A sound plan with environment in mind
Development of circular plastics
![Three-step illustration showing Sony's renewable plastic process: [1] biomass-derived feedstocks such as used cooking oil being processed, [2] the material sorted into plastic pellets of varying grades, [3] the final renewable plastic incorporated into a Sony WF-series earphone and charging case](https://sony.scene7.com/is/image/sonyglobalsolutions/4-9?$largeImage$)
From Used Cooking Oil to Renewable Plastic
To build transparency and trust, we have visualized the renewable plastics supply chain from raw materials to finished products. Working with energy and chemical manufacturers, we are helping to make renewable plastics more reliable and accessible.
![Five-step illustration showing Sony's recycled ABS plastic process sourced from automobile parts: [1] collecting unpigmented industrial scrap from cars, [2] sorting parts such as emblems and doorknobs, [3] shredding and processing the sorted parts on a conveyor, [4] forming into unpigmented plastic pellets, [5] colouring the pellets to produce finished recycled ABS material](https://sony.scene7.com/is/image/sonyglobalsolutions/22-26?$largeImage$)
Challenges with recycled materials
In order to solve this problem, we procure unpigmented industrial scrap from automobile parts, which we precisely sort to colour and use in a wide range of parts.
Functions of recycled plastics
Starting with unpigmented pellets minimises the additives required in the colouring process. This enables the use of more than 85%0 recycled material in our plastics, and up to a remarkable 98% for black materials.
Our progress toward sustainability
Sustainable packaging
Initiatives for new models
Expanding recycling throughout our range
Sustainable paper materials
Building a sustainable legacy
Existing products are no exception
As part of our wide-ranging renewal efforts, we are changing the outer packaging of existing models from plastic to paper.
The packaging for each model reduces plastic usage by more than 90%0.
Less plastic, for easier recycling
Interview
Makoto Kawabata
Sony Corporation,
Home Entertainment & Sound Products Business Group,
Mobile Product Business Division, Mobile Product Mechanical Design Department
Under its Road to Zero environmental plan, the Sony Group aims to minimise resource inputs, and has been pursuing the introduction of recycled materials in its home audio and other products for some time. However, in the case of ABS, the plastic mainly used in headphones, the lack of a recycled material on the market with high quality and a high recycled ratio has slowed the introduction of recycled materials. Therefore, we decided to develop a recycled ABS that is easy to use and has a high recycled content.
In cooperation with partner companies, we have newly developed a recycled ABS that allows a variety of colouring without the addition of virgin plastic by precisely sorting unpigmented ABS scrap material by colour. With LinkBuds, we tried to create a delicate appearance comparable to virgin ABS, which was difficult to achieve with conventional recycled ABS.
We have begun to introduce this recycled ABS in many headphone models. We will continue to take on further challenges in line with the Road to Zero plan.
Mio Nakanishi
Sony Corporation,
Home Entertainment & Sound Products Business Group,
Mobile Product Business Division, Mobile Product Planning Department
Sony is making changes to its headphones, both new models and products already on the market, with the aim of eliminating all plastic from their packaging. To reduce the amount of plastic used in packaging to zero across the board is not an easy task, as it is costly and the role of packaging differs depending on product characteristics, sales conditions, and customers. However, we believe that we were able to create packaging responsive to environmental considerations without compromising on functionality or appeal precisely because Sony has kept environmental considerations in mind from the initial stages of product creation.
The new WH-1000XM5 model introduces Sony's proprietary paper Original Blended Material for the product box, and is the first model to carry the Original Blended Material logo. The design has been changed considerably from the previous WH-1000XM4 model, with the package designed to convey increased consideration for the environment.
We believe that for the cycle of sustainability to be realised, as well as creating products, of course, it’s also necessary to get customers to recycle those products to close the cycle. We will continue, while manufacturing products, to always consider what kind of products are appropriate to make for the planet.
