Towards zero carbon emissions

To reduce our environmental impact, we’ve set ourselves a vision for 2050 and a shorter term eco action plan for 2015. It’s all part of our aim to do our bit to help protect the planet and its resources.

We aim to reduce the environmental impact of our business activities and throughout product life cycles by 2050, focusing on four issues:

1. Curbing climate change

Sony seeks zero emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050, not only at plants and offices but also throughout product life cycles. For example, we want to reduce energy consumption in parts and materials procurement, manufacturing, distribution, product use, and collection and recycling and use renewable energy sources wherever possible.

Our 2015 targets:

• 30% reduction in CO2 emissions from Sony sites compared to 2000 levels
• 30% reduction in annual energy consumption per product compared to 2008 levels
• 14% reduction in CO2 emissions from product distribution compared to 2008 levels

2. Conserving resources

Managing limited resources wisely means reducing the amount used and recycling what is used. Maximizing use of recycled plastic and other materials helps us to avoid using virgin materials (especially valuable resources such as oil and copper). Sony is also promoting water conservation and recycling more than ever.

Our 2015 targets:

• 10% reduction of weight per product compared to 2008 levels
• 5% reduction of virgin plastic in products compared to 2008 levels
• 50% reduction of total waste generated at Sony sites compared to 2000 levels
• 99% or higher recycling at Sony sites worldwide
• 30% reduction of water consumed compared to 2000 levels

3. Controlling chemical substances

Regulatory compliance is just the start of our efforts to prevent environmental pollution. We have established our own standards for chemical substance management, which help maintain strict control over chemicals in parts and raw materials worldwide.

Our 2015 targets:

• PHASE OUT or replace substances that pose a high risk to the environment
• TOTAL ban on PVCs and brominated flame retardants in specific applications

4. Promoting biodiversity

Natural resources are essential to Sony business activities, but our operations may affect the natural environment in various ways. We strive to protect biodiversity (maintaining balanced ecosystems), both through Sony business activities and through conservation.

Our 2015 targets:

• ASSESS the impact on biodiversity from resource exploitation and plant and office construction
• SUPPORT conservation worldwide, tailored to local needs

We’ve set targets for minimising the environmental impact of our products throughout their life cycle. From sourcing materials and using more efficient transportation to cutting power consumption and making materials easy to recycle, we apply eco thinking at every step.

Find out more about Sony’s environmental plan (English only)