Samsung washing machines receive carbon footprint reduction certification under the DUCD regulation

“Samsung continues to design new devices and services with awareness in mind

,” said Jeong Seung Moon, Head of R&D and Executive Vice President of Samsung’s Digital Appliances Business.

AI Energy Mode demonstrates progress in this area, and the certification of our devices’ efficiency strengthens our commitment to further improve our devices, features and services using data collected during use.”

Samsung’s Long-Term Goals

Samsung has long been working to develop objective and systematic indicators to measure and manage the carbon footprint of household appliances. That is why the company joined the DUCD initiative as a board member in 2022.

The DUCD initiative is led by the international climate consultancy Carbon Trust, which works with companies, government actors and financial institutions to advance forward-looking climate policy measures. The organization aims to standardize the measurement methods of energy use and savings of connected devices in collaboration with leading industry players, and its intention is to contribute to the development of an international methodology for calculating the carbon footprint of Wi-Fi-connected devices.

The initiative published an international standard in November 2024 that presented uniform measurement requirements and mitigation methodologies for connected devices. This approach measures the reduction in carbon emissions during actual use, as opposed to the traditional method of examining the manufacturing process.

Proven Carbon Footprint Reduction with AI Energy Mode

Carbon Trust’s independent certification body, Carbon Trust Assurance, conducted a pilot assessment of Samsung’s washing machine range based on DUCD guidance. The organisation demonstrated the emission reduction impact of AI Energy Mode by comparing the carbon emissions with and without AI Energy Mode between July 2024 and June 2025.

The total energy consumption of selected Samsung energy-efficient washing machines, measured using the SmartThings Platform, during this period was 12.28 GWh, which is equivalent to 5,266 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent under DUCD1. Part 1: Specification and Guidance. The savings achieved by enabling AI Energy Mode was 5.02 GWh, equivalent to 2,084 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.

This energy savings is equivalent to the electricity consumption of approximately 169,000 households, considering that the average American consumer uses about 29.54 kWh of energy per day.

The company will soon be showcasing its latest energy-saving solutions and revolutionary new home appliances at CES 2026.