The Next Galaxy Devices from Samsung will Partly be Made from Recycled Fishing Nets

On February 9th, Samsung will unveil their 2022 Galaxy S range, which will include phones constructed in part of a new, more sustainable material. The company said that it has begun incorporating ocean-bound plastic made from abandoned fishing nets in its newest products. Samsung stated that the material would be used initially in products announced next week before being used across the range.

As Samsung points out, we tend to think of plastic bottles and shopping bags as the primary sources of ocean waste such as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, but marine experts are more concerned about microplastics and abandoned nets. Deserted fishing gear causes ghost fishing, a phenomenon in which the equipment continues to catch and kill marine life, particularly rare species. It’s an issue that’s only growing worse, with more than 640,000 tonnes of fishing nets thrown each year.

Samsung is hardly the first company to incorporate trash into its products. The Ocean Plastic Mouse was revealed by Microsoft last year. It has a shell composed of 20% recycled plastic. Samsung, like Microsoft, sees its usage of ocean-bound plastics as part of a bigger environmental initiative. Under criticism from customers and environmentalists, the company said in 2019 that it will begin utilizing more sustainable materials in its device packaging.