Samsung's New Galaxy Devices Will Contain Recycled Fishing Nets (pcmag.com) 31
Samsung Electronics this week announced plans to give plastic waste a second life as a new material for use in its electronic devices -- starting with the latest Galaxy gadgets, set to be revealed on Wednesday. PC Magazine reports: "These devices will reflect our ongoing effort to eliminate single-use plastics and expand the use of other eco-conscious materials, such as recycled post-consumer material (PCM) and recycled paper," Samsung said in a news release. "With this transformation, the future of Galaxy technology will bring leading product design and deliver better environmental impact." Water bottles and grocery bags usually spring to mind when people hear "ocean-bound plastic," but they're not the only things littering the world's waterways. According to Samsung, a "more hidden threat" is the 640,000 tons of fishing nets abandoned and discarded every year.
The so-called "ghost nets" are responsible for trapping and entangling marine life, damaging coral reefs and natural habitats, and eventually ending up in our food and water sources. "Collecting and repurposing these nets are vital first steps in keeping our oceans clean," Samsung said, "as well as preserving the planet and our collective future." It's unclear exactly what part the repurposed plastics play in the upcoming handsets. We'll have to wait until this week's virtual Unpacked event, where Samsung is expected to unveil the Galaxy S22 series and Tab S8. Watch the event online at Samsung.com from 10 a.m. ET on Feb. 9. The news comes just weeks after Samsung stopped a 106-day toxic spill in Austin, Texas, that resulted in the release of as much as 736,000 gallons of sulfuric acid waste into a Northeast Austin creek.
The so-called "ghost nets" are responsible for trapping and entangling marine life, damaging coral reefs and natural habitats, and eventually ending up in our food and water sources. "Collecting and repurposing these nets are vital first steps in keeping our oceans clean," Samsung said, "as well as preserving the planet and our collective future." It's unclear exactly what part the repurposed plastics play in the upcoming handsets. We'll have to wait until this week's virtual Unpacked event, where Samsung is expected to unveil the Galaxy S22 series and Tab S8. Watch the event online at Samsung.com from 10 a.m. ET on Feb. 9. The news comes just weeks after Samsung stopped a 106-day toxic spill in Austin, Texas, that resulted in the release of as much as 736,000 gallons of sulfuric acid waste into a Northeast Austin creek.
Sounds fishy (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Sounds fishy (Score:5, Funny)
Yes but it's the net result that matters.
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Don't be obtuse.
I mean... eh... D'oh!
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Downcycled ... (Score:3)
Samsung's New Galaxy Devices Will Contain Recycled Fishing Nets
Downcycled fishing nets ... unless it can be infinitely re-used like steel it's downcycled. Plastic components usually end up in a landfill or incinerator in the end. That being said, at least Samsung is contributing to creating an economic incentive for harvesting this crap out of the oceans so thumbs up for that.
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If it's even going to be used in the phone at all. For all we know, it's going to be used for packaging or something else.
... which is funny because ... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:... which is funny because ... (Score:4, Funny)
Sex is not an analogy many relate to around here.
Can we get it in terms of grey African elephants or something?
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Marketing rubbish (Score:2)
People are crazy stupid (Score:2)
Forced Obsolescence - The Real Trash. (Score:5, Insightful)
Well that's a cute PR stunt Samsung. One I hope everyone is smart enough to see as nothing more.
If you really wanted to help the planet, you would get rid of your greedy forced obsolescence policies that contribute to global waste a hell of a lot more, and harden your devices to last 10 years.
But that would mean some executive doesn't get a new yacht this quarter, so fat chance of that happening.
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Well that's a cute PR stunt Samsung. One I hope everyone is smart enough to see as nothing more.
If you really wanted to help the planet, you would get rid of your greedy forced obsolescence policies that contribute to global waste a hell of a lot more, and harden your devices to last 10 years.
But that would mean some executive doesn't get a new yacht this quarter, so fat chance of that happening.
This deserves to be modded up please.
This poster is exactly correct. Intellegent people see this for what it is, nothing but upper class exploitation, lies and manipluation.
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Still, if it means a few dozen tons of fishing nets being removed from the oceans, we should all approve anyway. It's not like we're forced to buy those phones, or even Samsung phones for that matter. Let the other idiots buy those fishy "enviro-friendly" phones.
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Still, if it means a few dozen tons of fishing nets being removed from the oceans, we should all approve anyway.
From polluting the environment further with gas-powered cleanup activity, to Samsung essentially saying that they don't actually know how the fish nets will be used in their hardware (yes, that's in TFS), I'm not going to be on your side of "all approve anyway" until it's proven to actually be a net-positive (no pun intended).
Gut feeling is this will turn out to be nothing more than a PR stunt to sell "green" phones with no actual environmental gain, because they are good at lying for profit.
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A yacht that he fishes with using fishing nets.
Samsung, not exactly known for sustainability (Score:5, Informative)
Their recent phones receiving an ifixit score of around 3 (out of 10). [ifixit.com]
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On the other hand the Galaxy Buds (wireless earphones) are some of the most repairable on the market.
Seems like there is no strategy, it's just every department doing their own thing and the audio guys managed to make a durable, waterproof, ultra miniature device that can be maintained reasonably easily.
The purpose of the fishing net... (Score:4, Funny)
So FF-ing what? (Score:2)
Fishing nets? (Score:2)
Off, all bets.
Older 'sets:
Good as it gets.
Burma Shave
The actual story here. (Score:2)
"It's unclear exactly what part the repurposed plastics play in the upcoming handsets..."
Did you just announce you were doing this, and then not actually have a damn clue, how you're going to do it?
Oh, the fish nets will be "recycled" alright...into the fucking plastic wrapper on the box.
New phones for old rope (Score:3)
Also... (Score:2)
Recycled carbon that used to be in dinosaurs.
more recycled goods, yet more cost (Score:2)
lies and statistics (Score:3)
"a "more hidden threat" is the 640,000 tons of fishing nets abandoned and discarded every year. "
An interesting statistic that they seem to have pulled out of their ass. Nobody abandons a net that has any life left in it. Nets used on the big tuna seiners can be worth well over a million bucks. Even the simplest net used by islanders is one of the biggest investments of their lifetime. For every hour of fishing, at least an hour of net repair is mandatory. The old men and women as well as children are recruited for mending duty which goes on for hours and hours. So who is discarding all these tons of nets?
We should also consider the tricky business of recovering nets from the bottom of the ocean. Seems like quite a challenge to me. Does Samsung lay out a plan for this process?
And, has been pointed out by our /. associates; how will these recovered plastic strings be incorporated into a modern gadget? Note that beverage bottlers have great difficulty using recycled plastics in new products. These plastics were intended for recycling. Nets were not. You can't just melt them and re-use the plastic, badda boom.
I call bullshit on Samsung's PR lie.
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1. Two year old article says 640,000 tons of net.
https://www.theguardian.com/en... [theguardian.com]
"About 300 sea turtles were found dead as a result of entanglement in ghost gear off the coast of Oaxaca, Mexico, last year. And in October, a pregnant whale was found entangled in ghost gear off the Orkney coast. The fishing gear was jammed in the animal’s baleen, the filter-feeder system inside its mouth, and scientists said the net would have hugely impaired the minke whale’s feeding and movement."
2. 2015 articl
What about safety? (Score:1)