Updated on August 27, 2021

History of Environmental Activities at Sony

1970-

1976	April	Establishes Environmental Conference, chaired by the President
	April	Promotes prevention of hazardous materials use and occupational health and safety in Sony Group operations in Japan
	May	Establishes Environmental Science Center
	May	Hazardous waste materials and working environments of Group operations in Japan are evaluated

1980-

1985	April	Sony Corporation of America begins environmental audits
1989	March	Convenes special committee to study measures to eliminate CFC use

1990-

1990	August	President's Policy on the Environment is disseminated among Sony Corporation staff
	October	Organizes Sony Environmental Conservation Committee
1991	October	Formulates policy for product assessment
	November	Signs business charter for sustainable development of the international chamber of commerce
1993	January	Inaugurates Environmental Fund System, a program supporting development of environmental protection technologies
	March	Sony Global Environmental Policy and Environmental Action Program is formulated
	April	Use of fluorocarbons for cleaning is completely phased out from the Sony Group's production processes worldwide
1994	February	Launches Sony Environmental Award program
	April	Establishes Corporate Environmental Affairs Department Establishes Center for Environmental Technologies (CET) at the Sony Research Center (operated until 1999)
	May	Launches Greenplus Project to promote environmental consideration with respect to products
	July	Guidelines for acquiring ISO environmental certification are established and introduced
1995	May	Sony Kohda Corporation becomes the first Sony company in Japan to acquire ISO 14001 certification
1996	July	Sony Deutschland's Service Division becomes the first non-manufacturing site in the Sony Group to acquire ISO 14001 certification
	October	Revises Sony Environmental Action Program and formulates Green Management 2000
1997	October	Initiates operations at Recycle Research Center in Ichinomiya (ongoing until 2005)
	December	Four sites in Singapore become the first non-manufacturing sites in Asia to acquire ISO 14001 certification
1998	September	Establishes environmental R&D laboratory in the Environmental Center Europe, Germany
	November	Establishes the Green Management 2002 Sony Mid-Term Environmental Action Program
1999	February	Completes the process of acquiring ISO 14001 certification at all 38 manufacturing sites in Japan

2000-

2000	April	Incorporates environmental factors into Network Companies' evaluations
	April	Formulates Guideline for the Environmental Risk Management
	October	Establishes the Sony Environmental Vision
2001	March	Revises Sony Mid-Term Environmental Action Program; Formulates Green Management 2005
	April	Japan's Home Appliance Recycling Law becomes effective and the 14-plant recycling network of Green Cycle Corporation, where Sony is the principal shareholder, begins processing four types of appliances.
	April	Environmental evaluation standards are extended from Electronics to Game, Music and Pictures businesses
	September	Begins using the Green Power Certification System
	October	PS one game console shipments temporarily halted in the Netherlands due to containing cadmium above the legal limit
2002	March	Formulates Sony Technical Standards, SS-00259 "Management Regulations for the Environment-related Substances to be Controlled which are included in Parts and Materials"
	April	Completes ISO 14001 certification process at all manufacturing sites worldwide
	June	Initiates "Sony Group Environmental Month"
	July	Introduces Green Partner Environmental Quality Approval Program
2003	July	Revises Sony Mid-Term Environmental Targets (Green Management 2005)
	November	Revises Sony Environmental Vision and renames it "Sony Group Environmental Vision"
2006	March	Finishes putting in place the globally integrated environmental management system it commenced in fiscal 2004
	April	Establishes Green Management 2010
	July	Begins participation in World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) 's Climate Savers Programme
2007	November	Use of renewable energy at Sony DADC Austria's Anif Plant reaches 100%
2008	April	Launches a scheme to support forest conservation efforts in Noshiro, Akita prefecture using a Green Power Certification system purchase contract
	June	Announces the energy-saving KDL-32JE1 LCD television
	September	Commences pilot program to collect small e- waste in the city of Kita-Kyushu
2009	January	Announces new V5/VE5/WE5 series of BRAVIA™ LCD televisions with energy-saving features, including a "Presence Sensor" and "Energy Saving Switch," that facilitate a substantial reduction in energy consumption
	June	Releases mercury-free alkaline button battery (LR)
	July	Achieves use of 100% renewable energy at European sites; percentage of total energy used by Tokyo headquarters building accounted for by renewable energy reaches 50%
	October	Sony Chemical & Information Device Corporation's Kanuma Plant wins Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award for "Resource Recycling Techniques and Systems"
	November	Announces at presentation to the media that it has positioned "the environment" as one of four key strategic priorities

