1.How important are green issues to Sony?

We see ‘green issues’ and sustainability as a critical part of our company ethos and activities. The main aim of our sustainability activities is to both minimise our impact on the environment (which includes tough targets to reduce waste and energy) as well as to demonstrate that technology can be an important part of the solution to climate change issues and how we as a technology company can help with finding solutions – thus having an overall net positive impact as a company.

Eco conscious thinking also influences our product cycles – from the materials we source, recycle and reuse in manufacture, to the development of smaller packaging that takes less space for more energy efficient transportation. .

We’re committed to finding new ways of reducing the company’s impact on the planet; one of Sony’s long-term goals is to achieve zero carbon by 2050 with clear commitments and published targets for the short term and mid term (2015.)

Sony offices, warehouses and manufacturing across Europe have already cut CO2 emissions dramatically, but we are aiming to cut emissions by another 10 per cent in 2010 for all of our UK specific sites for example, as we’re signed up to the UK’s 10:10 initiative.

We see the 10:10 Campaign as an excellent initiative to engage employees and involve them in the overall environmental objectives of the company. We have established green teams across the UK businesses who are tasked with leading the way in co-ordinating the activities across the different sites. This includes actions such as cutting general power consumption in facilities and offices, as well as reducing employee travel, especially flights.

The 10:10 Campaign is part of a real commitment in our organisation to reduce C02 across our business and is part of an overall global corporate target to cut a further 30% in C02 emissions worldwide by 2016.

2. What have Sony done in the last 12 months to improve their carbon footprint?

March 2009 saw the announcement that CO2 emissions from Sony’s European sites have reduced by 90% (equivalent to 113.000 tonnes) over the period FY2000 to FY2008. The achievement of this reduction is part of the overall Sony commitment to reducing its impact on the environment, as mentioned above.

In addition to the reduction of CO2 emissions, Sony Europe was proud to announce last summer that all of its main 32 sites in the region were powered by electricity from renewable sources.

Energy saving measures have the biggest priority, with those that have been implemented by European manufacturing sites accumulating to an energy consumption reduction of 20.000.000 kWh in FY08.

3. How big an impact do you think our increasing reliance on technology has on the environment?

As a whole, our use and reliance of technology has grown over time. Some innovations in technology have a very positive role to play – such as better communication technology in video conferencing and telepresence solutions, to name one example, so people don’t have to travel huge distances.

At Sony we recognise that our products can have a negative impact on the environment, especially in terms of energy consumption, so we’re looking at many different ways to try to minimise power consumption in our products.

We’re also championing new ways in which innovations in technology can be part of the solution to some environmental challenges.

Technology can be effectively reapplied to actually help the environment; an example of this is the Forest Guard project – a powerful initiative devised by a group of school children. Their clever idea was to help prevent forest fires – a constant threat in their region – by having a network of solar powered CCTV cameras survey the forest. Not only do these fires create terrible human devastation but they also have a huge environmental impact – the carbon dioxide emitted during these fires can equal that produced by several million cars on the road in a year. The Forest Guard system would allow people all over the world to log on to view the forests and alert the authorities in the event of a fire.

This was an initiative that Sony wanted to be a part of as we could add our technology and engineering skills to the project and help this young team’s idea become a reality. To apply technology to help solve the problems of climate change is at the heart of Sony’s philosophy and we will continue with these types of initiatives into 2010 and beyond.

4. Has Sony released any products that will help customers reduce their carbon emissions? If so, how will these products help the environment?

Our 2010 BRAVIA range of TVs continues to have a strong focus on eco-aware credentials, which have been one of the cornerstones of our LCD TV development for a long time now, including the continuing push to reduce power consumption. The 2010 BRAVIA range of TVs incorporates LED backlighting technology, which provides superior performance with lower energy consumption. This reduced energy consumption means the majority of Sony’s 2010 range of TVs have been awarded the ‘EU Flower’ eco symbol, the official EU mark for greener products. As well as reduced energy consumption during use, compliance also includes a take-back policy for recycling and limiting the spread of harmful substances into the environment.

Additionally, all of the TVs include the Energy Saving Switch, whilst the BRAVIA LX900 will feature an updated version of the Presence Sensor and an Ambient Sensor, which will automatically detect the brightness and colour temperature of ambient light in the room, to adjust the TV for optimum viewing quality with minimum energy consumption.

This year we are expanding our line-up of LCD TVs using mercury-free LED backlighting, which is more energy efficient than traditional CCFL backlights.

