Korea-based Hanwha Compound, a subsidiary company of Hanwha Solutions, has successfully collaborated with Samsung on the creation of a recycled PA derived from discarded fishnets for use in mobile devices.
The new material has been developed in response to mounting consumer demand for eco-conscious materials and supports Samsung’s efforts, among other things, to fulfil ESG mandate requirements.
The material is made from fishing nets that have undergone long-term exposure to seawater and UV rays, leading to degradation of the material and rendering it too fragile to be upcycled directly. Samsung first partnered with Royal DSM, a leading science-based company to gain access to fishing nets collected along the coastlines of the Indian Ocean. After collection, DSM separates, cuts, cleans and extrudes the nets to produce an eco-conscious material, which consists of a minimum of 80% recycled polyamide, or nylon.
Samsung then partnered with Hanwha Compound, a polymer compounding company, that used sophisticated compounding technology to optimise the material’s properties, tailoring these to match the company’s high-quality standards for smartphone technology. The results are high-performance polyamide resins with a minimum content of 20% repurposed fishing nets.
The material, which has been certified by Underwriter Laboratories, has now been incorporated into key components for the new Galaxy smartphones, PCs and tablets. Specifically, Samsung has applied it in the Galaxy S22 series' key bracket and inner cover of the S Pen, Galaxy Tab S8 series' inner support brackets, and Galaxy Book2 Pro series' touchpad holder and inner bracket.
Going forward, Hanwha Compound says it will ramp up its efforts to expand the range of eco-conscious products in its portfolio, given the mounting threat to marine biodiversity posed by discarded fishing nets and other ocean-bound plastics. The company says it has dedicated extensive research and development efforts towards upcycling sea waste into eco-friendly materials. In the future, these will also find application in automotive electronics and textile material, said Hanwha Compound CEO Lim Sang-il, in search of more ‘sustainable solutions for the planet’.