Like visual artists, musicians tend to also answer the call of their muse, wherever it takes them. Sometimes, however, that takes them to places where there’s no safe place to put down their instruments. This is especially problematic for stringed instruments like guitars of all kinds, ukuleles, mandolins, and others that have to be placed upright.

Of course, there are floor stands designed for these instruments, but almost all the available ones don’t exactly make it easy for you to carry them around. To address that need, this portable floor stand collapses completely flat and can be unfolded in just seconds, making it effortless to set up your busking spot anywhere. Best of all, it’s made of sustainable materials to satisfy conscientious musicians.

Designer: HarritSorensen

The common design of guitar stands doesn’t actually inspire confidence with their thin arms and flimsy legs. In fact, they don’t inspire at all with their rather plain appearance, more like spindly monsters that promise security and safety but let you and your instrument down in the end. For discerning musicians, these critical tools just bring stress and worry, and that’s even when they’re just using them at home.

The NordicStand is designed to cater to the needs and whims of inspired musicians who need to be able to take their craft anywhere. In just 3 seconds, it can go from flat to stand and back again, taking away any friction as you shuffle from one venue to the next. At only 960g, the collapsible stand easily fits in your guitar’s front pocket and won’t add much weight to your baggage.

It’s also claimed to be the most eco-friendly instrument stand, made using sustainably sourced wood and aluminum, and lined with oiled cork. The materials bring a touch of natural elegance to the design, making it stand out when your instrument isn’t resting on it. Its special mechanism not only deploys the stand in just seconds, it also secures any instrument of any size up to 11kg (25 lbs) in weight.

The NordicStand delivers a musical accessory that hits all the right notes, pun totally intended. Elegant and eco-friendly, it literally puts your favorite musical instrument on a pedestal while also ensuring that their craft doesn’t harm the environment in the process.

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As someone who lives in the concrete jungle most of my life, the idea of being surrounded by nature and taking time to sit quietly and meditate is a luxury that I rarely have. It’s my dream actually to live somewhere that whenever I want to take a pause from looking at buildings and vehicles, I can go to a nearby spot and just have a time out from my daily life and marvel at nature. For those who have that privilege of living in a place like that, an observation point in the middle of all that is a welcome break.

Designer: Tephra

Along the Eau Morte riverbed in Faverges, France, there is one such observation point. Refuge of Stones is an installation and a shelter where you can observe the mineral landscape of the area. While it’s primarily a threshold between the path and the river, it is also a place where you can sit down and observe the different geological cycles that have shaped that area. The shelter has gabion walls that are made from seven tons of stones that actually come the dry riverbed itself and is a result of both mountain erosion and direct collection. Previously, they were hidden underneath the flowing water but now they’re part of the structure.

The gabions also have wood and steel elements combining to give a porous texture that gives you different visual patterns with the light and shadows cast on the structure all throughout the day. There is a wooden bench inside the structure where you can rest and observe your surroundings as it is eye level with the dry riverbed when you’re seated on it. The combination of the play of light and shadow and the dry riverbed, as well as the surrounding trees and plants give you time to meditate not just on nature but also the constantly shifting terrain of the Eau Morte riverbed.

This structure is simple and minimalist but comes from the material integrity design approach. Each stone actually has its own story looking from the geological perspective but because they are now assembled and structured in another context, you get a new narrative, focusing on the passage of time and both the presence and absence of the water in the river.

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It’s definitely not everyone’s cup of tea, but many find the heat of a sauna actually relaxing. Most of these establishments are now found inside modern buildings, but a few try to offer a more rustic and nature-inspired experience with an outdoor sauna. Unsurprisingly, most of these are designed like small wooden cabins to blend with their surroundings and evoke that sense of a nature escape.

What better way to connect with nature, however, than to build such a freestanding room in a way that doesn’t hurt Mother Nature? At least not as much as a regular building would. Although a “green” sauna might not have been the original motivation for this “Upcycled sauna,” it still has the same effect of giving you peace of mind and body as you relieve your stress inside a box made from people’s trash or leftovers.

Designer: Tomáš Dvořák, Lenka Bažík (ika architects)

Plenty of materials don’t make the cut in the process of making new products. Some materials are also simply discarded when they’ve reached the end of their use. While it might be impossible to reuse them in the exact same product, unless they undergo some form of recycling, they could serve a new purpose in some other product that’s completely unrelated to their original design.

