Sony 2006 Annual Report Download - page 48

4646
“Wellspring of Science Inspiration—Children’s Schoolhouse of Dreams,” aimed at
elementary and junior high school students
within the Sony Group were accredited under a single certification.
This new management system has made it possible to monitor
progress in achieving environmental targets on a global basis and
ensure more efficient management.
Promoting Environmentally Conscious Products
We strive to lower the environmental impact of our products by
reducing operating and standby power consumption and resource
use and by managing chemical substance content. The BRAVIA E
series of LCD projection televisions, launched in 2005, features a
newly developed optical engine equipped with a lamp reflector that
greatly increases the engine’s light efficiency, reducing power
consumption to less than half that of a comparable plasma television.*
To facilitate the management of chemical substances in our
products, we endeavor to work with parts and raw materials suppliers
to monitor chemical substance content from the procurement
stage. In addition, we have established a system that ensures we
purchase only parts and materials that contain no specified chemical
substances recognized as harmful to the environment, such as
lead. In Europe, such substances will be banned in electrical and
electronic equipment brought to market after July 1, 2006. As of
the end of the period under review, Sony had succeeded in almost
entirely eliminating these substances from Sony products shipped
worldwide, not just in Europe.
*This is accurate for a 50V model. Comparison is with the rated power
consumption for a Sony KDE-P50HVX plasma television.
Social Contribution Activities
Sony undertakes a wide variety of activities aimed at contributing
to society in fields where it is best able to do so, to help address
the needs of communities in regions around the world where it
conducts business. Sony Group companies, offices and foundations
in Japan, the United States, Europe, Canada and Australia engage
in a range of activities in such fields as education, science and the
arts. These activities vary in accordance with local considerations.
Sony also operates a variety of volunteer programs to encourage
all employees to participate in such activities, thereby encouraging
employees to get involved in their communities. In the period under
review, nearly 30,000 Sony Group employees in 21 countries took
part in such programs.
For the Next Generation
Sony is aiming to support the next generation through a variety of
programs designed to enhance the creativity of children through
memorable experiences.
In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2006, the Sony Foundation
for Education sponsored the first “Wellspring of Science Inspiration—
Children’s Schoolhouse of Dreams” program. Led by Dr. Hideki
Shirakawa, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, the program
comprises a variety of science-related activities aimed at helping
children to learn from nature, increase their understanding of
humanity and discover the joy of learning. The Sony Music
Foundation maintains an annual program designed to give children
the opportunity to enjoy performances by world-class musicians.
In the period under review, the Foundation sponsored a special
performance of Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni for children in
cooperation with the Royal Opera House of Belgium (La Monnaie),
which made its first tour of Japan.
Emergency Humanitarian Assistance
Sony aims to take immediate action to provide emergency
humanitarian assistance to the victims of large-scale disasters.
In the period under review, Sony participated in relief efforts for
victims of a number of disasters, including Hurricane Katrina in the
United States and the massive earthquake that struck Pakistan.
Assistance included donations by employees, which were
matched by Sony.
Compact optical engine
LCD rear-projection television
KDF-50E1000