Biomass refers to organic resources of biological origin other than fossil resources, such as trees and grasses. Sony has developed vegetable-based plastics made mostly from plant-derived biomass.Compared to generic plastics made from oil, vegetable-based plastic helps reduce oil resource consumption as well as CO2 emissions and can be processed in a variety of ways after use.
World's first vegetable-based contactless smart card: Edy card
In 2006, Sony succeeded in popularizing the world's first contactless smart card made of vegetable-based plastic, mainly composed of biomass.
Cards of this kind are now widespread. They are used as Edy cards1 with Edy prepaid e-money service (employing Sony FeliCa2 contactless smart card technology3), as well as for employee ID and membership cards. As contactless smart cards continue to surge in popularity, system operators can now switch to this Environmentally conscious format.
1Prepaid e-money cards adopting the FeliCa system. After users charge their account by depositing money, FeliCa cards can be used for purchases simply by passing the card over a reader at cash registers. Confirmation sound effects make transactions easy and enjoyable.
2FeliCa is a contactless smart card technology system developed by Sony. Highly secure and tamper-resistant, FeliCa cards also support speedy data transfer. Card data is also rewritable, enabling reuse of cards.
3Cards themselves require no batteries. Reader/writers transmit radio waves when cards are used, which makes cards to be scanned efficiently even in shaky or dusty environments.
Body Cap originated from castor oil
SONY DSLR camera α(alpha)350 comes with a body cap made of vegetable-based plastics composed of polyamide11 derived from castor oil.Castor oil is extracted from non-edible plant called ricinus.