Wooden sleepers and pallets, for example, would become the foundation and structure of a cubical room that would eventually become this sustainable outdoor sauna. Sheep wool that would simply be thrown away is transformed into insulation that would keep the heat from escaping through the walls. Corrugate fiberglass laid out on a grid and layered like scales become the distinctive exterior of this sauna. Admittedly, it doesn’t look like a work of art, but its true value lies not in what it has become but in what it has been.

The materials were sourced from construction sites, locals, friends, and other people, giving what would become trash a new lease on life. Even more interesting is that, once you know how the sauna was made, you begin to wonder what story each piece has to tell. It gives the room an almost spiritual or at least social vibe, connecting you not just to the Earth but to people and places as well.

To top it all off, there’s a cooling pool outside, though it looks more like a tub for a single person. It’s made from an old discarded mining cart that’s painted gold, perhaps giving emphasis to the saying that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

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Think sound absorption/dampening and you automatically think of materials like foam, cardboard, cloth, egg-holder trays. A designer is encouraging us to think outside the box – or rather, outside the ball. Designed by Mathilde Wittock of MWO Design, Soundbounce takes discarded tennis balls and transforms them into a material that’s not just sustainable but visually and texturally delightful. It’s sustainability turned into functional art—making you rethink how something as humble as a tennis ball can turn into the ultimate sound-absorbing material.

Soundbounce begins with used tennis balls, remnants of matches and memories, once destined for the landfill. The world produces 330 million tennis balls each year – once they serve their purpose, the balls are discarded, taking over 400 years to decompose. Instead of becoming planet Earth’s problem, Wittock reimagines these balls into a material that retains their essence—soft yet durable, lightweight yet strong. You can almost sense the energy of their previous life in the surface of this material, now transformed into something tactile and inviting.

Designer: Mathilde Wittock

The texture of Soundbounce is immediately captivating. Soft and slightly springy, it’s reminiscent of the original ball yet feels entirely new. This is the kind of surface that invites interaction—it’s warm to the touch, with a playfulness that balances its eco-conscious origins. Its imperfections aren’t flaws; they’re subtle reminders of the material’s journey, adding depth and intrigue to its appearance. Moreover, rather than being just visual, this decorative material is textural and tactile too, involving more senses in the user experience. Heck, it might just smell like a fresh tennis ball too!

Visually, the material has a velvety quality that feels unexpected for something made from recycled rubber. Its aesthetic is versatile, making it a compelling choice for a variety of applications. Picture it as upholstery on modern furniture, lending softness and personality to a space. Or imagine it as part of a design accent—perhaps an acoustic panel, a room divider, or even a pet bed. The tactile and visual appeal makes Soundbounce both approachable and elegant, capable of elevating any setting it’s introduced into.

Sustainability in design often comes with compromises. The raw, industrial look of recycled materials can sometimes overshadow their function, leaving them appreciated more for their message than their form. Soundbounce avoids that pitfall, showing that recycled materials can be both thoughtfully sustainable and visually refined. Its texture and color feel purposeful, celebrating its origins without overwhelming the final design. The balls also come in a variety of natural colors, with designer Mathilde Wittock also customizing the balls with RAL colors upon request – making it perfect for billboards, corporate installations, or other large-scale branding projects.

Its playful roots add another layer of charm. There’s something undeniably cheerful about its tennis ball heritage—a connection to sport, movement, and energy that carries over into the material. That lighthearted quality makes Soundbounce adaptable. Whether in a sleek interior, a casual workspace, or a child’s playroom, it has a way of blending in while adding its own story to the mix. Besides, the name Soundbounce perfectly captures the material’s history (bouncy tennis balls) but simultaneously feels like a playful taunt given that this new material doesn’t bounce sound – in fact, it absorbs it!

Pet owners, in particular, might find Soundbounce especially charming. Its soft, textured surface feels fantastic to the touch—perfect for a pet bed or a chew-resistant toy. After all, what better way to give your furry friend a slice of luxury while being kind to the planet? It’s as if Soundbounce is naturally tailored for the kind of practical, playful designs pets (and their humans) adore.

