Samsung's keywords at IFA 2022: connectivity and sustainability

By Woo Jae-yeon

BERLIN, Sept. 1 (Yonhap) -- Samsung Electronics Co. said Thursday it will showcase its latest products and solutions designed to promote a smarter and eco-conscious life at a global consumer electronics show in Berlin.

A wide variety of Samsung's home appliances and personal devices, ranging from premium gaming monitors to its latest foldable smartphones, will go on display at Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin (IFA) 2022, which takes place from Friday to Tuesday.

Samsung will run a 10,072-square-foot booth at City Cube Berlin, the biggest in size among exhibitors of this year's electronics trade show that will be fully in-person for the first time in three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The South Korean tech giant has been working to maximize the synergy among home appliances so that life at home becomes more convenient and smarter.

At this year's IFA, Samsung will unveil an upgraded software platform of SmartThings that will enable users to connect and control home devices from 13 different brands, including its own.

Samsung is a founding member of the Home Connectivity Alliance (HCA), alongside domestic rival LG Electronics Inc., GE Appliances and the Electrolux Group. The Home Connectivity Alliance was established in 2021 with the mission to provide consumers with more options within a safe, secure and interoperable connected home ecosystem.

Such interconnectivity, it said, will help users lead an environmentally more sustainable life.

For example, SmartThings Energy monitors the energy consumption of connected devices, and automatically switches to an energy saving mode, if necessary.

Creating more eco-friendly home appliances and devices is one of its long-term goals, the company said, adding that all of its home appliances will be Wi-Fi enabled by the end of next year, and ultimately will be fitted with built-in energy-saving features.

As part of efforts to make home life more environmentally sustainable, Samsung will introduce the Net Zero Home, a campaign to develop technologies to help houses self-produce and store power, in collaboration with Seoul-based Hanwha Q Cells, a solar energy solutions provider.

Samsung will also showcase new Bespoke laundry technology that reduces the release of microplastics from clothing, in partnership with American outdoor clothing and gear brand Patagonia.

The global tech giant said the new laundry lineup filters out microplastics, responsible for polluting oceans and endangering marine life and natural habitats, by as much as 54 percent.

In an effort to reduce its carbon footprint, Samsung has, since early this year, developed technology that repurposes one of the world's main sources of plastic waste -- discarded fishing nets. The material made from such plastics was first used in the Galaxy S22 series.

Samsung said it plans to release software updates next month so that users can install the latest smartphone features in the Galaxy S22 or Z Fold 4, without buying new phones, a move that will also help reduce waste.

jaeyeon.woo@yna.co.kr
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