Samsung Galaxy S3 Receives Carbon Footprint Certification In Europe

Samsung's Galaxy S III continues to earn respect from both its users and conservationists alike as it has achieved a carbon footprint certification across Europe from the Carbon Trust, an independent agency with a mission to accelerate the move to a low carbon economy.

The company is the first and only mobile phone manufacturer to have achieved carbon footprints certification by the UK-based Carbon Trust Certification known as PAS 2050. PAS 2050 is the global standard for measuring the greenhouse gas emissions of goods and services over their life cycle. Samsung had previously gained PAS 2050 certification for its Galaxy S II and Galaxy Note smartphones.

Samsung Mobile UK announced that it was supported with product carbon footprinting training and knowledge transfer from the Carbon Trust, which assisted the footprint analysis of the certified mobile handsets.

"At Samsung, our philosophy is to 'design for humans' and be 'inspired by nature'. So by design our products are not just smart and easy to use, they also strive to achieve the highest environmental standards," Bill Skeates, Head of Sustainability, Samsung Electronics Europe said. "Yes, our customers want to own a great smartphone, but they also want to be responsible consumers, and the Galaxy S III helps them to do both. Measuring the carbon footprint helps us to understand the environmental impact of our mobile phones and identify where we can continue to improve. Samsung aims to calculate the carbon footprint for all of its mobile flagship devices."

Galaxy S III - which saw more than 20 million phones shipped in the 100 days after launch - has an even lower carbon footprint than its predecessor, the Galaxy S II. The company claims that an efficient charger, the use of fewer raw materials, and a reduction in emissions during its assembly all contributed to reducing the smartphone's carbon footprint by up to 14 percent. Carbon footprints are calculated on a country by country basis, and can be determined by the energy mix in each region.

"The number of mobile devices, like smartphones in use worldwide is growing exponentially, so it's important that they meet key environmental standards," DarranMessem, Managing Director, Certification at the Carbon Trust said. "We are very pleased that Samsung is showing industry leadership here. Samsung not only submits its smartphones for independent assessment, but is also taking action to improve the environmental performance of its products."