Samsung is scaling up its battery metals recycling programme in Vietnam as part of a broader ambition to develop more sustainable products.
The electronics giant says it is now recovering significant volumes of cobalt from waste batteries generated at its production sites across Vietnam. It has reintegrated the metal into new Galaxy smartphone models.
Infrastructure gap
The company’s facilities in Vietnam generate roughly 200 tonnes of waste battery material annually. The material consists of a mix of defective units from the production process and batteries recovered from Galaxy phones returned from the United States.
While countries with advanced recycling infrastructure have long repurposed end-of-life batteries for secondary applications, such as those for electric vehicles, Vietnam has lacked such capabilities.
To overcome this deficit, Samsung and external partners have established a cross-border resource recovery chain. Samsung spokesperson Youngmin Kim says the producer has linked cobalt extraction plants with battery production facilities in neighbouring countries. The result is a closed-loop system tailored to the region.
50% non-virgin cobalt
The initiative is showing tangible results. While the Galaxy S24 series relied on externally sourced recycled cobalt, the Galaxy S25 is the first to use cobalt recovered from Samsung’s own discarded batteries.
About 50% of the cobalt used in Galaxy S25 batteries now comes from recycling, Kim reports. He believes Samsung’s closed-loop model could serve as a blueprint for similar efforts across other electronics manufacturing hubs in Asia and beyond.
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