Initiatives in Fiscal Year 2024
News from the forefront of Sony's environmental initiatives worldwide
Sony Recognized as a Climate Change Leader by CDP for the Fourth Year in a Row, Marking the Ninth Time
Sony Group Corporation (Sony) has been included in the "A List" of CDP*, a distinction which recognizes Sony as a leader in efforts to address climate change. This is the fourth year in a row and the ninth time that Sony has made the A List in the climate change category in recognition of its high-level response and disclosure of information on the process.
Sony has established "Road to Zero", a long-term environmental plan to achieve a zero environmental footprint throughout the entire Sony Group by the year 2050, and is promoting activities from the four perspectives of climate change, resources, chemical substances and biodiversity. For climate change, Sony is aiming to achieve net-zero emissions throughout the value chain by 2040 and to achieve 100% renewable electricity used at its own sites by 2030.
To achieve these targets, Sony is engaged in various energy conservation activities at its sites and offices. In addition, Sony is working to adopt renewable energy in ways such as installing solar power systems, purchasing renewable electricity from power utilities and utilizing renewable energy certificates. As a result, the goal of "increasing renewable energy to 35% or more by fiscal 2025" set out in the Green Management 2025 medium-term environmental targets, was achieved two years ahead of schedule, in fiscal 2023. Moreover, Sony has also implemented many initiatives to reduce energy consumption of its products. At the same time, Sony has been working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across its supply chain by accelerating efforts to reach out to material and parts suppliers.
Sony will continue striving to achieve zero environmental footprint, and engage in business activities to help create a more sustainable society and global environment.
- The CDP is a nonprofit organization (NPO) founded in the UK in 2000. It conducts surveys on climate change, water security, and forests at private companies, then analyzes and releases the findings of these surveys to the public. This year, over 24,800 companies responded to CDP's questionnaire.
Holding Events Around the World to Raise Awareness of Environmental Issues Related to Food
Food drive at a cafeteria to collect unused household food and donate to those in need
Putting orange peels to good use at an upcycling workshop
Since the Sony Group's Food for the Future project was launched in 2021 to address environmental issues related to food, we have been making efforts to promote the use of environmentally conscious food at cafeterias and raise employee's awareness of related issues at sites worldwide. Coinciding with World Food Day on October 16, we have also designated each October as Food for the Future Month, and more than ever, employees are encouraged to think and act with an awareness of the environmental footprint of food through activities across the group.
Food for the Future Month in 2024 raised awareness of food loss and waste reduction through a variety of events. In Japan, food drives at some sites collected unused household food to distribute them to those in need, and across Pan-Asia sites, upcycling workshop participants, including those who joined online, learned about food loss and waste and turned orange peels into useful enzymes. Several sites in Latin America held a contest for recipes to reduce food loss and waste, drawing many employee ideas for effective uses of vegetable peels and overripe fruit that are usually discarded, while others in North America set up collection boxes supporting food scrap composting as part of new activities to turn food waste into resources. Through a variety of initiatives, employees around the world learn about food-related environmental issues and consider how their everyday routine can be part of the solution.
Looking ahead, we will continue to raise awareness of environmental issues in the Sony Group worldwide.
Sony is the Industry's* First to Eliminate Polystyrene Foam Packaging for Large TVs
BRAVIA 9 cushioning materials using Green Planet
When using cushioning material that uses Green Planet
Sony Corporation is the first company in the industry to eliminate the use of polystyrene foam cushioning material for large TVs, affecting BRAVIA 9, the 85-inch 4K Mini LED TV to be introduced in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Instead of polystyrene foam, Kaneka Green Planet™, a biomass-derived biodegradable biopolymer made by Kaneka Corporation, will be used for cushioning material.
- In packaging for TVs. Based on research by Sony Corporation and Kaneka Corporation (as of April 17, 2024).
Introducing Climate Station™ at COP28 and the 6th United Nations Environment Assembly
Inger Anderson, Executive director of the UNEP trying the demo at COP28
The delegates experienced the demo at UNEA-6, including the Hon. Kerryne Z. James (Environment Minister of Grenada) - photo right
During the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), SIE introduced Climate Station™, an application currently under development by PlayStation Studios, which uses virtual reality to allow users to view, interact with, and understand complex climate data to raise awareness on climate change.
Presenting at the opening of the UNEP* Pavilion, SIE explained how Climate Station™ could be used to inspire action. Climate Station™ is an immersive experience which maps 120 years of historic climate data across thousands of locations, allowing users to see how the climate has changed where they live. Cutting edge game technology is used to process projections from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s latest report, to visualise the impact of different future scenarios on our planet. SIE worked with leading experts to create over 2 hours of engaging multi-media ‘explainers’ covering a range of climate related topics. SIE will provide more details on Climate Station™ in the near future.
Following the COP28 demonstration, SIE also showcased Climate Station™ to world dignitaries at the 6th United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) in Nairobi. SIE was the only company to be invited as an exhibitor, where over 200 delegates tried the experience. Dr. Trevor Noël, Grenada Delegation to UNEA-6 commented that this platform uses gaming technology to stimulate youthful curiosity and impart an important understanding of climate science.
SIE is collaborating with Oxford University to research how different stakeholders perceived this technology and its potential applications, and will continue work with UNEP to use Climate Station™ to provide graphical representation of climate data and support future UN events.
- United Nations Environment Programme
