Electronics Recycling: More than just a Slogan!

Commitment, activities, challenges & views for a way forward

Tuesday September 1st, 2009, Copenhagen Business School

Frans LoenEnvironmental Affairs Europe, Sony Europe

Sony Europe, Sony Environmental Vision and some achievements

Sony recycling policy and recycling activitiesWhat are the problems we face with recycling?

Why is this happening?What should be changed to have a more sustainable recycling of

electronics?

• FY08 Consolidated Sales & Operating Revenue 7,729.9 bln Yen

• Headcount ca. 170,000 employees, of which ca. 12,000 in Europe

• Product Range– Electronics: TV (Bravia), Audio (Walkman), Video (Blu Ray), Camera

(CyberShot), PC (VAIO), Professional products,…– Game: Playstation, PSP– Mobile phones: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications– Financial Services: Sony Life, Sony Assurance, Sony Bank – Pictures: Angels and Demons, Quantum of Solace, … – Music: Sony Music Entertainment (Beyonce, Bruce Springsteen,

Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, Pink, …)

About Sony Corporation

Sony aims for greater eco-efficiency in its business activities through maximizing the efficiency of energy and resource use and providing products and services with greater added value.

Efforts will focus on reducing harmful effects on the environment by ensuring compliance with all applicable environmental regulations and reducing the environmental impact of energy and resource use on a continuing basis.

Steps will also be taken to find solutions to complex environmental issues through closer cooperation and enhanced information sharing with the broad spectrum of Sony stakeholders.

Sony Group Environmental Vision

• Our BRAVIA TV “WE5” consumes 50% less energy than previous comparable model. The whole 2009 BRAVIA range consumes 10–20% less power than the 2008 range

• In 2008, 32 of Sony Europe’s sites are powered by electricity from 100% renewable sources.

• Sony Europe reduced CO2 emissions by approximately 90% between 2000 and 2008.

• Sony is a member of WWF’s Climate Savers Programme, thus publicly committing to reducing CO2 emissions.

• All suppliers are certified according to Sony’s Green Partner Programme (GPP), requiring adherence to strict environmental standards that exceed current legislation.

• Sony has set up a collection and recycling organization for waste electronics that is now operative in 11 European countries.

• In 2008, ca. 60,000 tons of electronic waste were collected and recycled on behalf of Sony in 20 European countries.

A few facts and achievements

Sony Europe, Sony Environmental Vision and management system

Sony recycling policy and recycling activitiesWhat are the problems we face with recycling?

Why is this happening?What should be changed to have a more sustainable recycling

of electronics?

Sony recycling philosophy

• Sony is commited to the principle of Individual Producer Responsibility (IPR) as it provides incentives to producers for taking responsibility of the entire lifecycle of his/her own products, including end of life.

• Consequently Sony is promoting the collection and recycling of end-of-life products and the design of products suitable for recycling.

• Sony is committed to the development and efficient operation of new recycling systems harmonized to the social needs of different regions and countries.

The purpose of EU electronic waste legislation

• Preserve, protect and improve quality of environment• Divert waste electronics from landfill • Minimum standards for treatment of waste electronics • Save natural resources (material and energy)

• Producer responsibility principle

• Define and distribute roles and responsibilities of the different stakeholders

• Provide consumers free access to collection points for end-of-life products

Electronics Take Back & Recycling in Europe In 2008, around 60,000 tons of electronic waste were collected and recycled for Sony Europe.

In 2002 Sony founded the first pan European electronics waste compliance scheme called European Recycling Platform (ERP) together with Braun, Hewlett Packard & Electrolux.

Sony electronics recycling in Europe

In Europe, Sony is member of several national schemes to finance take-back and recycling of Waste Electronic and Electronic Equipment

Quality assurance within ERP

Sony demands that ERP delivers compliance & quality incl. prevention of illegal WEEE shipments by:

– High treatment and recycling standards (treatment, reuse, etc)

– All subcontracted parties must sign and comply with ERP requirements

– Regular onsite audits of all contracted recyclers (prior to contracting + ongoing)

ERP Geodis ERP STENA

Sony Europe, Sony Environmental Vision and management system

Sony recycling policy and recycling activitiesWhat are the problems we face with recycling?

Why is this happening?What should be changed to have a more sustainable recycling

of electronics?

Challenges

Source: Basel Action Network (BAN) www.ban.org

Challenges

Source: Basel Action Network (BAN) www.ban.org

Challenges

Source: Basel Action Network (BAN) www.ban.org

Challenges

Source: Basel Action Network (BAN) www.ban.org

Challenges

• Very low official collection results, despite large amounts of electronics waste existing

• Illegal exports

• Sub-standard treatment, environmental damage• Some hazardous components not removed from products before treatment• Complete products thrown into car shredder• Acids leaking in environment

• Unacceptable working conditions• Child labor • Unprotected workers, huge health and safety issues

• Practices Sony does not want to be associated with.

Sony Europe, Sony Environmental Vision and management system

Sony recycling policy and recycling activitiesWhat are the problems we face with recycling?

Why is this happening?What should be changed to have a more sustainable recycling

of electronics?

A disconnect between commitment and reality?

• EU legislator assumed that recycling end of life electronics costs money

• Polluter pays principle• Producers have to finance collection and treatment

• But…• Value of raw material generally rising • Demand for recycled material rising• Recycling technology is processes are becoming cheaper

• Reality is that well over half of the scrap collected has a positive value

• Other actors, scrap scavengers etc, collect the valuable material• Collection organizations set up by producers do not get access to waste

electronics• Producers thus have no control over what happens with that waste

Waste Bin2kg (11%)

Recycling

Reuse and Installers3.6kg (19.5%)

Consumer

18.5 kg

Take-Back System (on behalf of producers)

5.7kg (31%)

Municipal Collection

Point

Retail Collection

Point

Retailers3kg (16.2%)

14.8 kg

80%

Municipal Leakage2.5kg (14%)

An example: waste electronics in the Netherlands

Source: Witteveen+Bos, Onderzoek naar complementaire afvalstromen voor e-waste in Nederland, 10 April 2008

Sony Europe, Sony Environmental Vision and management system

Sony recycling policy and recycling activitiesWhat are the problems we face with recycling?

Why is this happening?What should be changed to have a more sustainable

recycling of electronics?

More Sustainable WEEE - basic principles:

• Legislators need to ensure that all waste collected by different actors is managed (handed over, traded) by registered and qualified parties and are accounted for.

– waste volumes traded need to be measured and reported

– all actors handling WEEE should be in the scope of the legislation

• Producers and their collection organizations are ready to accept all waste electronics handed over to them

– except for blackmail like compliance evidence note system such as in UK

• All waste to be treated according to EU regulations and standards.– collection & recycling rates can be best measured at permitted, qualified treatment & recycling facilities.

– a European electronics waste recycling market needs to be enabled with harmonized technical standardization.

For the EU to achieve an ambitious collection target, and in order to solve the problems we face with electronics recycling:

More Information

For more Information please visit:

http://www.sony.net/eco (global page)

or

http://www.sony.eu/eco (European page)

Thank you and see you at Bright Green!

Bright Green takes place 12-13 December 2009 in Copenhagen, in parallel with the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15)