Also, many of the laptops in our VAIO range have been awarded the Energy Star® 5.0 qualification. They are packed with energy saving features, not only do they have the latest energy-efficient LED backlight technologies, the power management settings put you in control of the power consumption so you can work or play all day on a single battery charge.

In our VAIO W series “eco edition” model, nearly 80 per cent of all plastic parts, including the top and bottom cover, are made up of recycled plastics, including CD and DVD waste.

This model is also supplied in an environmentally friendly, 100% recycled material carry bag.  The bags replace individual cardboard cartons, reducing packaging material from factory to store and from store to home. This means reduced CO2 emissions when the models are transported, as well as less waste, as there is no outer packaging.

5. Does Sony offer an exchange or recycling programme for old Sony merchandise?

Sony Europe is a member of several schemes financing the European Waste Electronic and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) regulations, which include batteries and packaging take-back and recycling schemes.

In 2002 Sony founded (together with Braun, HP & Electrolux), the first pan European WEEE compliance scheme called European Recycling Platform (ERP). ERP’s mission is to deliver compliance & quality, including the prevention of illegal WEEE shipments by regular onsite audits of contracted recyclers and high treatment and recycling standards. In 2008, around 60,000 tons of electronic waste were collected and recycled on behalf of Sony Europe.

6. What are your top tips for becoming greener at home?

You can find a host of energy saving tips on Sony’s website (http://www.sony.co.uk/hub/eco/energy-saving-tips)

Here are three of the best:

Turn off your screen: switch the picture off if you’re listening to music through your laptop, and in a year you will save enough energy to charge your MP3 player more than 10,000 times

Switch off connected equipment: we know we should switch the TV off when not watching. But did you know that by switching off connected equipment like games consoles and home cinema systems for just one night could save enough energy to run the tumble dryer for 2 hours?

Turn down the brightness: most TVs and laptops allow you to change the brightness of the picture. Turn the brightness down, and in a year you could save enough energy to run sixty loads of laundry.

There we have it.  Some great examples of how Sony are stepping up to the challenge of reducing carbon emissions.  If you are in the market for new electrical items check out Sony’s range of eco-friendly products.  Not only will you be helping the environment but you’ll also save money on your electricity bill which can’t be bad.

Hopefully other big companies will follow Sony’s lead and improve their eco-credentials.  It’s also great to see that they have signed up to the 10:10 campaign.

Many thanks to Emily for taking the time to answer the questions.

The company Telecity realised it was pumping a lot of hot air into the atmosphere and when designing its new data centre in Paris it coupled with a company to take away its heat.  The French national agronomic institute built a greenhouse next to the data centre that will allow scientist to study how plants adapt to global warming.  In Amsterdam the waste heat is used to warm an office block and heat the water supply of a hospital.

Telecity estimate that the data centre will save 2500 tonnes of CO2 each year.  They will also have a white roof to reflect solar rays and therefore stop the sun heating the building.

So there we have an example of how a company has looked at their waste and come up with a solution to help other businesses.  Good stuff!  Hopefully Telecity will act as an example to other companies about how to cut their CO2 emissions.

The powers that be think that by reducing the amount of meat they buy in it will reduce their carbon footprint.  It is true that the NHS is one of the biggest buyers of food in the UK but even so is this really the best idea they can come up with?!  In the UK the NHS accounts for more than three percent of carbon emissions in England which isn’t bad considering it is the largest employer in Britain and the third largest in the whole world.  The NHS also has a lot of properties throughout the country.

Whilst it is true that the carbon footprint of food is quite high there are other things the NHS could do to reduce its carbon footprint.  However, instead of cutting down on meat products perhaps the NHS should actually buy in locally sourced, fresh produce rather than microwave meals that come from goodness knows where.  In fact this might keep patients healthy, they might actually enjoy the food and it is better for the environment!

We’ll have to wait until tomorrow to see the full outline of the plans to reduce carbon emissions and go carbon neutral.  We’ll keep you posted!  Ethical and Green wonder what Jamie Oliver will make of this considering he is promoting British meat at the moment?!

Those of us who are interested in buying ethical and green products will no doubt have noticed that more and more online shops are popping up.  This can only be good news for the environment.  One of the latest green online shops is Big Green Smile.

Big Green Smile sell a wide range of green, ethical, recycled and eco-friendly products.  Their unique selling point is that they offer the largest range of water saving products in the UK.  Great if you are on a water meter!!

We checked out the site and found it easy to navigate and packed with lots of info on how to go green and reduce your carbon footprint. We liked the eco MP3 player but are not sure if it will give the iPod a run for it’s money just yet.  Perhaps we’ll have to buy one and give it a go!

