Sustainability Innovation of the Year

Nominee: Samsung

Samsung’s global 2022 sustainability initiative strives to incorporate environmental sustainability into everything it does. The company’s products are thoughtfully designed to minimize their impact on the environment throughout their lifecycle – from the planning and manufacturing stages to their use and 100% recycled materials packaging. As part of the initiative, Samsung will increase the use of recycled plastics as product components to reduce carbon emissions by 77,000 tons. Samsung also increased resource circularity and reduced greenhouse gas emissions with eco-friendly resin made from recycled plastic. Samsung is focused on reducing waste, promoting energy efficiency, and conserving resources throughout display products.

1. As part of our ongoing commitment to sustainability, Samsung’s production line will increase the use of recycled plastics made from marine waste materials, which include plastics, metals, rubber, paper, and textiles as components in all Samsung TVs and monitors – reducing carbon emissions by more than 77,000 tons.
2. Samsung will receive Its First Global Carbon Footprint Certification for Signage and obtain Carbon Trust’s CO2 measured product carbon footprint label, paving the way for carbon reduction. Samsung will be able to cut the carbon emission of the smart signage through enhanced production efficiency. Additionally, Samsung will launch an evaluation system to track the carbon emissions of all its visual display products in 2022.
3. Samsung’s approach to packaging is simple and focused on conserving resources, reducing waste, and promoting reuse. For example, our 2021 TVs featured boxes made with 100 percent recycled materials. Our 2021 eco-packaging program was born to create sustainable packaging, first by reducing oil-based ink printing and then with a dot- matrix design so that anyone can create a functional piece for home by giving a second use to the packaging of their TV or monitor. Now, as part of our 2022 sustainability initiative, we are making the items inside the box more eco-friendly by reducing the amount of ink used in packaging, replacing all of the staples used at box edges with glue and reducing the box assembly time by 20%. By minimizing text and graphic imagery on the Eco- packaging, the oil-based ink from colour printing that’s traditionally used on TV or monitor boxes is eliminated, helping to further reduce waste. Samsung’s Eco-Packaging program is not only focused on inspiring consumers to recycle, but also to re-use and re-purpose cardboard packaging.
4. To prevent consumers from throwing away old remote-control batteries that are wasteful and hazardous to the environment, Samsung introduced the industry’s first SolarCell Remote that is battery-free, features an RF harvesting Antenna and re-charges from the lights inside your home. This all-in-one remote has sustainability built-in and is made from regenerated resin made from recycled plastics, making it easy to control external devices and support the environment at the same time. The 2022 enhanced SolarCell Remote uses technology that generates electricity from radio frequencies from devices like Wi-Fi routers, to power the remote day and night. With our new SolarCell Remote, we hope to eliminate nearly 400 million batteries from landfills.
5. Additionally, Samsung is rethinking consumers’ device set-up and daily product usage to increase energy efficiency. Traditionally, when your TV or monitor is plugged in but not turned on, it is still consuming energy using standby power. As a solution to this, Samsung is committed to reaching .004 watts of standby power in all Samsung TVs and monitors by 2023.

Nominee: Konftel

Konftel is a leading company within collaboration endpoint solutions. We created the world’s first commercial conference phone and since 1988, our mission has been to help people in businesses around the world to have meetings regardless of distance. We are Climate Neutral Certified, offering customers an option to purchase video conferencing equipment while keeping a clear climate conscience. Products are sold globally under the Konftel brand and our headquarters are based in Sweden. Read more about the company and our products at konftel.com

1. Konftel’s entire product portfolio is Climate Neutral certified. This means all greenhouse gas emissions have been offset across all aspects of the business
2. Konftel became the first company in the UC sector to secure this status
3. It has been secured for the second consecutive year and we are working towards new targets for next year
4. We are constantly looking at new ways of reducing our impact on the planet. As well as the investment in its carbon credit programme, Konftel will continue to reduce future business travel by staff. We have replaced all plastic packaging for accessory cables with paper-based alternatives.
5. Furthermore new pledges include all company owned cars becoming electric by the end of 2021. Konftel will ‘climate-optimise’ packaging for all deliveries sent from its head office. This includes replacing plastic bubble wrap with recycled paper, minimizing carton sizes, switching from plastic tape and using thermal labels that require less energy and generate less waste. In addition Konftel will explore options for improved energy efficiency at its biggest manufacturing sites.

Nominee: Clevertouch Technologies (a Boxlight Brand Boxlight Ltd)

A NASDAQ listed company, Boxlight’s Clevertouch Technologies rebranded in March 2021 from Clevertouch to combine all of our manufacturing solutions under one umbrella. We make world- class, market-leading and award-winning innovative technologies for all meeting, open spaces, classrooms and software solutions that embrace the communication and collaborative needs of educators and corporate clients alike. We do this with the end customer in mind and every solution is created to make life easier for them. Clevertouch supplies not only leading technical products but also ClevertouchLive to control and update all your products whilst also managing your digital signage. We are an innovator.

1. We have moved 60% of our internal and external meetings online: As a company, we have moved to an online-first model where if a meeting or demonstration can take place online without the need for travel, then this is our first choice. This has allowed us to reduce our carbon footprint while still ensuring customer satisfaction.
2. 50% reduction in packaging and localised warehousing to reduce transportation: In 2021, we redesigned our packaging to allow more units to fit in a container, thus reducing transportation. We also opened localised warehousing, meaning we can reduce the need to ship smaller deliveries across the globe.
3. Clevertouch recycling scheme – for old equipment: We offer all end users the chance to let us recycle their old products regardless of brand. These units are refurbished and provided to developing countries. Where we are unable to refurbish, we ensure these are recycled correctly.
4. All company cars moving to Tesla from 2022.
5. Technological improvements
   Our environmental sensors observe the room’s ideal levels of humidity, dust, pollution and allergens in the air to allow you to ensure optimum levels for air quality monitoring to improve health and well-being. Our latest digital signage solutions are designed to reduce the need for printed material within education, healthcare and corporate environments.