Samsung Announces A Solar-Powered Remote Control, Among Other Environment Saving Plans

Going green is the future if we want to have any kind of future at all. With more organizations adopting eco-friendly solutions, it’s no surprise when you see an electronics giant like Samsung at the forefront with their smallest ecological footprint forward.

Last year saw the rise of Samsung’s “eco-packaging” – a dot-matrix printed box made from corrugated cardboard that allows you to turn an empty electronics box into something more useful. And this year, we’re getting something even bigger: solar-powered remote controls!

Starting this 2021, 4K and 8K Samsung QLED televisions will come with a solar-powered remote control. On the front, it looks just like your everyday TV remote. You’ve got buttons you can press to change channels, connect to the Internet, and that one special button that turns on the backlight for the rest of the remote. (Oh! What fun it is to play with this one during sleepovers!)

But flip this remote over and you’ll find a small solar panel that can be simply charged by indoor light OR direct sunlight. You can leave the remote in a well-lit place during the day (like your front porch, kitchen, or work desk) and use it during the night when the sun is facing the other side of the world. The internal battery can last up to seven years – the same as the average lifespan of a Samsung TV.

If you happen to live in London or anywhere where it isn’t sunny, don’t worry. The solar-powered remote also comes with a USB-C port which allows you to charge it just like any other electronics.

The best thing about this remote is its complete incompatibility with alkaline batteries. You heard that right: no more fiddling with AAA batteries or searching for them in the store. Samsung’s new remotes will definitely help in cutting down the number of improper disposal of batteries and more importantly, the hazardous chemicals they produce.

It goes without saying Samsung’s solar-powered remote controls are trying to become more environment-friendly themselves. Samsung uses upcycled plastics from recycled bottles to create their new remotes, thereby decreasing the amount of new plastic going out into the world.

Aside from their new solar-powered remotes, Samsung also announced a few of their other endeavors in their journey to become a greener company. They are expanding their eco-packaging design to their entire lifestyle TV line and most of their 2021 Neo QLED line. Overall carbon footprints in TV production are being reduced and a plan to use more recycled materials in their televisions is underway. Outside of production, Samsung also plans on lowering the overall power consumption of all their TVs.

All in all, it’s looking like a green start of 2021 for Samsung, and here’s to hoping more companies follow suit!

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