Samsung takes out full page ads to apologise for Galaxy Note 7 scandal

Samsung has taken out full page advertisements in major US newspapers to apologize for the Galaxy Note 7 scandal in which fire-prone batteries forced a global recall of the popular smartphones.

The full-page ads in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Washington Post admitted the company ‘fell short’ on its promise of delivering ‘breakthrough technologies that enrich people’s lives.’

‘For this we are truly sorry,’ the company said.

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It promised a full and open investigation into the Galaxy debacle.

The huge South Korean manufacturer was forced to recall some 2.5 million of the flagship Note 7s following complaints that its lithium-ion battery exploded while charging — and at other times. 

The company also had to recall the first replacements it sent out to consumers after they proved just as dangerous.

‘We will re-examine every aspect of the device, including hardware, software, manufacturing and the overall battery structure. We will move as quickly as possible, but will take the time needed to get the right answers.’

The ads also noted the recall that Samsung announced last week for nearly three million clothes washers to fix the tops, which could become loose and fly off while the machine is running.

‘Safety remains our top priority,’ the company said.

The smartphone problem resulted in a 30 percent plunge in Samsung’s third quarter profits and appeared to boost phone sales for rival Apple. 

Earlier this week, Samsung revealed that only 85% of the  Galaxy Note 7 devices recalled after cases of exploding batteries have been returned to them in the US.

Today the company said it ‘remains focused on collecting the outstanding Galaxy Note7 phones in the market.’

It announced plans to cripple the handsets with a software update that only allows owners to charge their batteries to 60% –  and shows a reminder pop-up notification every time a consumer charges, reboots or turns on the screen of their Note7 device. 

‘As of today, nearly 85 percent of all recalled have been replaced through the U.S. Note7 Refund and Exchange Program, with the majority of the participants opting to receive another Samsung smartphone,’ the firm said.

‘Any Galaxy Note7 owner who has not yet participated in the U.S. Note7 Refund and Exchange Program should immediately power down their phone and contact their carrier or retailer today.’ 

Samsung has admitted it is still ‘reviewing options’ to limit the potential environmental impact from the firm’s discontinuation of the Galaxy Note 7 smartphones.

The remarks come after environmental group Greenpeace issued a statement earlier this week demanding the world’s top smartphone maker find a way to reuse rare materials such as cobalt, gold, palladium and tungsten in the discontinued smartphones that Samsung is taking back.

Samsung in October permanently ended sales of the fire-prone Note 7 smartphones and is in the process of recalling them globally, and had sold 3.06 million of the phones to customers before they were pulled from the market.  

‘We recognize the concerns around the discontinuation of the Galaxy Note 7 and are currently reviewing possible options that can minimize the environmental impact of the recall in full compliance with relevant local environmental regulations,’ Samsung said in a statement.

Greenpeace said ‘Right now samsung repair shop is considering dumping 4.3 million brand new Galaxy Note 7 phones following nearly 100 cases of exploding phones around the world. 

‘That is equivalent to almost 730,000 kilograms of hi-spec technology! 

‘While Samsung made the right call in taking their phones out of circulation to avoid more accidents or injuries, the question is now what are they going to do with this huge mountain of phones?

Greenpeace is calling on the global tech leader to see an opportunity in this crisis and show leadership. 

‘Samsung must act transparently to ensure these gadgets don’t end up in the trash but are instead dismantled and separated, and that the precious materials they contain are reused.’

Samsung did not refer to Greenpeace in its statement and declined to comment on what it plans to do with the recovered Note 7 devices.

Experts previously told Dailymail.com that not reusing the valuable chemicals and component is ‘in the direction of an environmental disaster.’

‘The Note 7 had an impact on the environment before the phones were even recalled,’ Gary Cook, senior corporate campaigner and IT sector analyst at Greenpeace, told DailyMail.com.

‘They required energy and chemicals in the manufacturing and mining process.

‘But having already used the resources to make the phones and now disposing of them instead of reusing or refurbishing them is in the direction of an environmental disaster.’

The Galaxy Note 7 has around 50 elements, but only about a dozen can be recovered through recycling – which means a major waste from a resource point.

This week, Samsung made an announcement that may haunt them forever.

The firm said it has permanently discontinued the Galaxy Note 7 and asked users to return their device for a refund or exchange.

A Samsung spokesperson told Jason Koebler with

Although Samsung did not plan on building ticking time bombs, they could have avoided this disaster by giving the Note 7 devices a user-removable battery.

‘Samsung made some poor design choices with a phone that ended up being a fire hazard,’ Cook told DailyMail.com

‘Previously, Samsung designed its smartphones to let customers remove the battery themselves, which is great.’

