*1 Among 32" digital LCD televisions available in Japan, as of June 17, 2008 when Sony Corporation issued its press release.
*2 As of December 4, 2007 when Sony Corporation issued its press release.

The <BRAVIA> JE1 series boasts the highest energy-efficiency in the industry(*1), with excellent index values such as 232% in the Japanese energy conservation standards(*3), momentary power consumption of 89W(*4), and a power consumption of 86kWh/year(*5). However, Sony is not satisfied with this achievement alone in the pursuit of a greener environment. In addition to energy efficiency, Sony is actively addressing resource recycling. Sony has established a mechanism for the in-house recycling of flame-retardant plastic materials for televisions, making it the first company in the industry to do so(*2). This system was first applied to the manufacture of LCD televisions that were launched this spring. In the household appliance industry, polypropylene materials are reused because they can be recycled relatively easily. On the other hand, the polystyrene plastic parts used for televisions have not been reused because it has been difficult to remove foreign substances and secure flame and impact resistance when they are reprocessed. Faced with this situation, Sony started to address the in-house recycling of flame-retardant plastic by labeling flame retardants and materials, and using the same materials for televisions manufactured in and after 1996. This made it possible to clearly determine whether a collected CRT-based television is reusable or not, and to use the recycled plastic parts for making <BRAVIA> sets. In addition, Sony has realized the recycling of styrofoam waste materials generated in the manufacturing of televisions. Thus, almost all the bezels (front covers) and rear covers of the <BRAVIA> JE1 series are made of recycled materials and much of the main body of the television is made of reprocessed plastic. Our ongoing efforts have continued for more than ten years and have finally borne fruit now in 2008.

For the <BRAVIA> JE1 series, a new type of recycling is done – the recycling of waste optical sheets removed from panel modules of Sony LCD televisions, for the first time in the industry(*6). Placing emphasis on in-house recycling, Sony recycles and reuses even optical sheets as manufacturing parts. This has resulted in a reduction in CO₂ emissions of about 40%(*7) in the plastic production stage of products, compared to production using new materials. In this way, the <BRAVIA> line has various ingenious features both inside and outside to curb CO₂ emissions, not only when it is being used but also when it is manufactured. And now, efforts aimed at reuse are being extended to other Sony products. One example is a project for the recycling of waste CDs. Sony has developed a fully automatic system where waste polycarbonate CDs, manufactured by Sony Music Manufacturing Inc., an optical disk factory, are crushed, cleaned, and dried and the paint films on the waste CDs completely removed. They are recycled into polycarbonate which is as good as new, and then blended with other resins and additives to produce a high-quality plastic that is used for "Cyber-shot" digital still cameras, as well as other products. Sony is making full use of unique technologies and ideas promoting the in-house recycling of resources. The Sony vision of a greener future is well underway.