Sustainability Expert Luiz Xavier Explains Re+ Program at Samsung Brazil – Samsung Global Newsroom

Samsung Electronics has announced its new environmental strategy, a global effort to join the global movement to fight climate change. At the heart of the new commitment is to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 by using innovative technologies to implement sustainability throughout its production process, product life cycle and more. — enabling a more sustainable future for all.

In line with this vision, ESG — or environmental, social and corporate governance — is more than a buzzword at Samsung Electronics, and we believe that making a positive impact on the planet starts with our people. That’s why we spotlight Samsung employees around the world who are leading the way in cultivating a culture of sustainability and social responsibility. We break down the ins and outs of ESG in Samsung and answer your questions about how we’re building a better future for all.

① Curious about Samsung’s ESG? Sustainability Expert Jenni Chun Answers Your Frequently Asked Questions

② A Better Future Starts in Brussels: Employees of Samsung’s European Public Affairs Office Discuss Their ESG Culture

Next in our series on how Samsung employees around the world are building a more sustainable future, we have a man making a difference for consumers and the climate, Luiz Xavier from Samsung’s Brazil office.

Giving new life to old products: Re+, Samsung’s recycling program

Luiz Xavier, Head of the Customer Satisfaction Team in Samsung’s Brazil office, is responsible for all areas of customer service, from planning, implementing and improving to creating a customer experience positive. “Modern consumers want more than a quality product or a friendly customer service experience,” Luiz explained. “Instead, they want to support a business that protects people and the planet.”

At the heart of Samsung is an environmental strategy consisting of comprehensive global efforts to combat climate change. In Brazil, this strategy resulted in the Re+ program, a recycling, awareness and education program led by Luiz and his team. The mission? Don’t let e-waste go to waste. By providing the processes that enable consumers to collect and properly dispose of electronics, Luiz not only puts a smile on customers’ faces, but also lays the foundation for a brighter future.

E-waste, or e-waste, is unwanted, non-working products that are approaching or at the end of their useful life.

“Consider this extremely common scenario: you upgrade your cell phone and throw the old one in a junk drawer, just in case,” Luiz said. “However, by clinging to that phone, you’ve discarded a device that probably still had some life left on it. Also, by not recycling the old one right away, you’re reducing the chances of it being reused.

“In general, our rush to get new equipment and our reluctance to part with old items makes discarded electronics the fastest growing household waste category in the world,” he said. he adds.

Collectively, Brazilians own more than 240 million smartphones for a population of less than 215 million. If you add notebooks and tablets, the number jumps to more than 350 million, or 1.6 items per person, according to a Brazilian school Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV)¹ investigation.

The problem of e-waste is large and persistent, and solving it will require the private and public sectors to be on the same page. Samsung has always been focused on using technology to empower people and improve their lives – that’s where Re+ comes in.

So what is Re+, exactly? This global recycling program came to Brazil in 2017 and offered consumers a free, eco-friendly, and convenient way to recycle or dispose of their electronics and appliances. It’s not just for Samsung devices either. Re+ accepts articles from any brand, including batteries, cell phones, laptops, refrigerators, washing machines and other broken, used or unused products.

“Samsung has set up approximately 350 collection bins for small items of all brands in Samsung Electronics Stores and Samsung Experience Stores in Brazil.” For larger electronics, such as televisions, refrigerators and washing machines, consumers could schedule pickups from their homes.

Luiz was proud to announce that from the first half of 2022, Samsung Achieved 190% Growth in Items Collected Compared to Same Period in 2021. However, he is aiming even higher.

“More than promoting the recycling and correct disposal of electronic devices and reducing the impact of technology on the environment, our mission with Re+ is to make consumers aware of the importance of a complete and responsible relationship cycle. with the products,” Luiz said. He noted that the biggest challenge was to increase client awareness of the program.

“Despite the significant results achieved in 2022, there is still room for improvement and for involving Brazilians more in the recycling movement,” he added.

As a result, Luiz and his team have participated in education programs in schools and launched various campaigns and events to raise awareness of the importance of recycling – ensuring that future generations grow up appreciating the planet and the role that they play in its preservation.

A campaign illustrated how easy and convenient it is to get rid of electronic devices that get lost at home. As television plays a fundamental role in the lives of Brazilians, at the end of the video, the screen displayed a QR code that led to the main page of Re+, offering details on how products of all sizes are collected. , disposed of and recycled so that the raw material can be reused in the production chain.

You can watch the Re+ campaign video below.



Make recycling fun for the whole family

For Luiz, sustainability is a family affair. As he has worked in the tech industry for years, disposing of e-waste in an environmentally friendly manner has always been on his radar. However, he wanted to switch from just green working to living green every day. Accordingly, and committed to other eco-responsible practices, such as reducing the excessive use of resources and always cleaning their recyclable packaging before throwing it away. Additionally, his family actively advocates and participates in Re+ by providing smartphones, chargers, cables, and headphones to the program.

“More than just participating, we’re also always looking to spread messages about sustainability and the proper disposal of electronics among our family and friends,” Luiz said. “We believe that this awareness is essential to move forward in the direction of the preservation of the environment.”

Luiz says he is passionate about sustainability because he understands its value and how it can create a better world for people today and tomorrow. So for him, it’s easy to go green with the family.

“When we tackle this as a family, we can help future generations learn more about it, and we foster the mindset and culture of sustainability, so kids start spreading it by talking to their kids as well. friends and colleagues,” Luiz said.

For those who want to pass on the values ​​of sustainability to their family and friends, he suggests two basic tips that anyone can try: 1. talk more about sustainability and 2. lead by example. In this way, you can inspire others through your actions, not just your words.

Luiz has put these two simple tips into practice in his own family, and he is very proud to report that his children are now considering sustainability in everything they do. “My family is proud to participate in the Re+ program,” he said. “They tell their relatives and friends about it whenever they can.”

Happy People, Happy Planet: Inspiring the World

As a leader in technology innovation and prioritizing customer experience, Samsung strives to make the planet a happy, healthy place for everyone – and its customers take notice.

“Our customers in Brazil recognize that Samsung, through its programs such as Re+, constantly strives to be a responsible company,” Luiz said. “Sustainability is at the heart of our product journey, so our consumers know our innovations have the planet in mind at every touchpoint. — from design to product disposal. I feel honored and motivated to be able to actively contribute to this movement, and I look forward to the next steps.

A recent survey conducted by Samsung in partnership with MindMiners shows that Brazilian consumers know the importance of engaging in sustainable development actions. 94% of respondents said they consider recycling habits very important and are also worried about the impact of their actions on the environment. However, the same survey pointed out that only 62% of Brazilians who practice recycling habits also properly dispose of electronic items.

“As a country with rich biodiversity, Brazil faces a wide range of sustainability challenges,” Luiz noted. “Samsung has a cohesive ESG program, which motivates me even more to contribute and engage in programs like Re+. That’s why it’s so rewarding for me to be part of this environmental education movement in my country. The growth in the number of Re+ is a sign that we are on the right track and a great incentive for us to pursue sustainable projects and initiatives in 2023 and beyond.

Learn more about Samsung Electronics’ sustainability initiatives here.

¹ Source: 32nd Edition of the FGV Annual Survey of the Brazilian IT Market and its Use in Business by the Applied Information Technology Center of the São Paulo School of Business Administration of the Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGVcia), prepared by Professor Fernando Meirelles