As part of its' efforts to reduce the environmental impact of finished goods transportation, Sony is promoting modal shift which switches the transportation mode from air to ocean, and from truck to rail.

For example, for VAIO notebook PCs, Sony has shifted to ocean transportation for approximately 30% of total shipments. For shipments of European and North American models in particular, Sony is promoting to shift the transportation mode from air to ocean and rail.
For numerous finished goods shipped from Shanghai, China to Japan, Sony changed from air transportation to a combination of sea and rail transportation or sea and truck transportation.

Sony is actively promoting modal shift in different regions around the world. For example, in China, by expanding the use of rail transportation with ocean containers for transporting finished goods from manufacturing plants in southern China to export ports, Sony reduced CO2 emissions by approximately 310 tons in fiscal year of 2011 compared with transportation by truck.

In Brazil, for shipment from its factory in Manaus to São Paulo, Sony Brasil Ltda. changed to cabotage transportation, thereby reducing CO2 emissions by approximately 980 tons compared with transportation by truck in fiscal year of 2011. In France, Sony changed to using barge* and rail from Le Havre port to Southern France via Éragny warehouse in the suburb of Paris. By this modal shift, Sony reduced CO2 emissions by approximately 170 tons in fiscal year of 2011 compared with transportation using truck during the whole distance.

Also in Japan, Sony continues to promote modal shift from truck to rail or ferry/boat.
In fiscal year 2011, Sony promoted modal shift for approximately 10,000 tons transportation weights of finished goods in Japan, which resulted in reduction of CO2 emissions by approximately 1,780 tons compared with transportation by truck.
In particular, as a result of our activities of modal shift from truck to rail which can travel with less CO2 emissions, Sony acquired the certification of "Eco Rail Mark"* in September 2011 from the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.