After a rocky 2016, the tech giant Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (KRX:005930) is hoping to start afresh with the unveiling of the new Galaxy S8 on Wednesday, as well as plans to start selling the Note 7 again.
Samsung said on Monday that it plans to sell the Galaxy Note 7, that were pulled from stores due to faulty batteries, causing the device to self-combust.
The tech giant sold 3.06 million Note 7s, before permanently taking them off shelves in October 2016.
“Regarding the Galaxy Note 7 devices as refurbished phones or rental phones, applicability is dependent upon consultations with regulatory authorities and carriers as well as due consideration of local demand,” Samsung said in a statement.
In a report released by the South-Korean company, Samsung said they plan to extract metals from the recalled devices, emphasising an environmentally friendly approach.
“Samsung shall first extract precious metals, such as copper, nickel, gold and silver by utilising eco-friendly companies specialising in such processes,”
This was following pressure from environmental groups such as Greenpeace, who urged Samsung to deal with the recovered Galaxy Note 7s. Greenpeace said in a statement that it was pleased Samsung’s decision.
“After five months of people-powered actions around the world, Samsung pulled its head out of the sand and committed to recycling the millions of Galaxy Note 7 phones it recalled! This is great news for the hundreds of thousands of people who took action.
“Here’s what Samsung’s committed to do in a nutshell: Samsung will refurbish non-problematic components of the Galaxy Note 7, such as the camera and alarms, so they can be used and resold in future phones. For components that can’t be repurposed, the company will extract and recycle the raw materials in an environmentally-sound way.” it says on the Greenpeace website.
Earlier this week Kwon Oh-hyun, the company’s vice chairman, apologised for the corruption scandal and problems with the Galaxy Note 7.
“I’m sorry for the scandal,” Mr Kwon told investors at the smartphone maker’s annual shareholder meeting in Seoul.
“I apologise once again for the mistake with the Note 7 last year. It was a failure that arose from trying new technology.”