Sony Joins the Global Initiative RE100 in Pursuit of Operating with 100% Renewable Electricity

Sony Corporation (hereafter “Sony”) today announced that it has joined RE100, an initiative operated by the international non-government organization (NGO) The Climate Group* in partnership with CDP**. In so doing, Sony will aim to use 100% renewable electricity for all of its business sites by 2040.

RE100 consists of companies committed to using 100% renewable electricity, and comprises over 140 member companies worldwide (as of September 10, 2018).

* An international NGO with offices in London, New Delhi and New York. The Climate Group’s mission is to accelerate climate action to achieve a world of under 2°C of global warming. It does this by bringing together powerful networks of business and governments that shift global markets and policies – so that we can go further and faster in driving climate action.

** CDP is an international non-profit that drives companies and governments to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, safeguard water resources and protect forests. Backed by investors with assets of $87 trillion, it runs the global environmental disclosure system used by thousands of companies and hundreds of cities, providing data analysis and expert insights.

In order to accelerate the use of renewable energy, Sony will promote the following initiatives moving forward:

In addition to its European sites, which have already achieved 100% renewable electricity, expand the use of renewable energy in North America and China.
Promote the installation of solar panels at manufacturing sites in Thailand, Japan, and elsewhere.

Within Japan, which contains many of Sony’s semiconductor manufacturing sites and has the largest energy consumption within the Sony Group, establish an intracompany electricity transfer plan generated at Sony sites. Consider supplying Sony sites through electrical grids owned by power companies with energy created by in-house generation facilities that use renewable energy such as solar panels.

Within Japan, work together with other RE100 member companies to strengthen outreach to renewable energy market to ensure sufficient and stable supply of economic renewable energy.

Sony has adopted a "Road to Zero" long-term environmental plan that plots a course to a zero environmental footprint for the company's operations and across the lifecycle of its products by 2050. Moving toward this vision for the future, Sony set about pursuing its new "Green Management 2020" environmental mid-term targets from fiscal 2016, which it aims to achieve by the end of fiscal 2020, and cites the use of renewable energy as one of its pillars.

Sony has adopted the target of using renewable energy equivalent to reducing CO₂ emissions by 300,000 tons by fiscal 2020 and is accelerating the implementation of renewable energy in a variety of ways, including use of Renewable Energy Certificates and installation of solar panels. The cumulative total of CO₂ emissions reduced by using renewable energy since fiscal 2016 is approx.154,000 tons.

Through these and other measures, Sony will continue striving to bring forth environmentally conscious products and services, minimize the environmental footprint of its value chain, and work to create a better and more sustainable society, toward the achievement of its "Road to Zero" plan.

Statement from Kenichiro Yoshida, President and CEO, Sony Corporation:

"For many years, Sony has been an industry leader in actively addressing climate change and other environmental issues. As part of our “Road to Zero” initiative to eliminate our environmental footprint, we are pleased to join RE100 and contribute to the realization of a society that operates on fully renewable energy.

In anticipation of the coming autonomous driving era, Sony aims to contribute to the safety of mobility and to the reduction of environmental impact through its automotive CMOS image sensor business. We have positioned these initiatives as one of our pillars of our societal contribution from a long-term perspective. At the same time, we are also proactively taking measures to assess and minimize the impact of our overall business activities such as semiconductor manufacturing on the environment. By joining RE100, we hope to contribute to the expanded usage of renewable energy not only within Sony but by the industry at large."

Statement from Helen Clarkson, CEO, The Climate Group:

"We are excited to welcome Sony aboard RE100. From PlayStation® and image sensors to consumer electronics, music, and film, this is the largest entertainment and technology business in the world stepping up and switching its entire operations to 100% renewable electricity. Sony is at the forefront of cutting edge innovation and this commitment shows the global marketplace that renewable energy is the future."

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