Sony Cuts GHGs 31% Since 2000

Sony has achieved a 31 percent reduction in global CO2 emissions across its business sites, compared with fiscal year 2000, the company announced.

The company said it has achieved or exceeded most of the targets set out in its mid-term environmental plan, Green Management 2010 (GM2010), introduced in 2006, with the results confirmed through third-party verification.

Sony reduced direct and indirect CO2 emissions across its business sites to 1.53 million tons in fiscal year 2010, far surpassing the original 7 percent target specified in the GM2010 plan. GHG reduction initiatives have included the use of alternative substances in manufacturing, as well as installation of advanced energy systems, optimized by Sony's in-house energy conservation specialists, at Sony offices and manufacturing sites around the world.

Sony has also hit the following GM2010 targets, all from an FY2000 baseline:

• Waste generation at business sites – 54 percent reduction (target 40 percent)
• Water usage at business sites – 41 percent reduction (target 20 percent)
• Annual electricity consumption of products – achieved 100 percent of targets in each product category. For example, the annual electricity consumption of core "Bravia" LCD TVs fell by about 30 percent between 2008 and 2010, while the annual electricity consumption of Sony's core "Blu-ray Disc" recorder models fell by about 50 percent during the same period.
• Volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from business sites – 35 percent reduction (target 40 percent). The company says that seminconductor production is its main operational area that still uses VOCs, and that with such production on the increase, VOCs have been difficult to replace. Sony says it will continue to take steps to reduce VOC emissions, such as installing VOC treatment systems.

In the U.S., Sony Corporation of America, Sony DADC, Sony Electronics and Sony Pictures Entertainment bought more than 143 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power for 2011, enough to meet about 49 percent of their electricity use. Sony is also using on-site solar installations.

In 2010, both Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sony Electronics were awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certifications from the U.S. Green Buildings Council for recently completed construction projects.

Last week, Sony, Dell and Sprint agreed to help the Environmental Protection Agency encourage certified electronics recycling, as the Obama administration unveiled a national strategy to encourage better e-waste management.