Sony: Green Management 2010
Source: www.sony.net
Sony established its Green Management 2010 mid-range group environmental targets, which will run through fiscal year 2010, in fiscal year 2006. These targets guide the Sony Group in its efforts to help prevent global warming, recycle resources, ensure appropriate management of chemical substances and address a broad range of other complex environmental issues.
Since the 1990s, Sony has focused on a variety of activities, such as developing environmentally conscious products, reducing the environmental impact of its sites and promoting product recycling. In 1998, Sony formulated its first set of mid-range environmental targets (Green Management 2002), which has undergone subsequent annual revisions. In 2006, Sony launched Green Management 2010, new mid-range targets outlining the challenges facing the Sony Group between then and fiscal year 2010.
When setting targets for Green Management 2010, Sony gave full consideration to the conclusions drawn from its review of Green Management 2005, as well as to legislative trends that could affect the Sony Group in the medium to long term. Consideration was also given to the concerns of investors, environmental nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and other stakeholders regarding Sony and the direction of its business over the next five years. As a part of these activities, Sony exchanged opinions with several environmental NGOs, according to specific themes such as prevention of global warming and natural environmental conservation.
Sony also had three basic goals in mind when setting the targets, which were to aim high as a cutting-edge, global corporation, set targets for reductions of absolute greenhouse gas emissions and other sources of environmental impact, and create global challenges for the entire Sony Group.
Green Management 2010 encompasses general indicators, as well as individual targets. The general indicators, comprised of greenhouse gas and resource indices, are set to determine the environmental impact of the total life cycle of the Sony Group’s business activities, products and services, to the maximum possible extent. The indicators are also used to monitor Sony’s performance of the individual targets set to reduce environmental impact throughout the business cycle. The various elements of each of these indices were chosen based on such criteria as seriousness of environmental impact and controllability. Sony will continue to monitor eco-efficiency and evaluate the progress of environmental efforts and use the results to revise its various initiatives and targets.
Green Management 2010’s individual targets cover Sony’s entire business cycle, from the procurement of parts to the manufacturing, use, disposal and recycling of products. For example, to contribute to the prevention of global warming, targets have been set for absolute reductions in greenhouse gas emissions at Sony Group sites throughout the world. At the same time, by including targets for controlling operating power consumption, as well as for ascertaining and reducing energy consumption during transport, Sony aims to gradually reduce the environmental impact of manufacturing, transporting and using Sony products. Green Management 2010 also outlines a broad range of other targets pertaining to, among others, communicating effectively with Sony’s diverse stakeholders about environmental issues, promoting partnerships with other companies and encouraging education on the subject of conservation.
