A MESSAGE TO PEOPLE AND
A MESSAGE TO PEOPLE AND THE EARTH FROM SHARP ADVERTORIAL Extracts from “SHARP ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIAL REPORT 2008” & Cleverdis SPECIALreport 2008 TWO NEW VISIONS LOOKING AHEAD TO THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF SHARP’S FOUNDING According to reports from the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) and the discussions at the G8 Heiligendamm Summit, a broad international consensus is emerging that dealing with global warming is a critical issue facing the world. Sakai Factory WORKING TOWARDS “CARBON NEUTRAL LIFE” Since the 19th century, the impact on the environment has grown as a result of increased economic and social activity. As an electronics manufacturer, Sharp has recognised and is now focusing on three main problems: global warming, pollution from toxic chemicals and depletion of resources. SHARP – ALMOST 50 YEARS’ SOLAR RESEARCH Sharp began R&D on solar cells in 1959. Today, they are the only company that has continuously developed and produced solar cells without any interruption to the present day. At present, Sharpmanufactured solar cells account for approximately one-fourth of the world total. Against this backdrop, the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol finally began this year. This pressing situation demands a drastic transformation in social structure – from a massconsumption society that since the Industrial Revolution has depended on fossil resources, to a sustainable low-carbon society focused on the use of renewable energies. In 2012, the final year of the first commitment period, Sharp will celebrate the 100th anniversary of its founding. As the company prepares to mark this milestone at this critical turning point, Sharp has explored anew the role that it should play in the coming era and created two new corporate visions for the future. One is “Realize a truly ubiquitous society* 1 with the world’s No. 1 LCDs.” And, the other is “Contribute to the world through environment- and health-conscious business, focusing on energy-saving and energy-creating products.” * 1 A “ubiquitous society” is a concept of how, through the rapid development of IT infrastructure, networks will always be accessible to users; thus, the whole society will be connected. DIVERSE NEW APPLICATIONS Thin-film silicon solar cells can now be used as architectural materials! The new “see through” type will allow for innovative new applications like this to expand to windows and wall surfaces of homes and buildings. MAKE ENERGY… AND USE LESS ENERGY! Sharp is, of course, continuing its efforts to improve power consumption in TVs. Today, the amount of power consumed by the latest 52-inch LCD TV is less than the electricity consumed by a 32- inch CRT TV eight years ago. Compared to similar-sized 32-inch models, the latest 32-inch LCD TV consumes less than half the power per year than a CRT TV introduced in 2000. To obtain the full report in PDF format: www.sharp-world.com/corporate/eco/csr_report/index.html Kameyama Factory Hall 3.2 / Stand 101 26 www.ifa-international.org IFA International • Friday, 29 th August 2008
THE GREEN PAGE WHITE GOODS GET GREENER By Emmanuel Poidevin The first “energy” label on household appliances appeared in 1995. In the space of just over a decade, the electrical consumption of fridges has seen a dramatic fall of 60%, washing machines now use 45% less water, and running a dish washer costs three times less than doing the dishes by hand. But consumer has remained far from aware. Today the change in interest is largely due to the predominant and omnipresent use of the word “environment”, which provides a new opportunity for the big brands to push their products. The rapidly increasing number of these products in households is a sign to the appliance industry that sustainable development must be one of their top priorities. The big brands in the industry, who congregate at the European Committee of Manufacturers of Domestic Appliances, have implemented a sustainable development code of conduct that has been set out to further trickle down in company guidelines for years to come. Their commitment is further developed through a policy of innovation and research. It is also backed by 15 years of substantial investment with a constant concern of balancing economic results, performance and consumer expectations. This environmental approach within the industry is present in each phase of product life: - design (elimination of CFC, limiting of hazardous substances, ISO 14001 certification, innovation, environmentally friendly conception, etc.), - use (improvement in technical performances, savings in energy and water consumption, lower levels of noise, etc.), - and the end of life service (waste collection, sorting, recycling, re-use, reduction in packaging, choice of transport favouring the environment, repair capabilities, etc.). There are two innovating guidelines that will enhance the transformation of the market via the transformation of consumer household conduct. ENERGY From a technical point of view, many products have now reached optimal levels in terms of energy consumption. New technological leaps are now regarded as a synonym for unacceptable additional costs for the consumer. If the high-end economic product is on offer today, it will subsequently incite the renewal of products within consumer households. Currently, approximately 30% of home appliances in Europe are more than 10 years old. Although we are regularly changing our mobile phones and computers, this frequency of renewal doesn’t apply to household devices. That’s why a solution has emerged to improve the energy needs of the white products thus inciting consumers to replace their outdated equipment, before their old products breakdown, with the new, more efficient, and environmentally friendly products. The policy is to encourage users to opt for highly economic products (classed A, A+ or A++), which allow them to instantly make savings in the consumption of electricity and water. RECYCLING Recycling - Modifying conduct to render the process beneficial. The European Union’s wish to improve the environment and avoid wasting raw materials has resulted in a European directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment adopted in January 2003. This directive requires companies to be responsible for financing the collection and treatment of purchased electrical and electronic equipment at the end of their service life. This also governs the design process leading to white goods that are easier to disassemble and recycle. In order for the directive to make a difference, every link in the chain needs to play an active role. With the implementation of new processes of product enhancement and recycling from the European Committee of Manufacturers of Domestic Appliances, each link in the chain must adapt its processes to render them beneficial. MANUFACTURERS The nNew legislation incites manufacturers to create more efficient products, making savings in energy while meeting customer requirements in terms of features, services and aesthetics. Manufacturers are now responsible to render products more recyclable. Certain distributors are responsible for the recovery of old products upon the purchase of a new product, a service which should become systematically free. This has an impact on distributors’ logistic capabilities when receiving products at the end of their service life. Local communities were up to until now legally responsible for the recovery of waste household appliances. Currently, they will offer a separate recovery of electrical products at the end of their service life. This will also have an impact on their conduct concerning municipal waste sites. CHANGING HABITS Consumers have been used to dispensing with their products once the product has reached the end of its service life either at the waste centre, their local distributor, or as in the case of many smaller products, in their household rubbish. They are now becoming aware that they must make their products more available for recycling. When buying a new product, they must also pay an environmental contribution fee used for recycling of the old product. IFA International • Friday, 29 th August 2008 www.ifa-international.org 27
