Samsung teams up with the UN on sustainability efforts
The company is trying to raise awareness and money to support the UNDP's Sustainable Development Goals.
Today's Samsung event wasn't just about new gadgets. Near the end of today's presentation, Samsung president DJ Koh announced a partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as a way of putting more focus on the organization's Sustainable Development Goals, or the Global Goals for short. Specifically, Samsung is releasing a Global Goals application that'll come pre-installed on the Galaxy Note 10 series and will be available on other Galaxy devices soon.
The app will focus on giving people more details on the 17 Global Goals and a number of actions people can take to support those goals. Goals include no poverty, zero hunger, clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, climate action, reduced inequalities and more. It'll also serve as a fundraising outlet, enabling users to either donate directly to the UNDP or to donate via watching ads. 100 percent of the ad revenue that would have been generated through the ads in the app will instead be donated to the Global Goals.
Beyond the app, Samsung will also be selling some special Note 10 accessories, including a phone cover and charger, both of which have a Global Goals-themed design. A portion of the revenue generated from those sales will go to Global Goals, as well.
There's no way of telling what, if any impact this will have, though Samsung did show data from some studies saying essentially that people want to help and contribute to causes like this but don't know where to start. Putting a good information and donation portal right in the hands of the many people who will likely buy these phones certainly isn't a bad thing. Of course, it would probably be better if those people held on to their old phones for another year, but we'll take what we can get.
