Samsung Electronics has received one of the most prestigious awards for environmental sustainability in recognition of its reduction of the carbon footprint of its flagship Galaxy S smartphones.

On October 8, Samsung won the Best in Product Carbon Footprint Prize at the Carbon Trust Standard and Label Bearers Conference and Awards 2015, held by Carbon Trust of the United Kingdom.

Carbon Trust’s performance awards have been presented annually for four years, recognizing companies and products that have shown outstanding results in carbon reduction. The win by Samsung is a first for the consumer electronics industry, the result of a reduction in carbon emissions of the Galaxy S smartphones.

Samsung began working with the Carbon Trust in 2012, pledging to certify the carbon footprint of all models within its flagship Galaxy smartphone range. The Galaxy S2 was the first to be certified in 2012, and all Galaxy S and Galaxy Note smartphones up to, including the Galaxy S5, have also been certified. The carbon emission level of the Galaxy S5 has been reduced by 37 percent compared to the Galaxy S2.

Throughout each product’s life cycle, from product development to disposal, Samsung Electronics analyzes carbon emissions at each stage and makes efforts to reduce the environmental footprints of its products.

Wouter van Tol, European Head of Corporate Citizenship and Sustainability at Samsung Electronics said, “As the world’s leading manufacturer of smartphones, we have a responsibility to minimize our environmental footprint. Being recognized for substantially reducing greenhouse emissions across our flagship range of Galaxy smartphones is a great honor. This is thanks to our PlanetFirst approach, where we consider the environmental impact of everything we manufacture, right from the start. We are committed to an on-going program of lowering our impact on the environment, and look forward to making even further progress in this area in the future.”