Samsung launches new ‘upcycling’ initiative that will let customers convert bulky television boxes into household furniture, like coffee tables and kitty castles
- Samsung will ship its flatscreen TVs in boxes that can be converted into furniture
- Customers can make coffee tables, kitty castles, nightstands, and more
- Initially, the feature will be limited to boxes for 43″, 49″, and 55″ TVs
A new recycling initiative from Samsung will let customers convert the company’s bulky cardboard shipping boxes into household furniture and pet toys.
It’s part of the company’s shift toward ‘eco-packaging,’ which focuses on new and creative ways to recycle or upcycle packaging materials.
The first group of convertible cardboard boxes, nicknamed The Serif, will allow users to upcycle their old TV boxes into four unique household items including a magazine rack, a kitty castle for pet owners, or a small entertainment stand.
The Serif is a new line of transforming cardboard boxes that Samsung will use to ship its flatscreen televisions in, which can then be transformed into a number of household items
Each box will come with a QR code printed on the side, that customers can scan for downloadable instructions for how to convert the box.
Initially, the program will be limited to boxes for the company’s 43-inch, 49-inch, and 55-inch TVs.
Each box has been manufactured with a dot matrix design, allowing it to be folded into a new and sturdy configuration without additional tools.
Samsung first showed off its transforming boxes at CES 2020, where the simple but clever design was given an Innovation Award.
The new design comes at a time when television sales has begun to slow after more than a decade of steady growth, driven by the transition to flatscreens, and then 4K resolution.
Customers can download instructions on how to convert the corrugated cardboard boxes into different designs, including magazine racks, side tables, kitty castles, coffee tables, and even a small entertainment center
Initially, the initiative will be limited to boxes for Samsing’s 43-inch, 49-inch, and 55-inch flatscreen televisions
‘Consumers are more likely to purchase from a brand that shares similar fundamentals and values as they do,’ Samsung’s Kangwook Chun said of the new upcycling initiative.
Samsung says that the corrugated cardboard is also ‘eco-friendly’ implying it’s safe to recycle should customers not want to convert it into furniture
In 2019, the Consumer Technology Association reported a one percent decline in the number of televisions sold for the year and a nine percent decrease in overall revenue generated by TV sales in the US.
With more viewers shifting to streaming services that can be viewed on laptops or tablets, TV manufacturers have had to find more creative ways to pitch their products.
‘Consumers are more likely to purchase from a brand that shares similar fundamentals and values as they do,’ Samsung’s Kangwook Chun said in a prepared statement.
‘With our eco-packaging, we believe that we can provide our customers with a new experience that considers the environment as an important way to express themselves,’
