Tag: sustainability

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Samsung and FSC Canada are teaming up protect and preserve Canadian forests

LONDON, UK – FEBRUARY 20, 2020: Samsung tech brand leterring logo in Harrods shopping mall.

With April marking Earth Month, Samsung has partnered with Forest Stewardship Council Canada for a new fundraising campaign with the goal of protecting healthy and resilient forests in the country.

Throughout the month, Samsung Canada will donate $1 to FSC Canada for every purchase made in-store and online at Samsung’s website, up to $10,000.

Additionally, Samsung will donate $10 to FSC Canada, up to a maximum of $6,000, for every review left on the company’s website through June 2023.

The money raised will go towards FSC Canada’s mission of supporting zero deforestation and safeguarding ancient, endangered forests.

Samsung is also committed to making and distributing products with more eco-conscious resources. Since 2009, over 220,000 tonnes of recycled plastic have been used in Samsung products globally, with the company looking to double that number by 2023.

Doubling down on its commitment to being more ecologically wise, the South Korean tech giant has also made a global commitment to achieve zero waste in landfills as well as reducing its e-waste by 2025. By 2050, the company is planning on achieving net zero direct and indirect carbon emissions.

These announcements come as a part of the company’s new environmental strategy that was revealed last year.

More information about Samsungs collaboration with FSC Canada can be found on the company’s website.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: Samsung

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Mobile Syrup

Apple commits to using 100 percent recycled cobalt in batteries by 2025

Apple has announced that it’s expanding the use of recycled materials across its devices by 2025. This new commitment sees the tech giant utilize 100 percent recycled cobalt in all Apple-designed batteries.

On top of transitioning to 100 percent recycled cobalt, Apple will use magnets that will exclusively use rare earth elements. Plus, the Cupertino company has committed to using 100 percent recycled tin soldering and 100 percent recycled gold plating across all Apple-designed printed circuit boards.

In a statement released today, Apple CEO Tim Cook said, “Every day, Apple is innovating to make technology that enriches people’s lives, while protecting the planet we all share.”

In 2022, Apple reaffirmed its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030. The designs across the entire Apple Watch series utilize recycled materials. The AirPods Pro are another sustainability-focused product that uses fewer plastics and rare earth elements.

The company is also making a firm commitment to eliminate plastics from the company’s packaging. Apple products have been steadily adopting sustainability efforts. In the past, Apple has removed the use of plastic wrapping in exchange for rip tags. In 2020, Apple removed the power brick from the packaging of iPhones. This measure is intended to reduce waste and allow Apple to create smaller packaging designs. The company also digitally prints labels onto the box of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro, removing the use of labels and adhesives.

Apple is already using recycled cobalt across its devices. 25 percent of the cobalt Apple used in 2022 was recycled. However, that figure jumped from 13 percent the year prior. This upward firing trend is ambitious, yet the company claims it’s committed to the goal. Plus, devices like iPhones, iPad, MacBooks, etc. feature 38 percent recycled tin.

Apple is also leaning on its iPhone disassembly robot, Daisy, to help recover cobalt and other materials. The company estimates that since 2019, it has extracted more than 11,000 kgs of cobalt from devices thanks to Daisy.

Image credit: Apple

Source: Apple

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Mobile Syrup

Walmart Canada opens sustainable grocery distribution centre in Surrey, B.C.

Walmart Canada has opened the doors to its brand new sustainable grocery distribution centre. Located in Surrey, B.C., the 300,000 square foot facility is the latest venture in the company’s supply chain growth.

Walmart Canada has pledged a $3.5 billion investment in growing its distribution. As such, the Surrey Grocery Distribution Centre was built for $175 million. Walmart Canada promises the employment of more than 250 associates once the facility is fully operational.

The grocery distribution centre is set to provide pantry items, fresh grocery goods, and frozen items to 45 Walmart locations in B.C. Prior to opening this facility, distribution stemmed from long hauls from Alberta. Opening the doors to the new centre reduces the company’s carbon footprint.

