Over the past couple of years, Samsung has been heavily leaning towards sustainable approaches with its products and devices. The company, lately, has been seeking sustainability and trying to make impactful initiatives towards the ecosystem. In a piece of recent news, the tech company has announced that its upcoming Galaxy devices will be partly made from recycled fishing nets.

 

‘Galaxy for the Planet Program’

 

Lately, Samsung has been pushing for a greener world with slogans like ‘corporate citizenship’ and a big push for environmentally friendly supply chain, materials and manufacturing. As a part of its ‘Galaxy for the Planet’ Program along with other programs like upcycling, abandonment of plastic packaging, Samsung’s latest remodeling includes repurposing discarded fishing nets for its devices.

The tech giant will announce its 2022 Galaxy S lineup on 9 Feb and the upcoming phones will be partly made from new and more sustainable material. Samsung said it has started using ocean-bound plastic made from discarded fishing nets in its latest devices. The company also said it would incorporate the material first into the upcoming products before it eventually begins utilizing it throughout its entire device lineup.

 

Striving for Sustainable Approaches

 

Samsung is not the first company to incorporate discarded trash into its devices. In 2021, Microsoft announced the Ocean Plastic Mouse, featuring a shell made from 20 percent recovered plastic.

Like Microsoft, Samsung is positioning its use of ocean-bound plastics as part of its larger sustainability push. In 2019, under pressure from consumers and environmentalists, the company said it would begin using more sustainable materials in the packaging of its devices.

 

Major Contributors of Ocean Debris

 

Ocean pollution is a recent topic of concern for scientists and marine biologists. While plastic bottles and grocery bags are the main reasons of ocean debris, microplastics and discarded nets are the major contributors as well.

For instance, derelict fishing gear leads to ghost fishing, a phenomenon where those tools continue to trap and kill marine life, including endangered species like the Hawaiian monk seal. With more than 640,000 tons worth of fishing nets discarded every year, the problem is only worsening with each passing day.