Not least due to the economic crisis, tougher regulations and increasing consumer awareness, more and more corporations are undertaking serious efforts to minimize risks (also reputational ones) and to make their operations and supply chain more sustainable. Agreed, many initiatives are close to the very thin line between serious effort and misleading greenwash. Sometimes, however, business thinkers come up with good and smart ideas how to protect ressources, minimize their negative environmental and social impact and at the same time save money.

With its global environmental plan, "Road to Zero", Tokyo based Sony Corporation has put itself at the forefront in the electronics and consumer goods industry. Reason enough to outline some of the strategy's main points below.

According to Sony, its "Road to Zero" plan is all about achieving a zero environmental footprint by 2050. For this, it uses backcasting methods to set specific mid-term environmental targets for the next five years in line with that goal. Having said that, Sony’s definition of zero environmental footprint is not only limited to the neutralization of carbon emissions, but also extends to waste and use of finite materials, such as oil-derived virgin plastics.

Targets are based on four environmental perspectives – climate change, resource conservation, control of chemical substances and biodiversity – across all product lifecycle stages, from research and development to recycling. The mid-term targets will be implemented globally across the Sony Group beginning in fiscal year 2011 (April 2011), and will extend through the end of fiscal year 2015 (March 2016), at which time new targets for the following 5 years will be set.

Specific mid-term targets include:

• 30% reduction in annual energy consumption of products (compared to fiscal 2008)
• 10% reduction in product mass (compared to fiscal 2008)
• 50% absolute reduction in waste generation (compared to fiscal 2000)
• 30% absolute reduction in water consumption (compared to fiscal 2000)
• 14% reduction in total CO2 emissions associated with all transportation and logistics (compared to fiscal 2008)
• 16% reduction in incoming parts packaging waste (compared to fiscal 2008)
• Increase of waste recycle ratio to 99% or more
• 5% reduction in utilization ratio of virgin oil-based plastics in products (compared to fiscal 2008)
• Assessment of impact of resource procurement and facility construction on biodiversity, and promotion of biodiversity programs such as groundwater cultivation
• Minimization of the risk of chemical substances through preventive measures

To make sure that those targets are met, Sony has partnered with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), which reviewed and approved the company's targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and power consumption per product. Sony has been a member of the WWF Climate Savers Programme since 2006. The Programme was organized by WWF International to mobilize companies to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

And, according to Sony, it has already made significant progress in reducing its environmental impact around the world. Its European sites, for example, have reduced their CO2 emissions from electricity use and facility heating by approximately 93% between fiscal years 2000 and 2009. Sony Europe is also a founding member of the ‘European Recycling Platform’ (ERP). Fully operational in 11 European countries, the ERP effectively manages end-of-life collection and recycling for all consumer electronics products. In 2008, approximately 60,000 tons of electronic waste were collected and recycled on behalf of Sony in 20 European countries.

We'll see how easy or difficult it will be for Sony to reach those targets. I'm surely not the only one who will critically follow its development and hope that other companies, such as Apple, will jump on the waggon, making sustainability the underlying principle of anything they do.

Read more about Sony’s "Road to Zero". (Critical) comments welcome below.

By Florian

Journalist and Blogger on sustainability, CSR and climate change

Picture credit: Ian Muttoo