Soundbounce is a versatile material that lends itself to a range of applications, from furniture and interior design to fashion accessories and pet products. Its soft, tactile surface makes it ideal for upholstery, adding both comfort and visual appeal to chairs, cushions, and benches. Designers can also use it for accent pieces like lampshades or wall panels, where its textured finish becomes a focal point. Beyond aesthetics, Soundbounce delivers a significant sustainable impact. Each square meter incorporates approximately 283 upcycled tennis balls, preventing them from entering landfills and repurposing the equivalent of 8.5 kg of CO2. By transforming waste into a functional, beautiful material, Soundbounce champions a circular approach to design, reducing environmental harm while creating meaningful products.

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Despite laptops overtaking their towering cousins in market share, these portable computers still lack one vital trait that has kept stationary desktops still relevant today. Desktop computers are, to a very large extent, modular by design, making it easier to upgrade and replace components as needs and technologies change. Sure, some laptops have upgradable RAM and storage, but that’s pretty much all there is to them given certain limitations in design.

Those limitations include the design of the motherboard itself, an all-in-one all-or-nothing object that is pretty much the soul of a computer. Intel, however, is proposing a rather ground-breaking change that will help make these components more repairable and less wasteful. If followed by its partners, it won’t just kick off a new age of modular laptops, it could even give Intel and AMD a huge edge over their Arm-based rivals such as Qualcomm and, of now, Apple.

Designer: Intel

The difference in motherboards between desktops and laptops is like night and day. Desktops follow an industry convention that has been shaped over decades, allowing components from rival companies to be mixed and matched as the consumer desires. Laptop motherboards, on the other hand, are often designed based on brand needs and whims. More importantly, they come as a whole package, with many parts soldered onto the board, including the ones that get worn out faster than others.

Intel’s proposed guidelines try to split the laptop motherboard into three distinct parts, two of which would hold the I/O or input out components such as USB and HDMI ports. The third would be where the core silicon is located, specifically the CPU and the GPU, among others. The modularity would allow different affected parts to be replaced if broken or, if desired, even upgraded, without throwing away the rest of the motherboard.

Those guidelines also have something for mini PCs, which are like the middle child between desktops and laptops. In this matter, the CPU and motherboard are separated from the graphics card and other components, making it easier to swap out GPUs or CPUs in the future. The growing popularity of mini PCs, partially thanks to the Mac mini and Mac studio, could be the driving force behind this initiative. Ironically, Intel itself has given up on the form factor, licensing its “NUC” brand to ASUS.

Designer: Framework

These guidelines might be ideal for reducing e-waste and promoting the right to repair, but it still all depends on whether other players are willing to play ball. Laptop manufacturers might be hesitant to do the work redesigning their laptops, and Intel’s rival AMD might not be keen to cooperate either. It’s still a distant dream, but one can already have a foretaste of the future today with the Framework laptops, proving that it can indeed be done with the right design.

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If you’re a part of the food industry in any measure, you’ve probably been seeing red the past few days, literally and figuratively. The FDA’s recent decision to ban Red Dye No. 3 from food products has stirred significant attention, precisely because of how its eye-catching red hue has long been a staple in various products. Globally, many countries have already restricted Red Dye No. 3, making the FDA’s move a belated but still noteworthy shift that’s now rocking a lot of people’s boats.

Although the FDA’s decision underscores the importance of consumer safety and the need for regulatory bodies to respond to scientific findings, its implications extend beyond the food industry. Designers, particularly those in the food and packaging sectors, must navigate these changes and explore alternative solutions that maintain visual appeal without compromising safety.

Image courtesy of: US FDA

The Scarlet Enigma: Understanding Red Dye No. 3

Red Dye No. 3, also known as erythrosine in some countries, is a synthetic dye cherished for its vibrant cherry-red color. For decades, it has been a key ingredient in processed foods, baked goods, and certain medications. Its ability to enhance visual appeal has made it a valuable tool for food designers.

Image courtesy of: dolgachov

The FDA’s decision to ban this dye was driven by studies since the 80s linking it to cancer development in rats. But while there is still some debate on its impact on humans, the “Delaney Clause” in U.S. law is unambiguous. The US Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act prohibits any additives found to cause cancer in humans or animals, not necessarily both.

Despite these findings, the dye continued to be used due to industry pressure and its widespread adoption. Even stranger, the dye was already banned from use in cosmetics and topical or topical drugs in 1990 for the exact same reason. Since it was approved for use in food and medicine in 1907, Red Dye No. 3 has established itself as one of the standards for this bright red color, making any prohibition potentially disruptive to multiple industries.

