Sony’s home audio products are engineered for exceptional sound, and with the environment in mind. Under our Green Management 2025 targets, we aim to reduce virgin plastic usage in all our product and packaging designs.
Environmentally conscious products
Sony’s home audio products utilise recycled plastics to reducethe amount of virgin plastic used. The choice of material affects sound quality in particular, so we have spent years developing a unique recycled plastic that is both environmentally conscious and conducive to creating high-quality audio products.
Our recycled plastic is recovered from discs and water bottles. Any films or coatings are removed from the reclaimed plastic, which is then used as part of the base material. Aiming for uncompromising audio quality, we tested a wide variety of combinations to determine the best possible solution for audio products.
[1] Discs [2] Water bottles [3] Shredding [4] Recycled polycarbonate plastic [5] Blending virgin plastic, other additives [6] Pellets
Sony’s home audio products use recycled plastic in several components. In 2024, the percentage of recycled plastic used in home theatre system products was approximately 50%, and in BRAVIA Theatre U approximately 40%.
[1] Recycled plastic Total
The fabric used in our products, such as the BRAVIA Theatre Bar 9, BRAVIA Theatre Quad, Sub 7, and Rear 8 is partly made from recycled from PET bottles. The material was carefully selected for optimum sound quality, design, texture, and colour.
Environmentally conscious packaging
We are working to reduce the amount of plastic used in packaging by utilising recycled paper materials for cushioning and inserts, and by using paper-based handles.
In 2025, the packaging for Sony's home audio products will use approximately 75% recycled materials. Consideration is given to reducing the burden on the environment without compromising the design of the packaging and the strength of the product protection.
[1] Recycled materials Total
We continue to expand the use of our paper material developed with environmental considerations in mind, Original Blended Material, for the packaging of HT-AX7. Original Blended Material is made from bamboo, sugarcane fibre, and post-consumer recycled paper.
Developer Interview
Sony Corporation, Home Entertainment & Sound Products Business Group,
Acoustic Design Division, Design Dept. 2
We have been working on the use of recycled plastics in home audio since around 2010. While improving their performance to a level that matches that of virgin plastics, we worked on design aspects, and made these recycled plastics usable in actual products. In 2016 we developed a recycled plastic, used for internal components in our products, which also takes sound quality into account.
However, further expansion of the use of recycled plastics required that we expand the scope of their application. The material that we have newly developed on this occasion is flame-retardant. During the development process, we pursued the idea of how closely we could approach the sound quality of the materials we used previously. By examining many configurations, repeatedly prototyping and testing strength, we were able to create a material that satisfied the sound quality and physical requirements of the product.
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