What is net-zero?
Net-zero means reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to zero overall. This means that the total of GHG emissions minus the absorption is zero. Companies around the world are adopting this net-zero approach because it is difficult to completely eliminate GHG emissions in their business activities.
Why do we need to achieve net-zero?
The Paris Agreement adopted in 2015 set a 1.5°C target to “hold the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels”. What happens when the average temperature rises to 1.5°C? The IPCC*, a United Nations agency, predicts that the frequency of heat events, which occur once every 50 years, will increase 8.6 times, and the frequency of heavy precipitation, which occurs once every 10 years, will increase 1.5 times. This is ringing the alarm bell, therefore, it is necessary to achieve net-zero emissions.
* IPCC: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Sony accelerates its net-zero
targets throughout the entire
value chain by 10 years
Under the "Road to Zero" set in 2010, a long-term environmental plan aiming to achieve a zero environmental footprint by 2050, Sony has been promoting activities in each of the four perspectives of climate change, resources, chemical substances, and biodiversity. In 2022, in response to the increasingly serious global climate change risks, Sony made the decision to bring forward the target year of achieving the climate change targets by 10 years from 2050. We are moving forward with initiatives aimed at achieving net-zero throughout the entire value chain by 2040.
Sony’s accelerated net-zero targets
-
Including scope 1 to 3:
Accelerating net-zero targets throughout
the entire value chain from
2050 to 2040 -
Achieving net-zero in Scope 1 and 2
(direct and indirect emissions of
own operations) by
2030 -
In our own operation:
Bringing forward the target year of achieving
100% renewable electricity from
2040 to 2030
These targets have been approved by the "Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)", a global initiative,
How to achieve net-zero and
100% renewable energy
In order to achieve 100% renewable electricity by 2030 and net-zero throughout the value chain by 2040, Sony will implement the following main measures.
-
Continuous reduction of
environmental impact
at own sites:Accelerate energy saving, installation of solar power generation equipment, and introduction of renewable energy throughout the Sony Group.
-
Further promotion of
energy-efficient products:Accelerate initiatives to reduce annual power consumption per Sony product.
-
Strengthening efforts
with partners:Encourage business partners of the Sony Group, such as those engaged in parts, materials and finished product manufacturing, to manage their GHG emissions, save energy, and convert to renewable energy to reduce the amount of GHG emissions throughout the entire supply chain.
-
Contribution to
carbon removal / fixation:Contribute to carbon fixation through both technological removal and absorption by ecosystems, through measures including exploration of investments in startups engaged in carbon removal such as the corporate venture capital fund "Sony Innovation Fund: Environment".
Reference: The Roadmap to Achieving
Net Zero approved by the SBTi
Throughout the entire value chain (scope 1, 2, 3), reduce emissions by 90-95% by 2050 at a speed in line with the emissions pathways that limit global temperature increase to 1.5°C, and remove the residual emissions.
Sony's initiatives toward decarbonization
-
Virtual Production
Sony has been developing virtual production, a new content creation tool that could solve some practical issues surrounding on-location shooting by using virtual sets within a sound stage. Virtual production can contribute to the reduction of GHG emissions, by eliminating the energy required to transport staff and sets to various locations.
Click here for details -
Intelligent Vision Sensor IMX500
The Intelligent Vision Sensor is a revolutionary image sensor that enables high-speed edge AI processing within the sensor unit, which made it possible to reduce the amount of data transfer, which was a challenge for conventional systems that transmit image data to the cloud for AI processing, and also reduce power consumption and telecommunications costs.
Click here for details -
Flame Retardant Recycled Plastic SORPLAS™
Sony's Original Flame-Retardant Recycled Plastic "SORPLAS" is made from used water bottles and waste optical discs. SORPLAS achieves high durability, strength and heat resistance, and the CO2 emissions from its production can be reduced compared to flame-retardant virgin plastic production used in the same application. Sony has widely incorporated "SORPLAS" into its own products and is also promoting external sales to offer it to other companies.
Click here for details -
100% renewable electricity at business sites
Targeting 100% renewable electricity at all business sites, Sony is working to adopt renewable energy worldwide in ways such as installing solar power systems and procuring renewable energy from power utilities. Sony have achieved 100% renewable electricity use at all business sites in Europe and China, and we are systematically promoting the adoption of renewable energy at business sites in Pan Asia, North America, and Japan.
Click here for details