‘Now, they’ve shifted to using adhesive to put the battery in and it is difficult to remove.’

‘That is why they are recalling the entire phone, instead of just being able replace the battery.’

WHAT’S  INSIDE YOUR SMARTPHONE?

The hazardous ingredients of mobile phones have long been kept under wraps by manufacturers who are tight lipped about the recipes they use for their high-tech components.

Cobalt is also used in rechargable batteries found in many laptops, mobile phones and electric vehicles. 

HeathyStuff.org sampled 36 different mobile phones to see what lurks behind the sleek smartphone covers.

The Galaxy Note 7 has around 50 elements, but only about a dozen can be recovered through recycling – which means a major waste from a resource point. This is why many smartphone makers choose to refurbish and resell, rather than lose money by recycling them

The phones were completely disassembled and interior and exterior components were sampled by X-ray Fluorescence spectrometry – a process which determines the chemical composition of a material.

Each phone reportedly had either lead, bromine, mercury, cadmium, chlorine, or some combination of those chemicals. 

These hazardous substances can pollute throughout a product’s life cycle, including when the minerals are extracted; when they are processed; during phone manufacturing; and at the end of the phone’s useful life. 

The average smartphone contains up to 62 different types of metals and many are rare-earth metals. 

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IEEE, the world’s largest technical professional organization, says that although its researchers stand by their reduce, reuse and recycle mission, they believed repairing is just as important.

It was estimated in 2013 that it takes nearly 165 pounds of raw materials to make the average smartphone, which weighs less than a pound.

And much of the material that is mined gets lost during the recycling process.

The Galaxy Note 7 has around 50 elements, but only about a dozen can be recovered through recycling – which means a major waste from a resource point.

‘Design choices are really key,’ said Cook.

Although the disposal of 2.5 million smartphones at once will impact the environment, this does stand to teach us something – we may finally learn to better recycle smartphones. All we have is either contaminating the earth or losing precious minerals 

‘We need to move away from a disposable linear manufacturing process, because we use these phones for a few years and then just throw them away.’

‘We need a more closed loop system and this is Samsung’s opportunity to do it.’

‘They need to dissemble the phone, recover the materials and put out a safe phone.’

‘Customers find value in that and it could increase Samsung’s brand value.’ 

Many smartphone companies can agree that they make more of a profit if they continue to churn out the same device, then trying to recover any little scraps of material they can.

Samsung has yet to reveal just how they plan to disposed of the phones, but if they do not reuse them in anyway that leaves them with just two options.

APPLE’S ROBOT CAN RECOVER METALS FROM PHONES

After manual inspection, devices with salvageable components are shipped to Liam.

Liam is a large-scale robot, made up of 29 freestanding robotic arms.

Each has a different attachment – some have drills, others screwdrivers and suction cups. After a warehouse worker puts several iPhones onto a conveyor belt (it can fit about 40 at a time on the entrance section), the process begins.

The first robot removes each iPhone’s screen from the back casing, according to The pieces are transported via conveyor belt to another section where the battery is carefully removed.

Screws are sucked up into small tubes and are housed in a nearby container, while SIM card slots are dropped into a small bucket below the system.

Apple claims that Liam yields a 97 percent success rate for removing each component.

It is programmed to carefully disassemble the many pieces of returned iPhones, including SIM card trays, screws, batteries and cameras, by removing components bit by bit so they’ll all be easier to recycle.

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There are a range of materials used to manufacture a smartphone that are deemed toxic including arsenic, lead and mercury, and deciding on how to properly dispose of them can be a challenge.

Many can agree that dumping mobile phones in a landfill is dangerous, as the collection of toxic materials can seep into ground water and contaminate soil.

Recycling sounds like the next best option – but experts say it is one of the worst.

There are many inefficiencies in the smartphone recycling process, which makes it highly priced both financially and in terms of energy.

‘A lot of phones and electronics that are sent to be recycled are thrown in the shredder,’ Cook said.

‘We currently do not have manufactures that now how to properly recycle and harvest the minerals, but some  companies are currently making investments into precious metal recovery systems.’

‘Samsung and Apple should be making bigger investments into this technology, but right now it’s just not happening.’ 

Although the disposal of 2.5 million smartphones at once will impact the environment, this does stand to teach us something – we may finally learn to better recycle smartphones.

WHY WERE THE BATTERIES EXPLODING?  

Lithium batteries are use in a range of consumer electronic devices, favored by manufacturers because they are lightweight and pack much more energy into a small space than other power cells.