BigGreenSmile.com work closely with their suppliers to ensure that all products are the most environmentally friendly of their type on the market.  They also have a wide selection of products in almost all categories you can think of.  As BigGreenSmile.com Director Nicholas Buhler says ‘The site allows people to make small changes in the way they shop so they can help protect our planet’ which is a fab outlook.

So if you are interested in checking out the site the address is www.biggreensmile.com  It’s worth looking at as there are some tips to help save money in the credit crunch as well as saving the planet.

It doesn’t stop there.  Sky are also committed to helping their customers live more sustainably.  They are doing this by using the medium of TV by increasing the number of environmental programmes they show.  Sky engineers also gave customers energy efficient light bulbs when they installed various Sky products.

You can also download Sky’s Rough Guide to Saving Energy and Reducing Your Carbon Footprint which shows you how to go carbon neutral and save money.  There are more ways in which the company is helping the environment which you can find by visiting their website.

It’s good to see a company like Sky using their medium of TV and advertising to do something positive for the environment.  It’s even better that they are setting a good example by being completely carbon neutral and still striving to do more.  This makes me feel a lot better now when I sit down to watch TV using Sky Plus.  Not only is Sky Plus (in my opinion) one of the best inventions it is also guilt free now I know Sky is carbon neutral.  The fact you can also get broadband from Sky and do online shopping, therefore reducing your personal carbon footprint is even better.

If you want to sign up to Sky in an effort to reduce your carbon footprint and get Sky Digital TV, Broadband, Phone for £26, order online!

Since 1966 BT has reduced its carbon footprint by 58% which is pretty amazing.  Their new target is to achieve an 80% reduction in CO2 production by 2020.  Even better they are to propose a new model to encourage global businesses to follow suit.  Good on BT.

Now I have to admit that I have found customer service at BT slightly wanting but knowing how committed they are to the environment makes it worthwhile.

Other green initiatives the company have are cutting down on paper bills.  If you elect to have your bill online you save £1.25 a month and The Woodland Trust will plant a sapling in a British woodland creation site on your behalf.

BT are also looking to their suppliers to reduce carbon emissions.  They are encouraging suppliers to promote sustainability and reduce impact on the environment.

BT has 18 million customers in 170 countries and therefore they are in a position to make a real difference to the environment.  The company has produced a range of energy efficient phones and by July 2008 more than 90% of their phone range will be energy efficient.  Cost to the customer?  Zero.

For businesses BT has produced a guide to help companies see how they can go green by reducing energy consumption and carbon footprints.

Well done BT- keep up the good work.

If you want to change your phone or broadband or indeed both follow this link BT Total Broadband – click here to order now

So here is the list:

• J C Atkinson and Son (Manufacturing)
• Carillion (Construction)
• Co-operative Financial Services (Financial Services)
• Pureprint Group (Printing and Publishing)
• Skanska UK (Construction)
• HBOS (Financial Services)
• Loughborough Student’s Union (Education)
• Saint-Gobain Glass UK (Manufacturing)
• MCM Architecture (Architects)
• The National Magazine Company (Media)

The list of cars ranged from Citroen, Ford, Fiat, Honda and surprisingly Lotus!  The Lotus was the one that caught my eye as you don’t expect a sports car to be green.  So what exactly are it’s green credentials?

The Lotus Exige 270E Tri-fuel runs on a mixture of gasoline, bioethanol and methanol.  The company is hoping to introduce the use of sustainable synthetic alcohols as fuels within 15-20 years.  It’s maximum speed is 158mph which is pretty fast.  The all important CO2 output is 100g/km running on E85 bioethanol or zero emissions on sustainable synthetic methanol.  This is less than the Citroen C1 which has emissions of 109g/km.  Well done Lotus!

So what does the car look like?  Well as you can see it doesn’t look any different from a regular Lotus.

Thankfully Greencare H2O are here to bring an ethical and green solution that is also stylish.  The company produce watercooling and filtering systems to turn average tap water into a tasty drink.  The interesting point about this company is that once the restaurant has it’s water it can put it into a branded bottle which they can then charge the customer for or give it away free.

Greencare H2O have seen their profits rocket over the last year which is great news for the environment.  It also shows that restaurants and other public places are taking environmental issues seriously and trying to reduce their carbon footprints.  Manchester United have got involved and installed the Greencare h2o system.  Trendy restaurant WaterHouse in Shoreditch, London have also installed the system and ask for a £1 donation of you have the water.

So there we have it.  Yet more good news that industries are making an effort to reduce their carbon footprint.