Several Samsung Galaxy Note 7's lay on a counter in plastic bags after they were returned to a Best Buy on September 15, 2016 in Orem, Utah. (Photo : Getty Images/George Frey)
Samsung has recalled 4.3 million Galaxy Note 7 devices; the company does not appear to be transparent about how it will clear out such a huge number of smartphones. Unless Samsung reprocesses and reuses these minerals, they are likely to pose a grave threat to the environment.
The recalled smartphones contain significant amounts of precious minerals, which may eventually be discarded into the environment unless necessary steps are initiated by concerned authorities. The 4.3 million Galaxy Note 7 devices roughly contain 100 kg gold, 1 ton silver, over 20 metric tons of cobalt, 1 ton tungsten, 60 kg palladium, and several kg tantalum, Green Peace reported citing a report published by Oeko-Institut, a German-based research and consultancy firm.
The South Korean tech titan has already announced the recall of 4.3 million Galaxy Note 7 devices from across the globe, but is yet to clarify as to what led to the malfunctioning of the smartphones. Samsung has already stated that it will not reprocess the recalled phones without explaining what it intends to do with them.
Of the 4.3 recalled phones, as many as one million units were sold in the United States - the largest number compared to other markets. In fact, the mess with the Galaxy Note 7 has had a negative impact on the company's reputation. Now, if Samsung dumps these malfunctioning devices, it will only raise questions about the company's claims regarding promoting a "circular economy," Eco Watch reported.
This is not the first time that Samsung has recklessly disposed of recalled devices. The company is said to have discarded 150,000 newly-launched Anycalls smartphones in 1995 after flaws were detected in the devices. The entire lot of defective smart phones were burnt causing great harm to the environment. This incident was an example of how several smartphone manufactures favored a disposable economic model.
"Samsung has a unique opportunity to recover and reuse the resources used in the recalled phones," the website quoted Greenpeace USA senior corporate campaigner, Elizabeth Jardim, as saying. The environment activist further said that this incident should be a lesson for all electronics and smartphone manufacturers across the world and they should only design products which can be reused more easily.
Greenpeace has now called on Samsung to abstain from dumping or burning the recalled devices. At the same time, the organization has urged the company to ensure that the environmental damage due to the disposal of the faulty smartphones is minimized. The company has also been asked to be transparent and make its plans for disposing the devices public.
Samsung issued recall of 4.3 million Galaxy Note 7 devices. Watch below:
