Samsung announced its vision for the future called “Together for Tomorrow” at the launch event held before the Consumer Electronics Show – CES 2022 in Las Vegas. Inviting everyone to contribute to positive change, “Together for Tomorrow” stands out as a vision that pioneers collaborations seeking solutions to the world’s most pressing problems.
Samsung Electronics Vice President, CEO and Head of Samsung’s DX (Device Experience) Division Jong-Hee (JH) HanIn his opening speech at the event, he emphasized their efforts to start a new era that includes innovations that can meet the changing lifestyles of consumers, and that contribute to the society and the world with customizable experiences. “It is very important for you to be a part of this vision to see how innovation can bring about positive change. It is extremely exciting to be working with you for the future. While these developments will make sustainability a part of your product experience, they will also make our lives more sustainable.”
Building a sustainable future
Samsung’s vision for the future is shaped on the concept that the company describes as “Sustainability at All Moment”. This concept inspires Samsung to put sustainability at the center of all its activities. The company is putting this vision into practice by adopting new, low-impact manufacturing practices, footprint-reducing packaging, a more sustainable customer experience, and responsibly disposing of products at the end of their lifecycles.
Samsung’s activities in reducing carbon emissions throughout the production cycle have also been certified by the Carbon Trust, a worldwide leader in carbon footprint. The Carbon Trust certified memory chips, which the company used last year, resulted in lower carbon emissions by about 700,000 tons.
Samsung’s activities in this area envision expanding the scope of use of recycled materials by going beyond semiconductors (chip). Samsung’s Visual Display Division plans to use 30 times more recycled plastic than it used in 2021 to apply sustainability in more products in everyday life. The company will also expand its use of recycled materials to cover all mobile products and home appliances over the next three years. Recycled material was used in all of Samsung’s TV packaging in 2021. The company announced this year that it will use more recycled materials, including inner packaging. Recycled materials will now also be used in Styrofoam, box holders and plastic bags. The company also announced that it will begin implementing its award-winning Eco-Packaging program around the world. Now the packaging of household appliances such as vacuum cleaner, microwave oven, air cleaner; will be included in the program, where cardboard boxes are transformed into cat houses, side tables and various useful furniture.
‘Sustainability’ is also included in the customer’s product experience processes
Samsung incorporates sustainability into the customer experience of products. Such experiences will continue to empower users to reduce their carbon footprint and contribute to positive change together for a better future. In this context, the SolarCell controller, which is the first of its kind, has been further developed, eliminating the need for batteries thanks to its built-in solar panel that can be charged day and night. The improved SolarCell remote control can now be charged using radio frequencies from devices such as Wi-Fi routers. “Besides, this system will be used in many other Samsung products such as new Samsung TVs and home appliances to prevent more than 200 million batteries from ending up in landfills. “When you put these batteries side by side, we’re talking about a length that can reach Korea from Las Vegas,” he said.
In addition, Samsung will ensure that all its TVs and phone chargers consume near zero standby energy by 2025. Thus, the products will consume almost no energy when not in use. The company also announced that it has collected more than five million tons of e-waste since 2009, regarding e-waste, which stands out as another important issue in front of the electronics industry. Last year, the company established the ‘Galaxy for the Planet’ sustainability platform to embody climate measures in the field of mobile products and to minimize the environmental footprints of devices throughout their lifecycle.
Samsung’s decision to make these technologies available to everyone is a reflection of its commitment to supporting innovation beyond industries and sustainability in everyday life. The Patagonia collaboration, announced by Samsung in its keynote, reveals how companies from different industries can innovate when they come together to address environmental issues. Thanks to the innovative solutions developed through this cooperation, the amount of microplastics mixed with the water during washing in Samsung washing machines will be minimized, thereby contributing to the fight against plastic pollution.
Han said: “We are very excited about this collaboration and our work will not end there. We will continue to sign new partnerships and collaborations aimed at finding solutions to the challenges facing our planet.”
