Given the different processes involved when you send a device for repair, Samsung has taken its eco-measures at all levels of each step in the chain:
Repair yes, but responsibly
There is no doubt that electronic devices generate many elements that increase carbon emissions due to their components. And although when the power module of a smartphone is repaired, for example, the old module is sent for recycling, it still generates too many elements to take into account.
In the Samsung customer service area they have opted for establish an Eco Repair model, which consists of fixing Samsung phones and TVs at the component level and not at the module level. Instead of throwing away an entire module, Samsung will replace the faulty part of your device, which means less production of service parts which in turn leads to lower carbon emissions from the factories that create them.
According to Ignacio Baño, responsible for the Technical Services network of Samsung Electronics Iberiathis measure has a double benefit, since “It means that less electronic waste is generated and that it is easier to transport, making this type of repair more sustainable. […] “Eco” repairs have a cost reduction of approximately 30% compared to a normal repair in televisions or mobiles”and to this we add how Samsung manages the waste generated and other sustainability and accessibility processes in the repair chain.
Sustainability from start to finish in the purchasing process
A repair of any kind entails paperwork that accompanies the product in the form of a summary sheet of what has been done to the device, as well as the customer and company data. But Samsung offers you something else: a shift from traditional paper to electronic documents. Thus, instead of receiving an information sheet printed on paper inside the package with the device, it will arrive by mail electronically and you will always have it at hand in your email account.
You will have it faster and you will help create paperless environments in Samsung repair centers, helping the environment with a simple and positive gesture to reduce the use of printed paper, which in turn has a positive impact on the environment.
A convenient advantage for the user is to request that the company pick up their device to be fixed at their own home. This always involves storing the mobile or TV in a box or package so that it travels safely. And speaking of boxes, why not choose a much more sustainable one than usual? When they fix it for you Samsung will return it to you in a sustainable ECO package.e in the form of a box made with recyclable materials, with an FSC-certified cardboard and a fastening film made with nothing less than sugar cane.
But the best thing is this: since that box has two closing stickersyou can reuse it in the future, so you don’t have to throw it away as soon as you open it. And above is youa box ‘transformable’ into a support for your mobile or tablet.
When recycling is easier
The enormous production of mobile devices each year means that there are thousands of mobile phones, and also tablets, and wearables of all kinds, and screens, etc., that become obsolete, are abandoned, are thrown away… All these devices can have a second chance. In Samsung they have centers enabled with recycling areas so that you can take that mobile, tablet or smartwatch that you are not going to use. Recycling is the best and most effective weapon to reduce the negative impact on the environment that we have as users.
It is also important to work on the WHOLE chain, and not just at the ends. Even the boxes, envelopes and packages that contain the parts that are going to be sent to Samsung repair centers around the world and others approved to fix devices matter, so the South Korean company is making sure to use recycled packaging for those pieces.
Greater accessibility and attention in Sign Language
At Samsung, they are constantly seeking to make it easier for their customers to access their physical centers, not only in stores, but also in repair centers for customers with reduced mobility around the world. How can you find such a center? With the online locator of Samsung Technical Services that allows you to search for centers that comply with these measures.
For its deaf or hearing-impaired customers, Samsung has a support service in sign language through the SVisual video-interpretation platform, in which an interpreter from the CNSE Foundation (State Confederation of Deaf People) can communicate with the person deaf, serving as a link to pass all the information to Samsung technicians. This service is offered remotely from the support website, and also in person at the main technical services in the country.
How to request it? You can order it on the web and also consult the technical service centers that have them.