Samsung wants to turn your old phone into a sustainable DIY smart home device with Galaxy Upcycling

Last year, sustainability was the trend that took the tech industry by storm, with manufacturers moving to reduce their emissions like Apple committing to be 100 percent carbon neutral for its supply chain and products by 2030. The company also stopped shipping chargers in the box while reducing prices, something that Android device manufacturers like Samsung seem keen on adopting.

Samsung wants its customers to actually make a difference with their old devices, which would otherwise end up in landfills or dumped in the ocean. Many people do exchange their phones - these sometimes end up as refurbished units, but many users just keep their old devices lying at home or throw them away. The South Korean company revealed at CES 2021 that it was launching a new part of its Upcycling program to give older Galaxy phones a new sense of purpose again.

Also read: Apple will modify executive bonuses based on environmental values in 2021

Samsung says that with its Galaxy Upcycling at Home program which will roll out to older Galaxy devices, you can turn your old phones into smart home devices like thermostat control, smart lights, or simply turn it into a childcare tool or pet monitor which can turn on the lights remotely when they’re home alone. “Through this program, we want to inspire you to live more sustainably with an easy-to-achieve do-it-yourself approach,” the company’s video says.

The company’s Upcycling program is hardly an old one, with blog posts connected to other sustainability ‘projects’ dating back to 2018. However, the CES 2021 announcement is a big change from the company urging its customers to reuse their eco-packaging TV boxes as houses for their cats or do-it-yourself furniture, which won an award at CES 2020 by the way. Samsung is now advising its customers to hold on to their devices for longer, which may turn out to be an excellent trend.