“This is a serious problem and not something we can solve alone,” said Vincent Stanley, Director of Corporate Philosophy at Patagonia, and underlined the dedication of Samsung engineers. Stanley described the collaboration as “an excellent example of the collaboration we all need to reverse climate change and restore health to nature.”
Supporting users with personal experiences
On the one hand, Samsung explained the steps it took to increase sustainability in daily life, and on the other hand, conveyed which technologies it developed to meet the different needs of consumers. Aware that everyone is unique and it is important to customize the devices used to fit their lifestyles, the company continues to work to find ways to redefine the relationship of users with the technologies they use in daily life. The people-first approach to innovation also underpins Samsung’s “Together for Tomorrow” vision. The platform and screens that Samsung introduced at the event symbolize the era of “Screens are everywhere, screens are for everyone”, which Han previously pointed out at CES 2020.
For example, The Freestyle, a lightweight and portable projector that offers a cinema-quality experience anywhere, can be installed almost anywhere with its artificial intelligence supported sound, built-in streaming applications and useful Smart TV accessibility features, and can provide projection over an area of 2.5 meters.
Offering an ‘all-in-one’ platform where users can discover and play cloud and console games, Samsung Gaming Hub will also be available for 2022 model Samsung Smart TVs and monitors. The ‘Odyssey Ark’ game screen, which allows users to video chat with friends and watch game videos while playing games, stands out as a flexible and curved 55-inch screen that takes immersion to the next level with its multi-viewing experience.
Samsung has also announced that it will offer more customization options for its Bespoke Home Appliances Series to deliver more tailored home appliance experiences. Thus, in addition to dishwashers, stoves and microwave ovens, Samsung Family Hub and wardrobe-type 3-door and 4-door refrigerator options are added to the Bespoke Series. Samsung also offers new products such as the Bespoke Jet™ vacuum cleaner and the Bespoke Washer and Dryer, offering consumers a wider range of products that can be used for all areas of the home, along with new ways to customize their living spaces to suit their style and needs.
Samsung continues to work to provide users with more customization possibilities to get the most out of their devices. The #YouMake Project enables consumers to select and personalize products based on the features they care about most, thereby creating a customized experience for devices. Announced at the keynote, this initiative, which takes Samsung’s Bespoke vision beyond home appliances, will also be used in Samsung smartphones and large-screen devices.
Pioneer of the age of seamless connectivity
Putting personalization and sustainability at the core of Samsung products, the vision of “Together for Tomorrow” also requires seamless connectivity. By highlighting collaborations and next-generation products, Samsung highlights its commitment to ushering in the era of truly seamless connected experiences.
First introduced at CES, the brand new Samsung Home Hub takes the connected home experience to the next level thanks to its SmartThings service, which integrates with artificial intelligence (AI) powered devices to simplify smart home management. Samsung Home Hub combines six different SmartThings services into one convenient device that gives users full control over their smart home appliances and simplifies the management of their household chores. Samsung announced that it will make SmartThings Hub a built-in feature of its 2022 TVs, smart monitors and Family Hub refrigerators to make smart devices more compatible with each other. In this way, connected life experiences will become more accessible and seamless for all users.
Expressing that it is necessary to offer the best smart home experience to consumers regardless of brand, Samsung also announced that it is a founding member of the Home Connectivity Alliance (HCA), which brings together various smart home appliance manufacturers. HCA was established to support the interoperability of devices of different brands to provide consumers with more choice and to increase the security of products and services.
At CES, Samsung also highlighted its commitment to corporate social responsibility, which is a defining factor for its approach to innovation. This determination ensures that the company is involved not only in its technologies, but also in programs that empower future generations to make the change they want to create. Programs such as Solve for Tomorrow and Samsung Innovation Campus support the skills of the younger generations for the workplace of the future and make their dreams come true.
Inn“As Samsung, I am proud to share that we have reached more than 21 million people since 2012 with our programs that support future generations. A better future that we all seek; “It’s about helping people go beyond their dreams, protecting the planet so that the curious can be experienced, and innovation that fuels change.”
You can visit news.samsung.com/global/ces-2022 for more information, including images and videos, about the products that Samsung promotes within the scope of CES 2022.