Reducing energy consumption, packaging materials and volume used in the transportation of parts and finished products is crucial in reducing the environmental impact over products' life cycles. Public awareness of the need to lower greenhouse gas emissions caused by transportation is also growing.
As the company responsible for these operations, Sony Supply Chain Solutions, Inc. (SSCS) is striving to reduce CO2 emissions and the volume of packaging materials in the transport of products and parts between domestic and international locations by, among others, optimizing transport and loading efficiency and shifting to modes of transport that have less environmental impact. As a result of these activities, CO2 emissions for fiscal year 2008 related to product transport between international regions and within Japan and also transport associated with business activities conducted by the main Sony Group companies in Japan were approximately 720 thousand tons in total.
SSCS promotes the sharing of shipments with other companies. Having already introduced this system in the Hokkaido and Okinawa areas, in November 2008 the company expanded this application to include the Fukuoka area, with the aim of further reducing CO2 emissions. Sony intends to commence similar operations with mass retailers in the Tokyo and Osaka areas and expand to other areas going forward. In fiscal year 2008, consolidation of truck loading transport under the system resulted in approximately 80-ton reduction in CO2 emissions
SSCS is increasing efforts to improve packaging and transport procedures in cooperation with Sony's engineering and production teams.
To reduce pallets and cardboard boxes discarded after a single shipment, Sony has adopted simple packaging that can be reused repeatedly in all areas from manufacturing and logistics through to waste disposal.
In 2005, Sony's worldwide initiatives for reducing CO2 emissions produced during transportation included extending the adoption of reusable containers used for international product shipments to include component shipments. In the same year, Sony also introduced these containers for use in transport within Malaysia. In fiscal year 2008, Sony used approximately 6,700 such containers. In fiscal year 2008, the reuse of containers contributed to approximately 500-ton decline in the volume of packaging materials used, compared to what would have been the case with conventional one-way pallets.
In another initiative, Sony has improved the way in which it uses wrapping films to secure televisions for transport, developing a technology that uses only about 67% of the volume of films previously used for this purpose. Sony will broaden the use of this technology to all Sony products in the domestic market in March 2009 and eventually to products for export.
To reduce the environmental impact of transportation, SSCS is promoting a shift in long-distance transport to rail and sea transport, which emit less CO2 than trucks, in a manner that balances lead times and transport costs. In addition to conventional rail transport, in 2006 SSCS began using the JR Freight Railway Company's newly launched "Super Green Shuttle freight service," between Tokyo and Osaka, and in January 2009 it also began using this mode between Nagoya and Shimonoseki. Through the use of special containers, SSCS is also continuing to use co-transportation by sharing its railway containers with other companies to maximize transport efficiency.
In fiscal year 2008, Sony shifted its mode of transport for approximately 17,000 tons of products in Japan, which resulted in reducing CO2 emissions by approximately 2,100 tons from the estimated total for this volume being transported by truck. This is equivalent to approximately 20.4% of the volume of trunk line transportation in Japan.
In fiscal year 2009, U.S.-based Sony Supply Chain Solutions of America (SSCSA) continued to expand operations as a "SmartWay shipper" under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The SmartWay Transport Partnership is a voluntary partnership between various freight industry sectors and the EPA that establishes incentives for fuel efficiency improvements and greenhouse gas emissions reductions. By 2012, this initiative aims to reduce between 33 and 66 million tons of CO2 emissions and up to 200,000 tons of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions per year. At the same time, the initiative will result in fuel savings of up to 150 million barrels of oil annually.
By signing up as a SmartWay shipper in fiscal year 2007, SSCSA collected detailed carrier fleet performance information from carriers and determined that 87% of Sony carriers qualified as SmartWay carriers as a result of their active programs in place to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In fiscal year 2008 Sony Supply Chain Solutions hit its goal to have 100% SmartWay carriers and this achievement helped further reduce CO2 emissions this year as noted above.