Image courtesy of: StudioPeace

That said, the US is actually playing catch up to some extent, as other countries have already either banned the same synthetic dye or have limited its use significantly. The gap, which was partly due to industry lobbying, highlights the challenges in balancing consumer safety with industry demands. As a result, designers must now adapt to this change and seek alternative solutions that meet both aesthetic and safety standards.

A Spectrum of Impact: Red Dye No. 3’s Reach

Image courtesy of: Photodaria

Red Dye No. 3’s reach extends to a myriad of products, which is part of the reason for the buzz around this prohibition. Many of the bright red colors you see from processed food make use of it, from the expected like gummy bears and frosting to the unexpected such as saffron rice, vegetarian meat alternatives, and instant mashed potatoes. Its surprising presence in medicines, including chewable vitamins and cough syrups, underscores its extensive application.

Designer: HAM

The ban presents a significant challenge for the young food design industry which now needs to find a new way to paint the town red, so to speak, without this commodity. Food design, a sub-discipline that focuses on creating new food products, staging and presenting dishes, and designing packaging, will have to look elsewhere for a kind of red that will preserve that visual appeal without compromising safety. Also potentially affected is the budding 3D food printing market which might need to search for alternatives that will give their food that lush red color.

Designer: Revo Foods

The ripple effect of the FDA’s decision extends to various design disciplines, including those that use food dyes for printing or crafts. However, this transition also offers a silver lining, prompting a reevaluation of synthetic dyes and encouraging the pursuit of safer alternatives. It challenges designers to rethink their approach to color and materials, presenting an opportunity for innovation, creativity, and a greater awareness of sustainability in this matter.

A Palette of Possibilities: Exploring Natural Alternatives

The ban on Red Dye No. 3 highlights broader concerns about synthetic dyes. Red Dye No. 40, for example, has been associated with ADHD, raising questions about the safety of consuming chemicals in small doses over time. And it’s not just red that’s the culprit, as other color dyes have also been put under scrutiny for just as long.

This growing awareness has fueled interest in natural alternatives that try to avoid the fundamental cause of the problem: the synthetic nature of these compounds that have toxic effects on humans and animals, no matter how small. And for these, we only need to look to Mother Nature’s own dyes for the answer, leading researchers and scientists to test different sources, including some rather odd ones.

• Betacyanins – plant-based and vegan-friendly color solutions from red beet roots.
• Anthocyanins – water-soluble pigments that appear in fruits and vegetables like sweet potato or red cabbage.
• Carmine – color pigments extracted from the crushed scale insect bodies.

Betacyanins (top), Anthocyanins (middle), Carmine (bottom)

Images courtesy of: Givaudan Sense Colour

With the exception of the third alternative, many people probably wouldn’t mind getting their colors from plants and fruits, unless they’re very particular about the kind of red they want. Depending on the exact mixture, these natural alternatives might not have that same bright cherry red hue of the Red No. 3 dye, making them poor substitutes when it comes to visual impact.

They also have different applications, unlike the generic flexibility of this banned dye. Some, like Carmine, are better for cosmetics but not for art, while Betacyanins are a poor choice for heat-processed foods. Just like plastic, these more natural materials are harder and costlier to make because of their novelty and low demand. Further research is needed to understand their limitations in non-food applications, ensuring they meet the diverse needs of designers across industries.

Shades of Carmine

The FDA’s decision serves as a wake-up call, urging us to reconsider what we consume and the materials we use in design. This ban underscores the urgent need for natural, sustainable, and safer alternatives to synthetic food dyes. The exploration of natural dyes presents an exciting opportunity for designers to innovate and push the boundaries of traditional design practices. By embracing these alternatives, designers can create products that are not only visually appealing but also safer and more sustainable.

The Designer’s Challenge: Navigating a New Landscape

Designers play a crucial role in shaping the future of product aesthetics. As the FDA’s ban on Red Dye No. 3 takes effect, designers must explore creative solutions and innovative materials. This shift presents an opportunity to redefine design standards and prioritize consumer safety.

The ban on Red Dye No. 3 challenges designers to think outside the box and push the boundaries of traditional design practices. By exploring new materials and techniques, designers can create products that are not only visually stunning but also safer and more sustainable.

