Take-back legislation in Europe - in particular, the European Union (EU) directives on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), batteries and packaging - requires manufacturers to organize and finance the collection and recycling of end-of-life products and packaging.

Sony takes full responsibility for its take-back obligations in all those European countries where it has sales bases.*

In December 2002, Sony joined forces with Braun GmbH, AB Electrolux and Hewlett Packard Europe S.A., to form the European Recycling Platform (ERP). The aim of ERP was to establish efficient and cost-effective systems for the collection and recycling of end-of-life electrical and electronic products to enable member companies to fulfill their obligations as manufacturers.

The ERP operates WEEE collection and recycling services in Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom and conducts regular on-site audits of all contracted recyclers to ensure compliance with the WEEE directive as well as to prevent illegal shipments of WEEE outside the EU. For European countries other than the 12 listed above and Norway, Sony cooperates with authorized recycling organizations that undertake recycling in lieu of manufacturers to ensure its products are recycled in a manner that complies with the WEEE directive or related legislation and regulations in each country. In 2010, Sony financed the costs of recycling around 74,000 tons of waste electrical and electronics products in Europe. Sony discloses for all its products placed on the market in Europe information on substances and components that require special treatment to facilitate safe recycling

The EU battery directive enacted in September 2008 replaced existing national legislation and expanded mandatory producer take-back and recycling of batteries for the entire EU. The directive encompasses all types of batteries. Sony complies with this directive by making use of the ERP and other battery recycling services.

In numerous European countries, producers are legally obliged to collect and recycle waste from packaging. Sony fulfills this obligation through participation in authorized collection and recycling organizations wherever applicable.