Johannesburg, 20 May 2013
Samsung Electronics Co announced today that the Samsung GALAXY S4 is TCO Certified, the first smartphone to be awarded such an honour. TCO Development, an independent body that focuses on sustainability in the IT industry, found the GALAXY S4 was sustainably designed, manufactured and met customer demand for sustainable mobile products.
"The demand for environmentally friendly products informed our decision-making process when we were creating the GALAXY S4. We are delighted to be the first smartphone manufacturer to be TCO Certified, as this validates our approach to sustainability," said Craige Fleischer, Director of Mobile Communications at Samsung Electronics South Africa. "This is the second significant certificate the GALAXY S4 has received since its release, as we were also awarded Platinum ECOLOGO certification from UL. Our customers can trust that we will endeavour to ensure our products are sustainable and environmentally friendly."
To become TCO Certified, a smartphone must meet requirements across a variety of criteria, including social, environmental and economic viability. In the social category, Samsung demonstrated that it is committed to socially responsible manufacturing and is compliant with International Labour Organisation and United Nation conventions. In the environmental category, it was found that the GALAXY S4 was free from many hazardous materials such as nickel, beryllium and mercury, which, if present, would have severely restricted its potential to be recycled at the end of its life cycle. In terms of economic viability, the power efficiency of the charger was praised, as was the smartphone's industrial design, which boosts reliability.
"TCO Certified smartphones are designed to make it easier for smartphone buyers to choose products that have been designed with sustainability in mind. By certifying their smartphones, leading brands such as Samsung have a real opportunity to demonstrate that their products are helping advance more sustainable mobile solutions," said S"oren Enholm, CEO of TCO Development.
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