As designers navigate this new landscape, they have the opportunity to lead the way in creating products that are both aesthetically pleasing and environmentally responsible. This shift presents an exciting opportunity for innovation and creativity, as designers work to redefine the future of design.

Designer: Brik Chocolate

The post How the Red Dye No. 3 Ban is Shaping the Future of Design: Insights for Creatives first appeared on Yanko Design.

I am an avid coffee drinker but sometimes, having too much in one day affects my sleep cycle. So one of my challenges for myself this 2025 is to replace some of my coffee with tea. I prefer the loose leaf tea for the most natural way of drinking it but oftentimes, I use tea bags. These tea bags are mostly paper and chemical based and they are the most common available in the market. Luckily, there are some brands and product designers that are looking into more sustainable ways of packaging these tea leaves while retaining and even enhancing the flavor of the actual tea.

Leaf Vein Tea is a different kind of tea packaging that is 100% biodegradable and also pretty unique. From the name itself, it uses veins from leaves to create the tea bag wherein you put your tea leaves. The inspiration for the design are the green mountains of the Yunnan province in China. The packaging is made from the aforementioned rubber leaf veins and the external packaging uses mulberry bark paper and tea leaf waste. This means that after using the tea bag, you can guiltlessly dispose of it since the entire thing is biodegradable.

Designer: Cole Studio (Shanghai) for Yunnan Jiang Fang

Because the packaging uses this natural vein pattern, it is able to give the tea drinker optimal filtration of the tea leaves without losing any of the taste and essence of what you’re drinking. The mulberry bark paper on the external packaging even adds a subtle tea scent so it engages your olfactory sense as well. You can also mimic the feel of picking tea leaves from the plant by picking up the leaf-shaped bag and putting it in your cup of hot water.

Aside from its eco-friendly materials and design, it also gives off a very aesthetic vibe. If you like posting on social media what you’re drinking, having a leaf floating in your transparent tea cup looks very pretty and Instagram-ready. Hopefully we get even more biodegradable and aesthetic packaging not just for tea but even for coffee and other drinks soon.

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Would you sit on a chair that only has one leg? Probably not willingly, and only if you’ve been tricked really hard. Chairs are meant to be stable after all, and many definitely look that part. Once in a while, however, we do come across a design that boggles the mind, causing a conflict between what you’re seeing and what you know to be true.

This classical wooden chair is one such design, though to be fair, its single leg isn’t exactly just a wooden stick. Inspired by Brazilian folklore and using indigenous materials, this modular furniture adds a rather playful twist to your living space, while also inspiring the sharing of stories with the unique marks on the wood that come from its past lifetimes.

Designer: Dimitrih Correa

Almost every culture has myths about a trickster god or creature. The Greeks have Hermes, the Norse have Loki, and Brazilians have Saci, a one-legged black man who loves to play dangerous pranks but also rewards those who are able to trick and trap him in turn. Not exactly the most reassuring inspiration, but fortunately, its association with the Perê Chair is pretty superficial.

Like that mythical character, the wooden chair has only one “leg” on the front that spans the whole width. There are, of course, chairs with similar designs that similarly cause some hesitation from people. Practically speaking, however, it’s a rather safe design because it uses a cantilever system that’s employed in even more critical structures like balconies, bridges, and towers. Its backrest is removable, transforming it into a stool, though with that same uncertainty and taunting appearance.

You can’t be blamed if you feel like you’re being wooed to sit on it, especially with its warm reddish brown hues and a rattan woven seat and backrest. That wood is made of Peroba de Campos, a hardwood that’s particularly popular in Brazil for its sturdiness and durability. It’s widely used in fine furniture and decorative paneling because of its innate beauty and longevity.

The Perê Chair, however, has another story to tell, quite literally. No trees were cut down in making this quirky chair, and it uses recycled hardwood instead. It doesn’t mask its old soul, though, and displays scratches and holes for everyone to see, making you wonder where the wood has been and what stories it had to tell as well.

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Remember when the first smartwatches were ridiculed for needing to be charged almost every night? Although the situation has improved significantly, the fact remains that they still need to be taken off your wrist and put on a charger every now and then. That might sound only like a hassle for smartwatches and wireless earbuds, but imagine the discomfort and risks of having to remove health monitors, not to mention devices like pacemakers whose batteries also need to be replaced regularly.

