Samsung Electronics has promised that its new Neo QLED TVs will be its most environmentally-friendly yet, thanks to the inclusion of solar powered remote controls, cardboard packaging that can be repurposed instead of thrown away, and more recycled plastics than before.
Samsung launched its Neo QLED TVs in January at the all-digital Consumer Electronics Show, promising an improved display with more local dimming zones to make pictures appear brighter, more precise and richer in colour. The new TVs also come with Object Tracking Sound Pro technology that makes sound correspond to the movement of people and things on screen. So if a plane is flying from left to right across the screen, the sound will appear to come from it as it moves across the display.
Samsung has come up with some clever stuff, but its genius isn’t confined to on-screen aesthetics, as the company has also come up with some smart ways to help the environment.
Firstly, the company is adding a solar power pack to some of its remote controls to enable a longer battery life. The remotes will be able to recharge their batteries via any sunlight that’s allowed into the room, as well as the indoor lights. Samsung reckons this innovation could help to save on 99 million AA batteries over the next seven years, which is the typical lifetime of a TV before its owner replaces it.
Not every new TV will get a solar pack, but those that don’t will benefit from power saving innovations that reduce energy consumption by up to 80%, Samsung said.
Samsung has also extended its recyclable packaging from its Lifestyle TV range to all of its TVs, and come up with a new design that cuts down on printing. The box that your new TV comes in can now be repurposed into more things too, such as a home for your pet cat or a bookcase. Samsung has various instructions that can be downloaded from its website, and it said that if the box of each TV it sells this year is repurposed, it could lead to a reduction of 10,000 tons of greenhouse emissions this year.
Finally, Samsung said it has come up with better ways to recycle plastic so that it retains the “premium feel” that consumers expect when they shell out hundreds, if not thousands of pounds on a new TV. The innovations make it possible to use more recycled materials in its TVs, and should lead to a reduction of more than 500 tons in greenhouse gas emissions over the next seven years.
"Samsung has embarked on a sustainability journey that puts the environment first in all business operations with several long-term sustainability programs that include sustainable packaging design, solar cell-powered remote controls and the reduction of carbon footprints through the use of recycled materials,” the company said in a statement.
