Samsung Electronics receives ReMA award

The Washington-based Recycled Materials Association (ReMA) has awarded Samsung Electronics its 2025 Design for Recycling Award, an award the association says is its “most prestigious honor.”

Samsung Electronics is being recognized specifically for its Galaxy S25, one of its latest flagship smartphone models.

“We’re honored to receive this recognition from ReMA, which reflects the dedication of our teams to embed sustainability into every stage of product development,” says Daniel Araujo, vice president and head of Sustainability Management Office, Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics. “The Galaxy S25 represents our ongoing efforts to collaborate with like-minded partners and accelerate progress toward a more circular future.”

According to Samsung, the Galaxy S25 contains recycled plastic, aluminum, glass, steel, gold, copper and rare earth elements. Additionally, the device’s battery contains at least 50 percent certified recycled cobalt. The cobalt in the battery is extracted from used batteries Samsung collects through an established supply chain to ensure batteries are incorporated into new products. The packaging box for the Galaxy S25 also is made with 100 percent recycled paper.

Samsung previously won the Design for Recycling Award in 2016 for its Curved Full HD TV. Other previous winners include the REMADE Institute, Sonoco Alloyd, Cascade Engineering, Lexmark, Nestlé Waters North America, Dell Inc., EcoStrate, LG Electronics, Inc., Cascades Fine Papers Group, Hewlett-Packard, The Herman Miller Co. and Wind Simplicity.

To be eligible for ReMA’s Design for Recycling Award, a product must be designed or redesigned and manufactured to:

• contain the maximum amount of materials that are recyclable;
• be easily recycled through current or newly designed recycling processes and procedures;
• be cost effective to recycle, whereby the cost to recycle does not exceed the value of its recycled materials;
• be free of hazardous materials that are not recyclable or impede the recycling process;
• minimizes the time and cost involved to recycle the product;
• reduce the use of raw materials by including recycled materials and/or components; and
• have a net gain in the overall recyclability of the product while reducing the overall negative impact on the environment.

“Through the design of its Galaxy S25, Samsung has proven to be a leader in integrating design for recycling principles into every phase of a product, from design to end of life,” ReMA President Robin Wiener says. “We rely on cellphones every day to prove unparalleled access to the world. Samsung Electronics’ success in incorporating a variety of recycled materials into the Galaxy S25 demonstrates their commitment to designing with recycling in mind, and serves as yet another example of how recycled materials are a part of so much of what we all depend on each day.”

Samsung will be presented with the award May 14 as part of the ReMA2025 convention in San Diego.