They might be called “wearables,” but these devices are nothing like their analog counterparts, that don’t cause stress. Then again, they don’t offer features either, so it’s not exactly a fair trade. Solving the battery problem will go a long way in making these devices more sustainable and accessible, and this ongoing research is trying to do just that by removing batteries from these devices completely.

Designers: Andy Kong, Daehwa Kim, Chris Harrison (Power-Over-Skin)

Electrical devices need power to function, of course, and the most straightforward method is to have a battery inside them. Unfortunately, the trade-off is that these devices are thicker and heavier than they could be, and they have to be recharged or have their batteries replaced every so often. If you could power the devices without a battery or without even a cable, that could go a long way in shrinking their sizes down and potentially making them more fashionable.

The trick is to hide the actual power source somewhere on your body and then use your body itself as the conduit for electrical power to travel to these “wearable” devices. This can, for example, be used to make earrings with flashing LEDs or a ring with a joystick that can control your smart TV. These devices need to be touching your skin to actually get power, but considering their use cases, that won’t be much of a problem.

Although the previous examples do sound contrived and a little ridiculous, the applications for this technology go beyond mobile accessories. Health sensors, like a skin-based thermometer or glucose monitor, can be stuck to any part of your body and work almost infinitely, at least as long as there’s a power source attached to you. You can even have a calculator that powers up when you hold it in your hand, or a phone case that charges your phone bit by bit while you’re using it.

Power-Over-Skin does still require some transmitter to send power to those devices through your skin, so we can’t exactly escape the need for batteries just yet. The devices are also quite unappealing, which is as expected of prototypes. Hopefully, there will be further research in improving not only the design of the wearables but also their ability to get power through other means, maybe from the abundant air around us.

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Sustainability has moved beyond buzzwords; it’s now an urgent necessity for industries worldwide. In the field of technology, where innovation often comes with an environmental price tag, finding ways to balance progress with planetary health is a complex challenge. Samsung, a global leader in consumer electronics, is addressing this head-on through its ambitious Galaxy for the Planet initiative, a strategy that combines innovation, collaboration, and community-driven action.

A Commitment to Sustainable Practices

Launched in 2021, the Galaxy for the Planet initiative signals Samsung’s dedication to embedding sustainability into its operations. By reimagining material use and production processes, the company has achieved significant milestones. One of the most notable achievements is the integration of over 150 tons of discarded fishing nets into its products since 2022—a volume equivalent to approximately 15 million plastic water bottles. These discarded nets, known for their detrimental impact on marine life, are transformed into high-performance polyamide resin used in Galaxy devices, including the Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Samsung: Daniel Araujo

Daniel Araujo, Vice President of Samsung’s MX Sustainability Office, emphasizes the company’s forward-thinking approach: “Each device of the S25 series includes at least 50% recycled cobalt in its batteries, sourced from previously used Galaxy smartphones. This circular battery supply chain represents our commitment to reducing waste and creating a more sustainable future.” Yanko Design views this as a pivotal step in reimagining how the tech industry can seamlessly integrate environmental responsibility into advanced functionality. It underscores the critical need for innovation to align with sustainability, setting a precedent for the broader industry.

Building on this momentum, Samsung’s initiative also incorporates recycled glass and various metals into device components, ensuring sustainability permeates every phase of the product lifecycle. The company’s goal is clear: by 2030, recycled materials will be integrated into every module of every Galaxy device.

Partnerships That Drive Impact

While internal initiatives set the foundation, Samsung’s partnerships amplify its impact. Collaborations with Seatrees, a nonprofit focused on restoring coastal ecosystems, and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography highlight the transformative power of community-driven conservation.

Tamara Gondo, CEO of Liberty Society (left), and Michael Stewart, Co-Founder of Seatrees (right)

Michael Stewart, co-founder of Seatrees, notes, “We partnered with Samsung because of our shared commitment to innovation and collaboration. Mobile technology has the ability to make science more accessible, connect individuals and groups, and drive meaningful action in coral reef restoration.”

Samsung’s role in these partnerships extends beyond funding. By equipping local communities with Galaxy devices optimized for underwater photography, the company is enabling more precise data collection. The resulting 3D models are essential for restoring marine ecosystems and tracking progress over time.

