Seoul, 14 June 2018 – Samsung Electronics officially announced today its plan to commit to 100% renewable energy in the United States, Europe and China by 2020. This major commitment – the first by an electronics manufacturing company in Asia – comes after a year of campaigning and global protests calling on Samsung to urgently set a clear renewable energy goal for its own operations as well as its supply chain.
“As the world’s largest smartphone and computer chip manufacturer, Samsung’s commitment represents a big step forward in reducing the impact that our technology is having on the planet. If the company follows through with meaningful actions, Samsung will join Apple, Facebook, Google and other IT business leaders who recognize the sense of urgency around climate change and are taking action to move their operations off of fossil fuels as fast as possible,” said Gary Cook, Senior IT Analyst for Greenpeace USA. “Greenpeace and the thousands who took action with us will be watching Samsung carefully to ensure it follows through on its commitments.”
In a public statement released on its website, Samsung committed to:
- Adopt 100% renewable energy in the USA, Europe and China, where the company has 17 of its 38 global manufacturing factories, offices and buildings;
- Join the CDP’s supply chain program, which helps to identify and manage climate change risks, to lead change in its supply chain; and,
- Install onsite solar and geothermal energy facilities in Gyeonggi province, South Korea where Samsung’s key semiconductor factories are located.
Samsung has the largest smartphone market share globally and is one of the main suppliers of key components to other major tech brands, with 38 production sites and more than 2,000 suppliers across the world. Renewable energy currently accounts for only 1 percent of Samsung Electronics’ total energy consumption, which amounted to 16,000GWh in 2016.
Greenpeace has been campaigning on Samsung Electronics to show its leadership and commit to 100% renewable energy, following other major IT brands like Apple which committed to renewables in 2012.
Since December 2017, activists called out Samsung to “Stop Fueling Climate Change” through a series of actions in Seoul, London, Berlin, New York and Taipei, aimed at challenging the tech giant to take immediate action and publicly commit to 100% renewables.
Notes to editors:
[1] Samsung press statement can be found here.
[2] Details on Samsung’s performance on renewable energy can be found in Greenpeace USA’s latest Guide to Greener Electronics, available here.
[3] More info on CDP’s supply chain program can be found here.
[4] Photos and video can be accessed here.
Media contacts:
Cassady Craighill, Media Officer, Greenpeace USA, phone: +1 828-817-3328 [email protected]
Gary Cook, Senior IT Sector Analyst, phone: +1-202.297.2370, [email protected]
Greenpeace International Press Desk, [email protected], phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)
