Samsung announced a unique approach to sustainability during a virtual event ahead of CES 2021, revealing that all of its 2021 TVs will come with remotes that run on solar power. The news comes during a time when companies are being put under increasing pressure to adopt more sustainable practices. While it may not seem like a massive step at first glance, Samsung's remote announcement represents a creative way to move towards a more environment-friendly future.
The news falls in line with Samsung's new "Going Green" initiative, aimed at aligning TV business operations with sustainable goals. The goals include reducing the company's carbon footprint and improving energy efficiency with regards to the actual manufacturing of TVs, as well as improving their packaging to reduce overall waste by minimizing text and imagery on TV boxes. Samsung's Eco-Packaging design will also be used with all of its 2021 Lifestyle TVs and most of the 2021 NEO QLED lineup, with a focus of being able to upcycle as much as "200,000 tons of corrugated boxes each year."
Samsung's new solar-powered remote control is the most intriguing part of its sustainability movement, with the company noting that it has the potential to prevent waste from roughly 99 million AAA batteries over the course of seven years. The remote can be charged by both indoor and outdoor light, as well as via USB. It wasn't revealed how long the charge will last in these new remotes, but Samsung did say the the remotes were constructed using a process that upcycles plastics from recyclable bottles for a total of 24-percent recycled content.
Samsung's New Remotes More Exciting Than Its New TVs?
Sustainability wasn't the only topic covered during Samsung's First Look event. The company did announce impressive new technologies and displays, including Neo QLED display technology being added to its flagship 8K and 4K models. The technology uses a Quantum Mini LED light source and a NEO Quantum Processor to improve both darker scenes and lighter moments in content viewed on the QN900A 8K TV or QN90A 4K models.
Samsung also announced that its new Micro LED line will make ultra-large displays available in 110 and 99-inch variations, with smaller sizes coming by the end of 2021. Furthermore, a popular model in Samsung's Lifestyle TV line, The Frame, will now feature a slimmer design and bezel options that include different colors and customizable styles. Even with all this TV news, however, there's a case to be made that the Samsung's new remote is still more interesting.
From a sustainability point of view, it's a great step in reducing the amount of batteries used in homes across the country. From a practicality standpoint, though, it's just as much of a win. Most TV owners can recall a time when the batteries on their remote died, leaving them scrambling to find replacements or trying to figure out how to use their Galaxy phone as a remote. That headache will essentially be eliminated with these new remotes. Even when they do inevitably run out of charge, they are just some sunlight away from functioning again. Ultimately, it's a two-birds, one-stone kind of solution that, allows Samsung to do better through the eyes of environmentalists while making a remote that adds to customer satisfaction.
Source: Samsung