Samsung Electronics Vice President Lee Don-tae: "Sustainable Design is 'User-Centered'"

'Going Further Together... Designing a Sustainable Future' Op-Ed

Vice President Idontae Lee, Head of Design Management Center, Samsung Electronics

[Asia Economy Reporter Dongwoo Lee] Lee Dontae, Vice President of Samsung Electronics and head of the Design Management Center, revealed the company's sustainable design philosophy in celebration of Environment Day.

In an article titled "Together Further... Designing a Sustainable Future," published on June 4 on the Samsung Electronics Newsroom, Vice President Lee stated, "Design for a sustainable future has always been a topic of great interest to designers and will become even more important going forward."

Vice President Lee explained sustainable design by dividing it into three stages: development process, consumer participation, and experience of change. As an example of a sustainable development process, he cited the recent 'upcycling' project that transformed discarded PET bottles into Galaxy S20+ cases. He emphasized that the use of natural materials for case development, maintaining beauty and reliability, and passing all of Samsung’s reliability standards constitute sustainable design.

The recently introduced 'Eco Package' for Samsung Electronics' lifestyle TVs, designed to be assembled and recycled, falls under consumer participation mentioned by Vice President Lee. He said, "It has received great public response because it offers a DIY experience where simple tasks allow the package to be recreated into a cat house or TV table."

As an example of enabling consumers to experience change, he presented the smartphone service 'SmartThings Energy,' which allows users to directly monitor household electricity usage. This service provides intuitive visualization of electricity consumption on the smartphone screen, offering not only usage monitoring but also various information to help reduce electricity bills.

Vice President Lee stated, "Through user-centered sustainable design, we empathize with consumers who value ethical consumption and the environment, and we will continuously challenge ourselves to enable humanity to enjoy a sustainable life."

Meanwhile, since 1996, Samsung Electronics has selected design as a key corporate asset, placing users at the center of its design philosophy. The company has established research centers in Seoul, San Francisco, London, New Delhi, Beijing, Tokyo, S?o Paulo, and other locations, where over 1,500 designers continuously study sustainable design.