PRESS RELEASE
October 19th 2012, London, UK - Samsung Mobile UK has today announced that its latest smartphone, the Galaxy S III has achieved a carbon footprint certification across Europe*. The company is the first and only mobile phone manufacturer to have product carbon footprints certified by UK-based Carbon Trust Certification to PAS 2050, the global standard for measuring the greenhouse gas emissions of goods and services over their life cycle. Samsung had previously gained PAS 2050 certification for its Galaxy S II and Galaxy Note smartphones.
Samsung was supported with product carbon footprinting training and knowledge transfer from the Carbon Trust, which assisted the footprint analysis of the certified mobile handsets.
The best selling Galaxy S III - which saw more than 20 million phones shipped in the 100 days after launch - has an even lower carbon footprint than its predecessor, the Galaxy S II. A more efficient charger, the use of fewer raw materials, and a reduction in emissions during its assembly all contributed to reducing the smartphone's carbon footprint by up to 14%. Carbon footprints are calculated on a country by country basis, and can be determined by the energy mix in each region.
Bill Skeates, Head of Sustainability, Samsung Electronics Europe said: "At Samsung, our philosophy is to ‘design for humans' and be ‘inspired by nature'. So by design our products are not just smart and easy to use, they also strive to achieve the highest environmental standards. Yes, our customers want to own a great smartphone, but they also want to be responsible consumers, and the Galaxy S III helps them to do both. Measuring the carbon footprint helps us to understand the environmental impact of our mobile phones and identify where we can continue to improve. Samsung aims to calculate the carbon footprint for all of its mobile flagship devices."
Darran Messem, Managing Director, Certification at the Carbon Trust said: "The number of mobile devices, like smartphones in use worldwide is growing exponentially, so it's important that they meet key environmental standards. We are very pleased that Samsung is showing industry leadership here. Samsung not only submits its smartphones for independent assessment, but is also taking action to improve the environmental performance of its products."
A carbon footprint measures the total greenhouse gas emissions caused directly or indirectly by a product.
Three years ago, in 2009, Samsung introduced its Green Management strategy, as part of Samsung's Planet First initiative. Since then, Samsung has developed innovative solutions for environmentally friendly products. As part of this, Samsung reviews the production, usage and end-of-life disposal of its handsets.
* The footprint certification for the Galaxy S III is valid for the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2011 consolidated sales of US$143.1 billion. Employing approximately 222,000 people in 205 offices across 71 countries, the company operates two separate organisations to coordinate its nine independent business units: Digital Media & Communications, comprising Visual Display, Mobile Communications, Telecommunication Systems, Digital Appliances, IT Solutions, and Digital Imaging; and Device Solutions, consisting of Memory, System LSI and LCD. Recognised for its industry-leading performance across a range of economic, environmental and social criteria, Samsung Electronics was named the world's most sustainable technology company in the 2011 Dow Jones Sustainability Index. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com.
About Carbon Trust Certification
Carbon Trust Certification offers a full range of services to allow organisations to certify and verify their product carbon footprints. Carbon Trust Certification provides independent verification of the carbon footprints of products and services to the PAS 2050 and GHG Protocol Product Life Cycle Accounting and Reporting Standard, the Carbon Trust's Footprint Expert TM and the Carbon Trust Code of Good Practice for Product Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Reduction Claims. Carbon Trust Certification is accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) to ISO 14065:2007 to provide greenhouse gas verification against PAS 2050 and the Code of Good Practice. More information can be found at: http://www.carbontrustcertification.com
About the Carbon Trust:
The Carbon Trust is an independent expert with a mission to accelerate the move to a low carbon economy.
- We advise businesses, government and the public sector on their opportunities in a sustainable, low carbon world.
- We measure and certify the environmental impact footprint of organisation, supply chains and product.
- We help develop and deploy low carbon technologies and solutions, from energy efficiency to renewable power.
For further information or interviews on the Carbon Trust Certification, please visit www.carbontrust.com.
