A major milestone in Samsung’s journey toward circular resource management
Samsung Electronics has achieved UL Solutions’ “Zero Waste to Landfill” Platinum designation across all global manufacturing sites, marking a historic milestone in its ongoing environmental strategy and sustainability goals.
Setting a New Global Standard for Resource Circularity
Administered by UL Solutions, a leading global safety science company, the Zero Waste to Landfill validation program assesses how effectively organizations divert waste from landfills. The Platinum designation represents a 100% landfill diversion rate, while Gold and Silver correspond to 95–99% and 90–94% diversion rates, respectively.
Since announcing its Environmental Strategy in 2022, Samsung has advanced a series of climate action and resource circularity initiatives, transforming site-generated waste into valuable materials and expanding recycling programs worldwide.
In 2023, all 10 business sites within the Device Solutions (DS) Division achieved Platinum certification through integrated validation. In July 2024, the Device eXperience (DX) Division’s Hungarian subsidiary (SEH-P) earned the same distinction — completing Platinum status across all 22 domestic and overseas DX manufacturing sites.
From Waste Reduction to Material Innovation
Samsung’s waste management framework focuses on enhanced sorting systems, resource reuse, and recovery — implemented through targeted initiatives at its global sites.
These include:
- Refined waste separation systems and strengthened employee training for proper sorting
- Composting of food waste and used paper
- Recycling of general and construction waste into alternative fuels or raw materials
- Repurposing of e-waste and battery residues into solid fuel production
Samsung is also innovating within its semiconductor manufacturing processes, developing technologies to recycle waste liquids, adsorbents, activated carbon, and catalysts into materials that can be reused for air purification and wastewater treatment.
In 2024 alone, the company recycled approximately 1.32 million tonnes of waste — equivalent to 260,000 five-tonne trucks.
Circular Design in Action: The Galaxy S25
Beyond its facilities, Samsung is incorporating recycled resources directly into its products. The Galaxy S25 series, launched in 2024, integrates recycled cobalt extracted from used Galaxy smartphones and production scrap through Samsung’s Circular Battery Supply Chain. In addition, discarded semiconductor wafer trays have been repurposed into Galaxy S25 components — a tangible example of circular design.
Continuing the Commitment to Sustainability
Looking ahead, Samsung Electronics plans to further enhance waste sorting systems and material-specific management, ensuring the consistent production of high-quality recycled resources and their broader application across product lines.
“Achieving Zero Waste to Landfill across all our manufacturing sites marks a major milestone in our environmental management journey,” said Junhwa Lee, Executive Vice President and Head of the Global EHS Office, DX Division, Samsung Electronics. “We will continue driving innovation across all areas of our business to put sustainable management into practice.”
