Samsung plans to recover 157 tonnes of rare metals, including gold, from Galaxy Note 7s

Samsung Electronics announced today that it will recycle parts from Galaxy Note 7 smartphones, which gained notoriety last year after a battery defect caused several to burst into flames. The company said in a statement on its Korean site (via Google Translate) that it also expects to recover 157 tonnes of rare metals, including gold, from the devices.

Sales of the Galaxy Note 7 were suspended last September, but Samsung confirmed in March that it plans to sell refurbished Galaxy Note 7s instead of throwing them away.

In its new announcement, Samsung said it will recover components like OLED display modules, memory chips, and camera modules from Galaxy Note 7s and reuse them for repairs or recycle them. Rare metals, including cobalt, copper, and gold, will be recovered during the recycling process.

Though Samsung faces a unique PR challenge because of the exploding phone fiasco, other smartphone companies have also announced initiatives to reduce their impact on the planet. For example, Apple announced in April that it is figuring out how to use only renewable materials in its products. Not to be outdone, Samsung said today that it is working on new ways to recycle materials from its products and “actively lead the industry in terms of environmental protection and resource recycling.”

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