Samsung Network Services and Solutions said Monday that it received the gold award at the 2012 iF packaging design awards in Hannover.

The first firm in the country to receive the prize, the company was recognized for its packaging that uses environmentally friendly materials such as reusable paper and ink made of soybean oil, its officials said. Five gold awards were granted by the organization.

Instead of unifying the labels of the packaging, it also differentiated the colors depending on the products for efficiency of production management, the officials added.

“Packaging is no longer just a wrapping, it has become a value in its own right. This kind of packaging deserves being recognized with the iF label ― and it deserves the attention that comes with the label,” said the award givers.

“(Samsung SNS’) packaging is an excellent realization of a simple idea, benefiting from clear graphic design and being kind to the environment too.”

Samsung SNS, which changed its name from Seoul Commtech last month, was established in 1993, and focuses on building wireless infrastructure systems and home networks.

Samsung SNS was recently ranked 55th among global firms in the iF industrial design rankings.

By Cho Ji-hyun (sharon@heraldcorp.com)