The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI), based in Washington, awarded Samsung Electronics America its 2016 Design for Recycling (DFR) Award for the use of environmentally conscious materials and advanced recyclable design in its 2016 Curved Full HD TV (UN55K6250).
The DFR Award is given annually to the most innovative products designed with recycling in mind, ISRI says. The organization recognizes proactive steps made by manufacturers that have actively incorporated DFR principles into products and processes. Samsung received the award April 7, 2016, during the 2016 ISRI Convention & Exposition in Las Vegas.
“We’ve been developing cutting-edge products that enrich people’s lives and help address tomorrow’s environmental challenges for decades,” Mark Newton, head of environmental and regulatory affairs at Samsung Electronics America, says in an ISRI news release announcing the award. “We are honored to be recognized by ISRI for our environmental stewardship in product design and innovation, and we applaud their mission to promote responsible recycling. At Samsung we work tirelessly to pave the way for sustainable innovation throughout the technology industry, and we look forward to ensuring that our inventions and being a responsible corporate citizen continue to go hand in hand.”
The 2016 Curved Full HD TV incorporates easy-to-disassemble, snap-together parts that are made with minimal chemical content, ISRI says. The snap closures eliminate the use of many screws, making it easier for recyclers to disassemble. As a result, this television should take less than 10 minutes to disassemble. To further Samsung’s efforts to create an eco-conscious product, the company has improved the sustainability of the TV’s design by substituting conventional plastic with a novel material produced from greenhouse gas.
“ISRI is proud to present the 2016 Design for Recycling Award to Samsung for the visible commitment to sustainability in the design and manufacture of its products,” Robin Wiener, president of ISRI, says in the news release. “Samsung’s products showcase the company’s efforts to focus on resource and energy efficiency as well as the use of single materials, unbleached chlorine-free paper and nonuse of hazardous substances. Samsung’s concern for product recyclability has allowed them to move forward with an industry-first design that combines best-in-class experiences with an eco-friendly outlook, which makes them a perfect selection for this year’s award.”
To be eligible for ISRI’s DFR Award, a product must be designed/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;
- minimize the time and cost involved to recycle the product;
- have a net gain in the overall recyclability of the product while reducing the overall negative impact on the environment; and
- reduce the use of raw materials by including recycled materials and/or components, among other qualifications.
For more than 25 years, ISRI has presented the DFR Award to leaders across multiple industries worldwide.