Innovation Starts from the Ocean | Feature Story | Focus | Sustainability

Innovation starts from the ocean Discarded Fishing Nets Recast
as Galaxy Devices

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Repurposed Fishing Net

Polyamides

Polyamides – a material used to make fishing nets

Fishing nets are often made from polyamide, a material commonly referred to as nylon. Recycling polyamide fishing nets is tricky: After extensive
exposure to sunlight and sea water, polyamides lose their characteristic strength and durability. This makes it difficult to recycle them as material for
Samsung’s smartphones, which are made to the highest quality standards and require strong materials.

Fishing nets are often made from polyamide,
a material commonly referred to as nylon.
Recycling polyamide fishing nets is tricky:
After extensive exposure to sunlight and sea
water, polyamides lose their characteristic
strength and durability. This makes it
difficult to recycle them as material for
Samsung’s smartphones, which are made to
the highest quality standards and require
strong materials.

So then, how did Samsung Electronics repurpose discarded fishing nets?

So then, how did Samsung Electronics
repurpose discarded fishing nets?

Transforming pellets
and developing a
polymer material Hanwha Compound

In collaboration with Hanwha Compound, a polymer specialist, Samsung Electronics mass produces pellets from discarded fishing net materials, using Hanwha Compound’s unique blending technology. Although this high-performance polyamide resin contains at least 20% of the repurposed material coming from recovered fishing nets, we were able to secure robust physical attributes that are 99% consistent with conventional plastics.

Integrating the
recycled material to
Galaxy devices MX Business

The high-performance polyamide resins created through the collaboration was first applied to the key brackets for the Galaxy S22 series and the inner cover of the S Pen for Galaxy S22 Ultra that were launched in February 2022. Many other flagship Galaxy devices as smartphones, buds, tablets and PCs integrate the recycled material.

Developing
a Better Material
for a Better Galaxy The most important thing was to make plastic that could actually be applied to Galaxy devices. Together with our partners, we have been working to develop technology to secure durability and reliability.
Our process toward perfection meant endless iterations of verifying for mechanical property and thermal stability.

Our Efforts to
Protect the Ocean
Also Helps Us
Reduce Carbon Compared to producing virgin plastic, producing the plastic by repurposing the discarded fishing nets – as was done for the Galaxy devices – reduces CO₂ emissions by 25%. According to the Life Cycle Assessment* of UL (Underwriters Laboratories), a product safety testing, certification and inspection organization, 4.4 tonnes of carbon is emitted when making a tonne of regular virgin plastic (MS-51), but 3.3 tonnes for the same amount of repurposed plastic from discarded fishing nets (OM-52). * Based on Hanwha Compound assessment

1.1 tonne of carbon dioxide This amounts to the amount of carbon dioxide that
120 of 30 year old pine trees absorb in a year

Developing
a Better Material
for a Better Galaxy

The most important thing was to make
plastic that could actually be applied to
Galaxy devices. Together with our partners,
we have been working to develop technology
to secure durability and reliability. Our
process toward perfection meant endless
iterations of verifying for mechanical
property and thermal stability.

Our Efforts to
Protect the Ocean
Also Helps Us
Reduce Carbon

Compared to producing virgin plastic, producing the plastic by repurposing the discarded fishing nets – as was done for the Galaxy devices – reduces CO₂ emissions by 25%. According to the Life Cycle Assessment* of UL (Underwriters Laboratories), a product safety testing, certification and inspection organization, 4.4 tonnes of carbon is emitted when making a tonne of regular virgin plastic (MS-51), but 3.3 tonnes for the same amount of repurposed plastic from discarded fishing nets (OM-52). * Based on Hanwha Compound assessment

Repurposed Fishing Net Contribute to the collection and recycling of about 50 tons of discarded fishing nets
by 2022

Fishing Nets Transformed into a
New Galaxy Samsung Electronics’ MX(Mobile eXperience) business will integrate repurposed fishing nets
into more of our galaxy products.