Sharp 2014 Annual Report Download - page 25

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Environmental Activities
Rapid economic development on a global scale has led to large-
scale consumption of energy and natural resources that sustain our
lifestyles. This has caused the balance of the global environmental
system to break down, thus deepening the severity of core envi-
ronmental issues, such as global warming, resource depletion, and
ecosystem loss.
Committed to resolving these global environmental issues, Sharp
does not only reduce the environmental impact of its own business
activities but also deploys its accumulated eco-friendly technologies
to foster the proliferation of energy-saving products and solar power
generation. To clearly accentuate this approach, we have devised an
environmental policy, entitled “Increasing Green Shared Value (GSV).”
Guided by its environmental policy, we will constantly strive to
be a company whose positive impact through energy-saving and
energy-creating products that reduce greenhouse gases in magni-
tudes exceeds the negative impact of emissions generated by our
business activities, broadened to include our entire supply chain.
Examples of Initiatives
Product Development
Sharp makes a positive contribution to the environment by enhanc-
ing the environmental performance of its products and devices. We
have introduced standards that we use to certify the environmental
performance of our products. Products with a basic level of envi-
ronmental performance are designated as Green Products (GPs),
and products with extremely high levels of environmental perfor-
mance are designated as Super Green Products (SGPs). Since fis-
cal 2013, we have revised these certification standards to increase
the emphasis on energy-saving performance, an issue of growing
worldwide interest. Going forward, we will proactively develop
high-efficiency solar power generation systems and products that
minimize power consumption.
Product Manufacture
Sharp works actively to raise the environmental performance of
its plants in order to reduce the impact on the environment. We
have introduced standards that we use to certify the environmental
performance of our plants. Environmentally responsible plants are
designated as Green Factories (GFs), and those with superior envi-
ronmental performance are designated as Super Green Factories
(SGFs). Because almost all of our domestic plants have achieved
SGF certification with the highest point-level, since fiscal 2013 we
have been promoting grass-roots activities overseas, with particular
emphasis on raising the performances of our production bases in
China and elsewhere in Asia.
Recycling
Since fiscal 2001, Sharp has used proprietary closed-loop material
recycling technology to recover plastics from used consumer elec-
tronics and recycles these materials in new consumer electronics.
We have made ongoing advancements to this technology to in-
crease the number of materials that can be recycled. As a result,
the amount of recycled plastics using the technology has increased
steadily, reaching a cumulative total of 11,000 tons.
We are currently developing technology that will recycle waste
LCD panels, which are expected to increase along with the prolif-
eration of LCD TVs. Sharp is advancing the effective use of limited
resources by encouraging development activities centered on these
key environmentally friendly technologies.
Communication
Sharp uses a variety of means to inform its wide range of stakehold-
ers about its environmental initiatives. We disclose information via
the Social & Environmental Activities page on our website, as well as
through social networking and other media. We strive to communi-
cate with local communities about environmental issues through a
range of measures, including plant reports produced by each manu-
facturing facility, factory tours, and special events at plants.
For more information about Sharp’s CSR activities, please visit the website below:
http://sharp-world.com/corporate/eco/index.html
Efforts Aimed at Increasing Green Shared Value
• FTSE4Good Global Index (U.K.)
• MSCI World ESG Index, MSCI Global Climate Index (U.S.A.)
• Morningstar Socially Responsible Investment Index (Japan)
Annual Report 2014 23
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)