Sony 2002 Annual Report Download - page 54

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Sony Corporation Annual Report 2002
Music Group (Japan) companies and 73 non-manufacturing sites in North America
earned the certification. Occupational health and safety management system
certification was earned by Sony Electronics (M) Sdn. Bhd. and a number of other
manufacturing sites, mainly in Southeast Asia. Sony also introduced a measure of
how much environmental impact has actually been reduced to the evaluation
criteria to evaluate not only the Electronics business, but the Game, Music, and
Pictures businesses as well.
Environmental Considerations in Manufacturing and Business Processes
Sony factors environmental conservation into its manufacturing and other activities to
utilize the Earth’s limited resources responsibly. At Sony Semiconductor Kyushu’s
Kumamoto Technology Center, which began operations during the year under review,
highly advanced production processes are expected to improve energy efficiency by
about 30% and are expected to lower carbon dioxide emissions as well. At some Sony
sites including Sony Tower and other exhibition spaces, a “Green Power Certification
System” is used to make effective use of wind power. By March 2002, Sony had
purchased a total of about 2 million kWh of “Green Power” through this system.
Also, to prevent environmental accidents, Sony is advancing environmental, health,
and safety risk management through the monitoring of soil and water quality,
inspection of manufacturing facilities, and implementation of internal audits.
Introduction of More Environmentally Conscious Products
Sony’s Green Management 2005 Mid-Term Environmental Action Program sets forth
concrete targets for conserving resources and energy as well as for the reduction and
elimination of heavy metals and other substances of high environmental impact. Sony is
also introducing environmentally conscious products. One example is a TV that recently
went on sale in Japan. New circuitry cuts power consumption. Printed wiring boards use
lead-free solder. The shipping cartons used for TVs of 28-inches or more are hexagonally
shaped to use fewer materials. In addition, new TV models of 25-inches or less are
protected by pulp molds made entirely of recycled paper. These activities helped
eliminate the need for almost all styrene foam for packaging materials.
In line with government regulation concerning our products, in October 2001,
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe temporarily halted shipments of the PS one
game console destined for the European market after Dutch authorities determined
levels of cadmium above the limits allowed under Dutch regulations. PS one
shipments were resumed after confirming that there was no health risk to users
during use and Sony worked closely with Dutch authorities to replace non-compli-
ant components to meet their standards. Concurrent to its response to the PS one
issue, Sony initiated its own program to inspect all its products and discovered
similar situations. In recognition of the environmental implications involved, Sony
has embarked on a company-wide, comprehensive program of measures, including
revisions to specific policies and standards and tighter management and control
systems, in order to prevent any problems with cadmium and similar chemical
substances in the future.