Samsung - global responsibility | Rank a Brand

Samsung Info

Brand Owner: Samsung Group
Head Office: Seocho Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea
Sector: Electronics & ICT Hardware
Categories: Televisions, TV's, Computers, Notebooks, Audio, Video, (Mobile) Phones, Cameras, Camcorders, Home Appliances
Free Tags: GSM, laptop, desktop, PC, netbook, refrigerator, vacuum cleaner, washing machine, air conditioner, m

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10 out of 18

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Last Updated: 11 February 2010
Last Verified: 26 February 2010

Samsung Score Report

Questions about Carbon Emissions

3 out of 5


1. Does the brand (company) clearly support global mandatory cuts of carbon emissions of at least 50% by 2050 or 30% by industrialized countries by 2020?		Samsung supports global mandatory cuts of Greenhouse Gas emissions of at least 50% by 2050. (See 'the Greening of processes: Climate Change Policy).	SOURCE
2. Does the brand (company) disclose its carbon footprint produced by its own operations and in the supply / production chain?		Samsung clearly owns many of the factories in the production chain. They disclose GHG emissions on those factories (domestic and overseas) and on other own operations (see page 33 and 34).	SOURCE
3. Has the brand (company) set a target to reduce its ‘own operations’ carbon footprint by at least 20% by the year 2012?		Goal of reducing GHG emissions from its global manufacturing sites by 2% by 2011, from baseline year of 2008. Samsung seems to have only started measuring its C02-footprint in 2008, a very recent year (Reduction Goals for emissions of GHGs).	SOURCE
4. Has the brand (company) already reduced its 'own operations' carbon footprint by at least 10% in the last 5 years?		Samsung only started measuring its CO2-footprint in 2008 (see remark previous question).	SOURCE
5. Do all new products of the brand meet the latest Energy Star requirements (where applicable)?		All products meet the Energy Star requirements.	SOURCE

Questions about Environmental Policy

4 out of 7


1. Has the brand (company) eliminated PVC and BFRs in all new products? If not, does the brand give a timeline for achieving this by 2012?		Samsung wants to phase out PVC completely by the end of 2010. Although BFRs are already excluded from many components, work continues to phase out BFRs.	SOURCE
2. Has the brand (company) already eliminated PVC and BFRs in all new products?		They are still used.	SOURCE
3. Has the brand (company) already eliminated at least 2 of the 3 groups of suspect chemicals (beryllium, antimony and phthalates) in all of its new products? If not, does it give a timeline for achieving this by 2012?		Samsung gives the timeline for eliminating all three of these suspect chemicals by 31st December 2012.	SOURCE
4. Has the brand (company) already eliminated at least 2 of the 3 groups of suspect chemicals (beryllium, antimony and phthalates)in all of its new products?		Although a timeline is provided (see remark previous question), it is unknown whether these goals have been reached yet.	SOURCE
5. Does the brand (company) support the principle of Individual Producer Responsibility (IPR), meaning that brands are responsibility for the entire lifecycle of their own products, including take back and recycling?		Samsung supports Individual Producer Responsibility (IPR).	SOURCE
6. Does the brand (company) provide free and easy take back and recycling services for its discarded products in many of the countries where its products are sold?		Yes, see section on Global Recycling.	SOURCE
7. Does the brand (company) source at least 5% of its plastics from recycled plastic streams and does it give a clear timeline to increase this percentage to at least 25% by 2025?		See section on Global Recycling: recycling statistics, Use of Recycled Plastics.	SOURCE

Questions about Labour Conditions/Human Rights

3 out of 6


1. Does the brand (company) have a supplier Code of Conduct (CoC) which includes the following standards: No forced or slave labour, no child labour, no discrimination of any kind and a safe and hygienic workplace?		Samsung uses the EICC Code of Conduct as a reference for their policies. That CoC mentions all 4 labor standards.	SOURCE
2. Does this CoC include at least two of the following workers rights: 1. to have a formally registered employment relationship 2. to have a maximum working week of 48 hours with voluntary paid overtime of 12 hours maximum 3. to have a sufficient living wage?		In the EICC CoC, standard 1 is not mentioned. Maximum working is 60 hours (including overtime) 'except in emergency cases and unusual situations', which can mean anything. Living wage not mentioned.	SOURCE
3. Does this CoC include the right for workers to form and join trade unions and bargain collectively; and in those situations where these rights are restricted under law, the right to facilitate parallel means of independent and free association and bargaining?		In the EICC CoC, the 'right to associate freely, join or not join labor unions, seek representation, join workers’ councils' is given, but no mention of alternatives where law prohibits.	SOURCE
4. Does the brand (company) have a published list of direct suppliers that have collectively contributed to more than 90% of the purchase volume?		Samsung provides a list of production sites which seems to include all of their factories (page 8).	SOURCE
5. Is the brand (company) a member of a collective initiative that aims to improve labour conditions, or does the brand (company) purchase its supplies from accredited factories with improved labour conditions?		Samsung is part of the EICC (see page 14 of report).	SOURCE
6. Does the brand (company) annually report on the results of its labour conditions policy?		Not found in Sustainability Report 2009.	SOURCE