What is Samsung's 'Galaxy for the Planet' initiative?
Originally unveiled in 2021, 'Galaxy for the Planet' is the name of Samsung's sustainability platform. This ambitious yet attainable set of targets aims to reduce the company's environmental footprint across every inch of the business, from production and packing to transportation and even the energy use of its worksites and offices.
Samsung's "Everyday Sustainability"
Amid all of the big reveals and celebrity cameos during Wednesday's Galaxy Unpacked event (Ridley Scott, anyone?), Samsung took a few moments to lay out all of the reasons why the new Galaxy S23 series is their most sustainable phone lineup yet.
But what does the company's 'Galaxy for the Planet' initiative really entail? Let's take a deeper look.
For starters, the Samsung Galaxy S23 series consists of more recycled materials than any previous generation of Galaxy phones. Recycled aluminum and ocean-bound plastic both go into the construction of the devices, while the durable Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 screen contains an average of 22% recycled glass. Even the exterior packing is made of 100% recycled paper.
Of course, recycling alone can't mitigate the effects of climate change. One of the biggest environmental problems caused by the tech industry is how many new devices are churned out every year.
More production ultimately means more waste, and while we don't expect manufacturers to stop releasing phones every year (even if they should), Samsung is at least addressing the issue by guaranteeing four generations of OS upgrades and five years of security updates with the Galaxy S23 series. This means people can use their phones for a longer period of time before they need to upgrade.
Sustainable smartphones are only one small part of Samsung's 'Galaxy for the Planet' initiative. The iconic tech giant has also taken steps to reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced by their worksites, distribution channels, and beyond. They've even pledged to achieve net zero carbon emissions in all consumer product operations by the end of 2030.
That being said, like the vast majority of large corporations, Samsung doesn't exactly have a flawless environmental record. And it's worth noting that, across the full hour of Galaxy Unpacked 2023, the portion of the show dedicated to sustainability only lasted about three minutes. We should, of course, commend any company that is dedicated to transparent sustainable practices, but year after year, we can't help but wonder — should they be doing more?
Big, bold, and beautiful, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is also the first Galaxy phone to receive a UL ECOLOGO certification, which means it's met rigorous environmental standards and is verified as a product with reduced environmental impact.
It also comes with all of the premium specs you could ever want in a smartphone, including the ultra-efficient Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, new 200MP camera sensors, and an integrated S Pen Stylus.
If you're ready to preorder the new Samsung flagship before it hits store shelves on February 17th, see if you can save some money with one of the best Galaxy S23 preorder deals.
