The Zero Waste to Landfill program, administered by global safety science company UL Solutions, classifies results into three categories: Platinum for a 100% landfill diversion rate, Gold for 95%–99%, and Silver for 90%–94%. Samsung is now the first global manufacturer to have all its production facilities certified at the Platinum level.
Since announcing its Environmental Strategy in 2022, Samsung has pursued sustainability through climate action and resource circularity initiatives. The company has implemented waste reduction and recycling systems at its sites, turning waste into reusable materials and expanding recycling programs worldwide.
In 2023, all ten business sites of Samsung’s Device Solutions (DS) Division received the Platinum designation through integrated validation. By July 2025, the Device eXperience (DX) Division’s Hungarian subsidiary, SEH-P, also earned Platinum status, completing certification for all 22 domestic and international DX manufacturing sites.
Samsung has set clear directions for waste management, focusing on enhanced sorting, material reuse, and resource recovery. The company has introduced refined waste separation systems within worksites and strengthened employee training to ensure precise sorting. Food waste and paper are composted, while general and construction waste is processed into alternative fuels or raw materials. Electronic waste and battery residues are also repurposed for solid fuel production.
Samsung continues to innovate technologies that recycle waste from semiconductor manufacturing into reusable materials. For instance, waste liquids are treated and reused as cleaning agents for scrubbers that reduce air pollutants or as water treatment agents in wastewater facilities. Similarly, adsorbents, activated carbon, and catalysts used in air pollution control are regenerated and reused in the same processes.
In 2024, Samsung recycled approximately 1.32 million tonnes of waste, equivalent to about 260,000 five-tonne trucks. Beyond waste reduction at its worksites, the company has also repurposed by-products and discarded materials into new resources. The Galaxy S25, launched this year, incorporated recycled cobalt recovered from old Galaxy smartphones and batteries through Samsung’s Circular Battery Supply Chain. Additionally, discarded wafer trays from semiconductor manufacturing were recycled and used in the device’s components.
Looking ahead, Samsung plans to enhance systematic waste sorting and material-specific management to secure higher-quality recycled materials for future applications. Junhwa Lee, Executive Vice President and Head of Global EHS Office, DX Division at Samsung Electronics, said: “This achievement marks a major milestone in our environmental management strategy. We will continue to apply innovation across all areas of our business to put sustainable management into practice.”
