1. By Merhawi Mehari Ece60222

2. Samsung Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd is a multi-national business. They’re extensive range of products keeps them as one of the most influential companies in electronics production. The Samsung LE46A956D1M is an innovative new design from Samsung. It is a new gadget from the series 9 sect. Its main feature is its LED technology, which allows it to dim its light by automatically adjusting the brightness levels. The unit achieves this by determining the rooms lighting. It also has a DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) connection available which allows it to connect to the majority of media in homes; such as the PS3, cameras, laptops/computers and even a video recorder. Also included is a USB connection which allows for a plug and play function.

3. Environmental Issues Samsung are making huge advancements in the battle for greener electronics and also the aftermath of purchasing. A great example is the fact that Samsung have removed lead from the production of their electronic units. This lessens the toxins that need to be broken down later on in the product life cycle. They have done this through using lead free solders when creating the motherboard of the televisions. One key note that is brought up time and again is the affect a greener system has on the power usage of the product which will affect the performance. Samsung have cited a 30% decrease in power usage from the use of LED HDTVs, this means a lower electricity bill per quarter. Also, compared to a LCD display it costs £1000 less a year to maintain and is more noted for its durability.

4. Recycling Samsung are also ensuring that televisions are not merely put into landfills and left to disintegrate. They are achieving this by launching the Samsung Recycling Direct which allows customers to drop off their retired electronics. Non-Samsung products can be dropped off for a fee as well. The SRD contract forbids incinerating the products sending them to landfill or exporting toxic materials from the units to developing countries. Currently; India, China and Pakistan bear the brunt of the developed worlds infatuation with technology. These developing countries are breaking up electronic waste by hand at landfill sites that are not lined, which means toxins are not free to leach into the water.= Eutrophication. The toxic waste found in television units range from arsenic to lead, which when combined with drinking water will detrimentally affect the nervous system of drinkers. To emphasise the magnitude of pollutant found in electronics, Noah Horowitz (Watchdog Natural Resources Defence Council) stated “Old television units contain at least four pounds of lead.”

5. Legislation To combat this two main legislations were put into play. These are; (i) Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE Directive) which states “…systems are set up to provide for the treatment of such WEEE using the best available treatment, recovery and recycling techniques.” (WEEE Regulations P.22 Reg.25) This is a factor that Samsung deal heavily (see above). (ii) Reduction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) is fundamentally "the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment.” (Rohs.gov.uk) Both of these legislations are going to become part of every manufacturers statute book by 13 th August 2004.

6. How the competitors compare At the moment due to the WEEE and the RoHS that have been in effect since 13 th August 2004, a large majority of the electronics manufacturers undertook a more greener route with both production and recycling. Green Peace recently made a ranking of the environmental programs of each brand. (The ranking are out of 10) Nokia 8.0 Dell 7.3 Sony Ericsson 7.0 Samsung 6.7 Motorola 6.7 Hewlett- Packard 5.3 Panasonic 5.0 LG Electronics 4.3 Sony 4.0 As can be seen from the results, Samsung are well above their main competitors (Sony, LG, Panasonic and HP).

7. Competition Compared Contd. Currently the push for greener components and recycling products has forced the major leaders in electronics to update their manufacturing process. This demand for greener products has brought out the production of the Philips LED HDTV which also contains no lead (Pb).

8. Conclusion Samsung have taken a notable lead with their greener outlook on electronic production, as the slide before showed. The main issue at the moment that is affecting the sale of electronics is the credit crunch. The affects are also felt in the recycling segment as less companies are inclined to invest money in the programs. However, Mitsubishi are developing a more energy efficient HDTV that uses lasers as opposed to the LED technology implemented by Samsung. This is however still being developed at the moment.

9. The End Thank You