A Closer Look at the Galaxy S24 Ultra

Central to these efforts is the Galaxy S24 Ultra, a device that exemplifies Samsung’s commitment to blending technology with environmental stewardship. The smartphone features an “ocean mode”—a custom camera setting designed specifically for underwater photography. Traditional underwater photos often suffer from poor color accuracy due to light distortion. Samsung’s engineers addressed this by creating a custom white balance that corrects for the blue tint of underwater environments, ensuring images are vivid and lifelike.

Additionally, the Galaxy S24 Ultra allows divers to set faster shutter speeds, compensating for the low-light conditions often encountered underwater. Another innovative feature is the interval shooting mode, which captures consistent images at set intervals, enabling researchers to create accurate, repeatable data sets. These technological advancements streamline the process of capturing and analyzing coral reef health, making it easier for local communities and scientists to work collaboratively.

Circular Economy and Material Innovation

The Galaxy for the Planet initiative isn’t limited to visible changes. Behind the scenes, Samsung’s Circular Battery Supply Chain showcases how closed-loop systems can redefine sustainability in tech. By reclaiming cobalt from previously used Galaxy devices and integrating it into new batteries, the company is reducing its reliance on virgin materials while minimizing electronic waste.

This circular approach extends to other components as well. For instance, Samsung has repurposed over 30 tons of semiconductor waste, transforming it into durable plastic components. These practices exemplify how innovation can coexist with environmental responsibility, setting a precedent for the broader industry.

Empowering Communities Through Technology

Beyond material innovation, Samsung is empowering communities to take action. The Generation17 initiative, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), amplifies the voices of young leaders working toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). One such leader, Tamara Gondo, CEO of Liberty Society, has transformed waste into economic value by upcycling materials into corporate merchandise.

Gondo’s work highlights the interconnectedness of environmental and social sustainability. “We believe waste is just misplaced value,” she explains. “By training marginalized women in Indonesia to upcycle waste into products, we’ve not only reduced environmental impact but also increased their incomes by 300%, helping break the cycle of poverty.”

Samsung’s collaboration with Generation17 extends to providing resources and technology, enabling leaders like Gondo to scale their impact. Through programs like these, the company is fostering a new generation of changemakers equipped to address global challenges.

Technology as a Catalyst for Conservation

Dr. Stuart Sandin, a marine ecologist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, underscores the importance of technology in environmental conservation. “Imagery and data are vital for understanding and managing underwater ecosystems,” he notes. “With advancements in mobile technology, we can create detailed 3D models of coral reefs, enabling us to track changes and implement targeted restoration efforts.”

Stuart Sandin: Scripps Institute Of Oceanography (far left)

Sandin’s team has leveraged the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s capabilities to map coral reefs in locations such as Fiji, Bali, and the Florida Keys. The resulting data not only informs conservation strategies but also engages local communities, fostering a sense of ownership and accountability.

Real-World Impact: Coral Reef Restoration

The impact of these efforts is tangible. In partnership with Seatrees, Samsung has supported coral restoration projects across three distinct ecosystems. By planting corals in these areas, the initiative is helping to rebuild habitats, protect coastal communities, and restore biodiversity.

Stewart highlights the importance of local involvement: “Our work wouldn’t be possible without the communities on the ground. Samsung’s technology empowers these groups, making their work more efficient and effective.”

This collaboration demonstrates how technology, when combined with local knowledge, can drive meaningful change. By providing the tools needed to monitor and restore ecosystems, Samsung is ensuring that conservation efforts are both scalable and sustainable.

Looking Ahead

Samsung’s approach to sustainability serves as a blueprint for the tech industry. By prioritizing material innovation, fostering global partnerships, and empowering communities, the company is proving that technology can be a force for good. The Galaxy S24 Ultra exemplifies this vision, highlighting how thoughtful design and cutting-edge technology can work together to achieve environmental stewardship vision, showcasing how design and functionality can align with environmental stewardship.

Cassie Smith, Moderator, Samsung

As the world grapples with pressing environmental challenges, Samsung’s initiatives remind us that progress is possible when innovation is guided by purpose. By leveraging its global reach and technological expertise, the company addresses today’s challenges while also paving the way for a more sustainable future—one where people and the planet thrive together.

The post How Samsung and Partners Are Shaping a Sustainable Future Through Mobile Technology first appeared on Yanko Design.