design of the phone charger by changing the glossy exterior to a matte finish and removing plastic protective films in order to reduce its use.

Plastic bags used to protect the surface of household appliances, such as TVs, refrigerators, air conditioners and washing machines, as well as other kitchen devices, will also be replaced by bags containing recycled materials and bioplastics, made, respectively, from plastic waste and non-fossil fuel materials such as starch or sugar cane.

When it comes to paper, Samsung will only use fiber materials certified by global environmental organizations such as the Forest Stewardship Council, PEFC (Programme Endorsement of Forestry Certification Schemes) and SFI (Sustainable Forestry Initiative) in its packaging and manuals until 2020.

“Samsung Electronics is taking steps to address society's environmental problems, such as resource depletion and plastic waste,” said Gyeong-bin Jeon, Director of Samsung's Global Customer Satisfaction Center. "We are committed to recycling resources and minimizing pollution from our products. We will adopt more environmentally sustainable materials, even if that means an increase in cost."

Under the company's circular economy policy, Samsung Electronics has established a medium-term implementation plan to only use materials such as paper certified by forestry initiatives by next year. By 2030, Samsung aims to use 500 thousand tons of recycled plastics and collect 7.5 million tons of discarded products (accumulated since 2009).