Sony Ericsson announces new GreenHeart strategy

LONDON — Sony Ericsson has unveiled goals for reducing carbon dioxide emissions across the whole company by 20 percent by 2015 in absolute terms.  

At the same time, the company made a commitment to reduce the total greenhouse gas emissions by 15 percent from the full life cycle of its products, i.e. from the mining production use by consumers to the end of life management, by 2015.

A key pillar of these commitments is the introduction of Sony Ericsson’s new GreenHeart pioneer products launched with two flagship phones — the C901 GreenHeart and Naite — and the MH300 headset, one of the greenest in the market. 

Green innovations showcased in the new GreenHeart pioneer phones will migrate into the wider portfolio, enabling the company to continually reduce the environmental impact of its entire lineup to become a benchmark for the industry. 

Both the C901 GreenHeart and Naite build on Sony Ericsson’s industry leading “green core,” the result of a long-standing commitment to eliminate the use of hazardous chemicals from its phones.

Additional green features include an e-manual that reduces paper usage by over 90 percent, smaller packaging that decreases transport-related carbon dioxide emissions by over 80 percent, recycled plastics, and a low-power charger. Thanks to these innovations, the overall carbon dioxide footprint of the GreenHeart products is reduced by 15 percent.

“Since the start of the joint venture in 2001, Sony Ericsson has strived to exceed industry standards in the removal of harmful substances as well as energy-efficient chargers. We have implemented a full life cycle approach to sustainability in order to build phones with a green core as well as reducing carbon dioxide emissions from the product in use and ensuring sustainable end-of-life treatment,” said Dick Komiyama, Sony Ericsson president.

“Today’s announcement on emission reduction targets and the new GreenHeart pioneer products is the next step in building a more sustainable business and a key pillar in our invigorated product portfolio strategy,” Komiyama added.

The company is also committing to a significant increase in the volume of phones collected as part of its global TakeBack initiative.

Sony Ericsson aims to collect one million phones yearly from its own system from 2011 onwards, making it easy for consumers to recycle by providing more locations and information about the process.

Anne-Sofie Andersson, director of the International Chemical Secretariat (ChemSec), said, “Sony Ericsson proactively engages with our organization on a number of chemical-related sustainability issues. In the ChemSec Business Group, Sony Ericsson is a constructive and ambitious counterpart, actively contributing to the debate on initiatives such as the revision of RoHS, aimed at reducing the use of toxic chemicals and heavy metals in consumer goods.”

“Information and communications technologies can have a major role to play in delivering a low carbon world,” said Peter Madden, chief executive of the Forum for the Future.

“We’re really pleased to be working with one of the leading manufacturers — Sony Ericsson — as they commit to making the carbon reductions necessary to avoid climate change and ensure their business can prosper in the low carbon economy of the future,” Madden said.