Sony Replaces Polystyrene in Foam Packaging with Kaneka Green Planet®

Sony is the industry’s first to eliminate polystyrene foam packaging for large TVs in Hong Kong and Taiwan, using Kaneka's environmentally conscious biodegradable biopolymer, Green Planet®

Sony today announced it is the first company in the industry to eliminate the use of polystyrene foam cushioning material for large TVs in Hong Kong and Taiwan affecting BRAVIA 9, the 85-inch 4K Mini LED TV, furthering Sony’s efforts to achieve a zero environmental impact by 2050.

1. In packaging for TVs. Based on research by Sony Corporation and Kaneka Corporation (as of April 17, 2024).

2. For the 85-inch 4K Mini LED TV “BRAVIA 9” for Hong Kong and Taiwan.

3. We have accelerated our goal of achieving carbon neutrality across the entire value chain, including Scopes 1 to 3, by 10 years from 2050 to 2040, and our goal of using 100% renewable energy in our own operations by 2030 from 2040.

Instead of polystyrene foam, Kaneka Green Planet, a biomass-derived biodegradable biopolymer made by Kaneka Corporation, will be used for cushioning material. This material has biodegradability in a variety of environments, decomposing and returning to CO2 and water not only in soil but also in seawater, thereby contributing to solving the problem of environmental pollution caused by plastic.

Cushioning materials are moulded into complex shapes to match the product design and maintain the impact resistance of large and heavy TVs during transportation. In order to adopt Green Planet, Sony created a mold structure according to the characteristics of the material which differs from polystyrene foam, thus achieving both design that maintains impact resistance and stable production. At the same time, Sony leveraged its packaging design expertise cultivated over the years and simulation technology for endeavours such as realising simplifying the cushioning material shape and reducing the number of parts.

Please see more details on sustainability in BRAVIA TVs here:

www.sony.co.uk/electronics/eco-tv

Sony Group is working towards an environmental plan called “Road to Zero'' with the aim of achieving zero environmental impact by 2050, and is striving to achieve this goal by setting medium-term environmental targets in stages.

Sony will continue to promote efforts to reduce the environmental impact through the development and adoption of environmentally conscious materials.