Written by: Katie Scott, Business Reporter
Global electronics brand Samsung has been announced as one of the winners of an international prize recognising leadership, innovation, and commitment to sustainable business practices.
The company was one of the winners of the SEAL Sustainable Product Award, winning the title for upcycling discarded fishing nets into a recycled material for use in Galaxy devices.
Samsung first used this material in its Galaxy S22 Series and since then, has used the material in designs in tablets, laptops and earbuds.
“A staggering 640,000 tons of fishing equipment are abandoned in the ocean each year, trapping and entangling marine life and damaging coral reefs. We applaud Samsung for transforming the Galaxy smartphone series to combat this environmental challenge,” said Matt Harney, Founder of SEAL Awards.
The Awards, which have been running since 2017, were split into four categories recognising initiatives; game-changing ideas; products and “innovative services that set a new standard for sustainability”. The organisation also presents awards for environmental journalism. Amongst the other winners were shoe manufacturer Teva for its ReFlip – “Sustainably-minded sandal”; Liverpool Football Club for its Home Bear, which is made with 100 percent recycled materials and Project Zero, a competition to find innovations to enable zero waste buildings at Disneyland.