“We’re incredibly proud of our new sustainability-focused and technology-enabled distribution centre in Surrey,” Horacio Barbeito, president and CEO of Walmart Canada said in a statement. ” Facilities like this one are an investment in the community, our associates and customers and allow our suppliers to get their products into the hands of Canadians across the country even faster. We continue to strengthen our world-class supply chain to ensure Canadians have access to the products they need in a way that’s fast, efficient and minimizes our impact on the environment so that they can live better.”

Walmart Canada provided a breakdown of some of the notable sustainability features of the facility. The Surrey Grocery Distribution Centre features LED lighting and smart controls. The company claims this will reduce energy consumption by 70 percent. Walmart Canada also utilizes efficient refrigeration systems that use environmentally preferable CFC-free carbon dioxide. Plus, the facility utilizes an HVAC system to reclaim heat rejected from the refrigeration system for under-floor heating. Finally, Walmart Canada states that it is on track to becoming a zero-waste facility.

Once fully operational, the facility will be able to process 150,000 order picks per day. Additionally, It serves as a future hub for Walmart Canada’s EV fleet, including semi-trucks.

Source: Walmart Canada

Image credit: Walmart Canada

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Mobile Syrup

Microsoft says Xbox products will be 100 percent recyclable in 38 countries by 2030

Microsoft has provided an update on its Xbox-specific sustainability efforts.

To start, the company says its Xbox products, accessories and packaging will all be 100 percent recyclable by 2030 in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. Thirty-eight countries are members of OECD, including Canada and the U.S. The company says Xbox Series X/S consoles were recently deemed to be 97 percent recyclable in OECD nations based on the UL 2789 Environmental Claim Validation (ECV) Procedure, a standardized metric for measuring electronic product recyclability.

With respect to its ongoing cloud gaming efforts, Xbox says it will shift its Azure data centres to 100 percent supply of renewable energy. Xbox Cloud Gaming, the company’s Game Pass feature that lets more than one hundred games be streamed to mobile, PC and consoles, leverages these Azure networks.

Additionally, the company says it’s expanded the functionality of its Energy Saver mode feature, which consumes 20 times less power than Standby mode when the console isn’t in use or receiving updates. Now, system and game updates can be downloaded during Energy Saver mode for a more eco-friendly process.

Other changes include shifting to cardboard for prepaid Xbox gift cards (which it says reduces over 500,000 kg of plastic annually), making the Xbox Series S its first console to use a minimum of 28 percent post-consumer recycled (PCR) resin for mechanical components and showcasing electric vehicles in last year’s Forza Horizon 5.

Source: Xbox

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Google adds CO2 emission labels to flights

Google is updating its flight and hotel search tools to include information about CO2 emissions and sustainability commitments.

Starting today, every Google Flights listing now features a note next to its price detailing the estimated CO2 emissions for that particular flight, compared to the usual amount of CO2 emissions produced on the route being flown.

If a flight boasts a lower-than-average emission rate, a green badge is displayed.

According to Google, the CO2 metrics are seat-specific, with emissions for business and first class generally being higher because “they take up more space” in the plane.

Travelers can also check if the hotel they stay at upon landing is eco-friendly using Google’s recently updated hotel search tool.

On September 22nd, Google added badges to indicate whether a hotel is eco-certified, as well as details about each hotel’s sustainability practices — for example, the famous Château Laurier in Ottawa boasts energy-efficient lighting, a towel and linen reuse program, and locally sourced food.

The new eco-focused flight and hotel search tool features are available to Google users in Canada and globally.

Google also announced today that it plans on improving the results in its regular search engine when people ask about ‘climate change.’

Last week, on September 29th, California-based company released its Google Maps wildfire tracking tool globally to Android users, with iOS and desktop updates planned for October.

Source: Google