Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) said Wednesday it has received Environmental Claims Validations (ECV) certification from global certification body UL Solutions for a new material made by recycling styrofoam used as packaging for home appliances, which has been applied to internal components of its air conditioners and air purifiers.
Samsung Electronics recovered packaging styrofoam generated during the installation of home appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines, then reprocessed it into a new mixed plastic material with quality equivalent to existing materials through sorting and manufacturing processes. Packaging styrofoam has the advantage of being suitable for use as a recycled raw material, as its relatively low contamination level results in minimal odor and harmful substances.
The newly developed material has been used in the internal components of the "BESPOKE AI Windfree Combo Gallery" air conditioner and the "Infinite AI Air Purifier," both produced domestically. Based on this, Samsung Electronics secured ECV certification from UL Solutions for a recycled material content rate of 10%.
ECV certification is awarded after verifying whether environmental claims made by a company about its products are actually valid. The main evaluation targets include the proportion of reusable and recyclable materials used and whether harmful substances are present. The certification process is conducted rigorously through manufacturing process audits regarding recycled material content rates and verification by professional engineers.
The total amount of waste styrofoam Samsung Electronics plans to recycle this year is 165 tons. Converted into volume, this amounts to approximately 5,500 cubic meters. This is enough to fill the entire area of a soccer field (based on approximately 7,140 square meters) to a height of about 77 centimeters.
Samsung Electronics is steadily expanding the scope of recycled material application to reduce environmental burden.
In January this year, the company received ECV certification from UL Solutions for applying a composite fiber material made from recycled waste glass to the outer washing tub of its "BESPOKE AI Combo" all-in-one washer-dryer.
In addition, Samsung is pursuing the development of various recycled materials, including applying recycled material based on used cooking oil to refrigerator storage compartments. Going forward, the company plans to expand the application of materials made from recycled waste washing machine tubs to other home appliances such as air conditioners.
"Samsung Electronics is expanding the application of various recycled materials across major home appliances including refrigerators, washing machines, and air conditioners," said Moon Jong-seung, Executive Vice President of Samsung Electronics' DA Business Division. "We will continue to contribute to reducing environmental burden and expanding resource circulation through the development of sustainable materials."
