Sony pledges to work toward using 100% renewable electricity by 2040

Today, Sony announced its membership in RE100, a global initiative of companies using only renewable energy. In doing so, the company has committed to using 100% renewable electricity by 2040.

RE100 includes over 140 countries globally and is run by an NGO called The Climate Group that aims to curb global warming. Other gaming-related companies already part of the initiative include Apple, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft.

To accomplish its goal, Sony says it will take the following steps:

• 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.

The company has adopted what it calls a "Road to Zero" plan, hoping to eliminate its environmental footprint by 2050. As a milestone, Sony will aim to reduce its CO2 emissions by 300,000 tons by fiscal year 2020. Already, the company says steps taken since 2016 have reduced the company's emissions by 154,000 tons.

"For many years, Sony has been an industry leader in actively addressing climate change and other environmental issues," said CEO Kenichiro Yoshia. "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."