But storing so much energy in a tiny space, with combustible components separated by ultra-thin walls, makes them susceptible to overheating if exposed to high temperatures, damage or flaws in manufacturing. 

If the separators fail, a chemical reaction can quickly escalate out of control. 

Koh Dong-jin, Samsung’s mobile president told reporters in Seoul: ‘The flaw in the manufacturing process resulted in the negative electrodes and the positive electrodes coming together.’

It is unclear how Samsung failed to discover the battery problem before launching the Note 7.  

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‘Right now it is a disaster, but with every disaster is a big learning experience,’ said Cook.

‘They should use this massive recall to learn how to recycle the smartphones properly and do it on a large scale.’

‘Here’s an opportunity for Samsung, they had a huge disaster and they can use investments to make themselves a greener company.’

‘They can recapture and repurpose to create a product that can be a new model in the sector and an example for other companies.’ 

With the defective phones and the impact on the environment, some consumers may want to chase Samsung with pitch forks. But, some experts say that when looking at this disaster in a bigger picture, it is just a little ripple in the massive ocean of pollutants we have created

A tear down of the Note 7 reveals some 500 pounds of raw minerals were used to make just a single smartphone.

Reports show that many of the rare minerals found in electronics are quickly disappearing – there are about 10 to 20 years’ worth remaining of some elements that go into our precious smartphones.

So, the idea of purchasing brand new smartphones and recycling them may not be as environmentally friendly or efficient as previously thought.

IS THIS THE FAIREST PHONE OF ALL? 

It may not boast the most impressive camera or respond touch ID, but a new smartphone claims to beat the big smartphone brands at being the most ethical in the world.

The Fairphone is built using conflict-free minerals and is assembled in a factory where the welfare of workers is a top priority.

The mobile has been designed for people who care more about their gadgets’ environmental and societal impact than top specifications, but it still hosts an array of apps and looks like any other smartphone.

The phone is also modular and comes with a user-removable battery – something many experts stress Samsung should have done with the Note 7.

Fairphone works directly with initiatives in the Democratic Republic of Congo to source tin and tantalum in a responsible way. 

The Android handset has a quad-core 1.2Ghz processor and 16GB of memory, an eight megapixel rear camera and a 4.3 inch touchscreen – comparing with a mid-range smartphone, rather than the likes of the Galaxy S5 or iPhone 6. 

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‘We are replacing our phones every year or so and are using a huge amount of resource that are ultimately discarded prematurely,’ said Cook.

‘If you upgrade to extend the product it’s cheaper for both sides.’

Samsung has bragged about using 100 percent recyclable aluminium since the Galaxy S6, but this doesn’t make up for the destructive process it takes to get devices in consumers’ hands.

IS SAMSUNG EXPLOITING CHILDREN TO MINE IT’S METALS? 

Technology giants Apple, Samsung and Sony have been accused of failing to ensure the materials used in their products do not come from mines that exploit child labour.

Amnesty International and African Resources Watch (Afrewatch) have all accused the companies of lax oversight of their supplies of cobalt from mines in Democratic Republic of Congo.

Cobalt is used in rechargable batteries found in many laptops, mobile phones and electric vehicles. 

A report produced earlier this year by the campaign groups says consumer products sold around the world could contain traces of the metal from informal Congolese mines, without technology companies knowing. 

In response, Apple said it had a zero tolerance policy towards child labour and was evaluating ways to improve its identification of labour and environmental risks. Samsung SDI said it conducted written evaluations and on-site inspections of all suppliers to certify compliance with human rights, labour, ethics, environment and health standards. 

The report identified children as young as 12-years-old were working underground digging up the metal in the mine. 

Once processed, the cobalt is sold to battery component manufacturers in China and South Korea, which supply the multinationals. 

Huayou Cobalt is the largest cobalt chemicals producer in China and sold almost $235 million of the metal in 2013, according to the report.

Once smelted, the cobalt is exported to China before being sold to battery manufacturers who claim to supply top-end electronics companies including Apple, Samsung, Sony and 13 others, the report said.

Congo’s supply of the metals such as tantalum, tin, tungsten and gold has been under scrutiny since 2010, when laws in the United States required US-listed companies to ensure their supply chain was free from these so-called ‘conflict minerals’.

But cobalt has received scant regulatory attention, although strifetorn Congo is the source of more than half of global supply. 

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Between the mining of materials and shipping of products, the firm, and many others, are leaving behind a massive carbon footprint – just to end up with less useful recycled materials.

With the defective phones and the impact they could have on the environment, some consumers may want to chase Samsung with pitch forks.

But, some experts say that when looking at this disaster in a bigger picture, it is just a little ripple in the massive ocean of pollutants we have created.