Samsung Electronics said on Thursday it had obtained a cumulative total of 38 circular resource recognitions as of August this year.
The circular resource recognition system is designed to recognise waste that meets legal standards, including being harmless to human health and the environment and economically viable, as a resource so it can be used as raw material without waste-related regulations. It has been in place in South Korea since 2018. Samsung Electronics said it reduced waste by 6,859 tonnes a year as of 2025.
The DS division has expanded waste recycling and resource conversion since 2019 and, as of August 2026, obtained a cumulative 30 circular resource recognitions across all its sites. It separates and recovers waste generated in the semiconductor production process and, in cooperation with specialised materials companies and other business divisions, converts it into new high-value resources using high-purity refining and material conversion technologies.
A representative case is the wafer tray, a container used to transport wafers, which are thin silicon discs used to make semiconductor chips. Wafer trays made of high-quality plastic are recovered and then reprocessed into recycled plastic in collaboration with the DX division’s Circular Economy Research Institute. They were used as materials for the side and volume keys of the Galaxy S25 series.
Defective wafers generated during production are crushed into small pieces and sent to a specialised materials company, which extracts silicon and recycles it as raw material for aluminium alloys. The recycled material is used in industries including aviation and construction. A consumable called a diamond disk, used in wafer polishing, is also recycled as a resource. After separating and discharging consumables made of precious metals, palladium is recovered through a specialised company’s collection and extraction process. The recovered palladium is processed into raw material for compounds and reused as raw material for manufacturing printed circuit boards.
The DX division, through consulting with the Korea Environment Corporation in 2024, conducted a full review of waste at major sites including Suwon, Gumi and Gwangju and identified 20 items to pursue circular resource recognition. As of August this year, it obtained a total of eight circular resource recognitions for 12 items, and plans to pursue recognition for the remaining eight items by June 2027.
The Gwangju site obtained circular resource recognition in 2025 for residue generated in the molding process that creates the internal space of refrigerators. Previously, the residue was classified as waste and required regulatory procedures for storage and transport, but management procedures were simplified after recognition was obtained.
The DX division is expanding the scope of resource use by upgrading its management system through cooperation with partner companies. It collected Styrofoam packaging used after installing home appliances generated outside Samsung Electronics sites and transformed it into a new mixed plastic material with the same quality as existing materials. The material was applied to internal components of the Bespoke AI WindFree Combo Gallery air conditioner and the Infinite AI air purifier.
Waste glass generated in the product manufacturing process was recycled into a composite fiber material and applied to the outer wash tub of the all-in-one washer-dryer Bespoke AI Combo, and material made by recycling waste cooking oil was used for refrigerator storage compartments. Samsung Electronics said it plans to keep identifying recyclable items and expand the build-out of its circular resource supply chain.