2010-

2010	February	Announces VAIO W series of "eco body model" PCs with features that evoke Sony's commitment to environmental conservation, including components that are 80% made with recycled plastic and carrying case made from 100% recycled PET materials
	April	Announces new "Road to Zero" global environmental plan, revises Sony Group Environmental Vision and formulates "Green Management 2015," a new set of mid-term environmental targets for the Sony Group
	October	Presentation on groundwater recharge for idle rice paddies (project undertaken by Sony Semiconductor Kyushu Corporation's Kumamoto Technology Center) given at COP10 Biodiversity Conference
2011	February	Develops SORPLAS™, plastic made 99% from recycled materials, for use in the bezel (screen rim) components of BRAVIA™LCD televisions
	March	Sony Forest, maintained by Sony EMCS Corporation's Kohda Site, earns Superlative Stage (top rank) certification under the Social and Environmental Green Evaluation System (SEGES) in Japan
	April	Launches 1.2 kWh-capacity energy storage modules containing rechargeable lithium-ion batteries made with olivine-type lithium-ion iron phosphate
	June	Begins implementation of "Green Star Program" which assesses the environmental performance at each site
2012	February	Developed "authentication outlets" that let a user proactively manage his/her use of electric power
	September	Xperia™ P smartphone receives European Green Smart Phone award from the European Imaging and Sound Association
	December	The DSC-HX30/20 series of Cyber-shot™ digital still cameras and BDV-N790W Blu-ray Home Theater System are honorees in the Eco-Design and Sustainable Technologies category at the CES Innovation Awards 2013
2013	March	Sony Electronics Asia Pacific Pte Ltd. presented with the 2013 Green Luminary award by Channel NewsAsia, which praised Sony's medium- to long-term commitment to sustainability under the Road to Zero initiative, innovative environmentally conscious materials such as SORPLAS™ and local CSR activities involving both employees and the community
	March	Sony Semiconductor Corporation's Oita Technology Center earns top-rank Superlative Status certification under Japan's Social and Environmental Green Evaluation System (SEGES)
	November	Sony Service and Operations of Americas receives Mexico's Index National Environmental Award 2013 for its environmental activities and performance
2014	January	Sony EMCS Malaysia KL Tec's environmental management system and activities to reduce environmental footprint receive two Prime Minister's Hibiscus Awards from the Malaysian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE)
	February	The television advertisement "Water Rock"-showcasing one of Sony's environmental initiatives-receives the Grand Prix award at the 17^th Environmental Communication Awards in Japan in the environmental television advertisement category
	October	Sony EMCS Malaysia KL Tec selected as 2^nd runner up for the 2014 ASEAN Energy Awards in the Large Industry Category of the Energy Management in Building Industry for its Sustainable Energy Management Program
	December	Sony Electronics Inc. receives the Sustainable Materials Management from the United States Environmental Protection Agency for its initiatives for recycling waste from electronic goods
2015	March	Sony EMCS Kohda Site certified by Japan Committee for the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity (UNDB-J) as exemplary project for activities that create seedlings of domestic tree species in the Nishi-mikawa district and build owl-friendly forest environment
	May	Establishes Green Management 2020 environmental mid-term targets
	October	Receives official Science Based Target initiative validation for 2°C climate change target in Green Management 2020 medium-term environmental targets
	October	Sony EMCS Kohda Site receives 3^rd Green Society Award for environmental activities such as corporate greening and biodiversity protection
	October	Sony EMCS (Malaysia) KL Tec wins ASEAN Energy Award for second consecutive year
2016	March	Recognized for exemplary long-term goals in the Low-Carbon Cup 2016, an event supported by the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and other Japanese organizations
	April	Sony Open in Hawaii golf tournament certified as Kela (Excellent) Level Green Event by State of Hawaii
	October	Angry Birds for a Happy Planet campaign featuring characters from The Angry Birds Movie by Sony Pictures Entertainment receives the award for Excellence in Advertising at the 2016 Environmental Media Awards
2017	October	Kohda Site of Sony Global Manufacturing & Operations Corporation recognized by the Social and Environmental Green Evaluation System (SEGES) program with Green Legacy certification.
2018	March	Wow! Wow! Biodiversity Project (Sony Corporation) and groundwater recharge project (Sony Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation's Kumamoto Technology Center) certified as exemplary projects by the Japan Committee for the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity (UNDB-J)
	September	Sony Corporation joins RE100, a global initiative whose members commit to sourcing 100% renewable electricity
	October	Kunisaki Satellite Office of Oita Technology Center, Sony Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation, receives 6th Green Society Contribution Award for community and environmental initiatives including biodiversity conservation
	November	Sony Korea receives Prime Minister's Prize at the 2018 Low-carbon Life Practice National Competition
2019	August	Launches One Blue Ocean Project, an initiative to help reduce ocean plastic pollution
	September	Sony Interactive Entertainment participates in establishing the UN Playing for the Planet Alliance
	October	Kunisaki Satellite of Sony Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation recognized by the Social and Environmental Green Evaluation System (SEGES) program with Green Legacy certification

2020-

2020	February	Sony Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation receives the Partnership prize of Japan's 15th Ecotourism Awards
	February	Starts first intracompany electricity transfer service in Japan using its megawatt-class solar power generation facilities
	April	Establishes Green Management 2025 medium-term environmental targets
	September	Receives official Science Based Target initiative validation for Sony Group climate change target of 1.5°C by 2035
	September	Establishes Sony Innovation Fund: Environment, a corporate venture capital fund focused on environmental technology
2021	February	Sony Computer Science Laboratories, Inc. begins providing power convergence control software for the Open Energy System™ microgrid system free of charge
	March	Switches to 100% renewable energy for electricity used at Sony sites in China

Note:
-Organization names appear as they were at the respective dates; some may not be current.