Ensuring planet comes first in product development

Electronics and information technology company is in harmony with people, society and the environment

LAUNCHED in 2009, the Samsung PlanetFirst™ initiative sees the company committing to making environmental guardianship a priority and applying technology in innovative ways to achieve eco-friendly development.

This is a fundamental approach to marrying the desire of people who want the latest technology innovations while pursuing a greener way of life. At its heart, PlanetFirst™ ensures that Samsung always considers the impact on the environment as it develops, designs and manufactures products and solutions that meet the diverse needs of its customers.

“With consumers becoming increasingly aware of the impact that a modern lifestyle has on the environment, their expectations of the products and services they use are changing,” says Dr Michelle Potgieter, Head of Corporate Marketing and Communications at Samsung Electronics SA.

“As a responsible corporate citizen and one that is committed to sustainable business practices, Samsung is leading the charge on consumer education as well as product development to one that is as eco-friendly as possible.

“Our marketing and communication campaigns have been designed to not only increase awareness of being more energy efficient but also showcase how our products can help consumers accomplish this.”

A focus of the PlanetFirst™ initiative is on developing products that address the issue of water and energy-saving technologies within the Samsung product portfolio. As a result of this, Samsung has already reached a number of sustainable development milestones:

Samsung is committed to reducing the greenhouse gas emissions from its manufacturing facilities by half by 2013, using 2008 as a base year. By last year, the Group had already cut emissions by 49%.

Samsung undertook to reduce indirect greenhouse gas emissions by 85-million tons over five years. As of 2011, new Samsung products are on average 25.6% more energy efficient compared with 2008 levels. This has seen Samsung reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 17.63-million tons.

The Samsung Eco-Design assessment system, which manages the compliance of its products with a number of environmental criteria based on resource efficiency, energy efficiency and eco-friendly materials, has seen 97% of its product lines achieving this rating. Samsung has already attained global eco-labels for 2,630 product models, the highest number of any electronics company globally.

Samsung is investing $4.28bn in research and development initiatives and facilities related to eco-management initiatives through 2013. It also increased expenditure on these initiatives and facilities by 86% last year when compared to 2010, amounting to 13% of its total commitment.

Samsung co-operates with suppliers and partners on environmental issues, including supporting the implementation of green management systems such as ISO 14001 and the establishment of greenhouse gas inventories. The Group established a system to track emissions of partner and supplier firms globally and has provided training courses to help suppliers report their greenhouse gas emissions.

Samsung’s commitment to eco-friendly development is evident through its product innovation. Samsung was the first manufacturer to introduce a solar-powered netbook that gets one hour of operation from two hours of solar exposure. Its latest washing machines, The Samsung Deep Foam, offers up to 70% energy savings over conventional machines by reducing washing cycles and offering genuine “cold wash” capabilities. Samsung fridges also offer savings thanks to the product shift from condenser to inverter technologies.

“These are all examples of how Samsung optimises energy usage through innovative product design and technology,” says Potgieter.

The Group’s commitment to eco-management has been recognised through numerous international awards and honours, including:

— Being named as the world’s most sustainable technology company in the 2011 Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) annual review;

— Being selected for the Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index (CDLI) for the third consecutive year for its approach to climate change disclosure practices (in 2011);

— Receiving four EcoFriendly Innovative Product Awards at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2012, in addition to the six awards won in 2011; and

— Being named by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Energy as “ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year” for the second consecutive year (in 2012).

“Sustainable business practices will encourage consumers to purchase electronic devices that are both aligned to their lifestyles and beneficial to the environment,” says Potgieter.

Samsung plays its part by making it easier for consumers to contribute to the environment by giving them innovative products that reduce their global carbon emissions.

South Africans are acutely aware of resource scarcity due to the nationwide power outages in 2008. The resultant load shedding and subsequent electricity price hikes have made consumers more aware of their responsibilities in terms of being more energy efficient. Samsung thus continually engages with Eskom in efforts to reduce the load on the country’s grid.

“We therefore all contribute to optimising our energy resources in South Africa and urge all 49-million South Africans to reduce their current energy consumption by changing the way they use electricity,” concludes Potgieter.