Using Green Computing Strategy and ICT in Sony Company - Research Proposal Example

Task: Sony Company: Green Computing Strategies and Green ICT Green computing strategies have become the new eco friendly strategies that a lot of companies such as Sony are using in a bid to save the environment with regard to ICT waste products. This study paper sought to uncover more about the green strategies that Sony Company are using as well as how these methods have or are reducing the emissions of carbon. The method used in the collection of information is literature review from previous studies. One of the findings was that since the introduction of the green strategies, they have managed to get more clients to purchase their products since they are of high quality, durable and energy saving. Secondly, their products have a longer design live. It can be concluded that a sustainable ICT involves the use of green ICT. Introduction Climate change is one factor that has really led to the disruption of a number of events in our environment. For example, global warming has led to the rise in sea and ocean levels, unpredictable weather patterns, longer seasons that could be either too hot or dry or too cold etc. A lot of human activities have contributed to global warming; however, industrialization is one of the major causes of global warming since a lot of companies are moving into the manufacturing scene and yet a majority of these companies are yet to take into concern the fact that some waste products that are released into the air are very harmful to our environment. Based on that, one of the common waste products that have indeed led to the spread of global warming is the green house gas (GHG) – carbon dioxide. A lot of manufacturing processes always end up releasing this gas into the atmosphere and with time, since this gas has been accumulating in the atmosphere for a very long period of time, it has had its share of effects on the environment that we live in. Despite that, some companies such as Sony already started to gear their design processes as well as their manufacturing operations to ways that seek to reduce the emissions of carbon into the environment – hence; ensuring environmental sustainability. Sony Company [1] is a multinational electronics company whose headquarters are in Tokyo, Japan. The company deals with a wide range of electronic products such as: LCD televisions; DVD players; Blu-Ray disks; play stations; digital cameras; batteries; medical equipment. Based on their design and manufacturing product needs, this report seeks to analyse what exactly green ICT (green IT) computing strategies are. Further on that, there shall be an analysis as to why Sony Company would chose to use green ICT and what they stand to benefit from its usage. It is without doubt that if a company chooses to use green ICT, then there are some strategies in place on how they would ensure that their design and manufacturing processes and operations align with the laid out green computing strategies. Therefore, there will be a critical analysis of all the operations that Sony Company does and how these operations correspond to green ICT strategies. The methodology to be used shall be purely based on existing literature reviews from reliable sources such as the Sony Company’s website as well as literature reviews and information from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). As such, this report analysis shall take an investigative approach on existing literature. The findings shall be retrieved from the literature reviewed. In addition to that, evaluations and comparisons shall be made with regard to the specific literature that has been analysed. At this point it is worthy to remember that the literature to be used shall be based on the information from the company’s website. Other forms of literature shall also be included in a bid to make reliable comparisons and accurate conclusions. Therefore, the main aim of this report is to establish the importance of green computing strategies; why Sony Company uses green IT; how Sony Company uses green ICT. Literature review Green ICT is a term that describes practices that can be implemented in a bid to ensure a sustainable ICT environment. According to San and Gangadharan [2], green ICT not only encompasses the disposing of ICT waste products but it also includes the “designing, manufacturing and using” of computer equipment in a manner that ensures that in the end while they are being disposed, there is very little effect to the environment. Why Sony Company chooses to use green computing strategies There are a number of reasons as to why a company like Sony would choose to implement green IT strategies. These include: To reduce the effects of hazardous materials during disposal: There are a number of hazardous waste products that can come from ICT products and electronics. A good example would be the CRT monitor which in deed cannot be recycled that easily. As such, green ICT introduces LCD screens which can be easily recycled since they are highly biodegradable. Therefore, green IT seeks to reduce the numbers of waste products and in some instances it eliminates the numbers of waste products that come from not only ICT products but also from electronics. Enhance the recycle process (biodegradability): The essence of green IT is to ensure that the end products are very friendly to the environment when their design life is over. That is, they can be easily recycled and new products can be made from the same waste materials. The advantage of this to a company like Sony is that they would not have to utilize new materials and/ or resources each instance they need to manufacture any of their electronics products. Maximize on the energy efficiency and design life of the product: Products that have been manufactured through green computing strategies always tend to optimize on energy utilization. In addition to that, the products always have a longer design life as compared to products that have not been manufactured using green computing strategies. A good example of this would be the LCD (LED) screens that Sony manufactures. When these screens are compared to other types of screens such as the plasma and cathode ray tubes screens, apparently the latter utilizes a lot of energy (electricity) and it generates a lot of heat when compared to the LCD screens. According to Energy Star [3], a lot of companies are now implementing the LCD technology in their television sets since these technologies save a lot of energy. EECA [4] suggested that LCD screens have the capability to save up to 25% less energy (electricity) when compared to other television types (plasma and CRT) and those television sets that do not have an ‘ENERGY STAR’ sticker. The benefit of this to the consumer is that they will cut down on their energy needs; on the other hand, the benefit of this to Sony is that they shall increase the number of sales of their LCD screens since more and more consumers are aware of what electronic products they should go for and what they should not. Low carbon emissions (low carbon footprints): EPA [5] suggested that a lot of carbon dioxide emissions come from human activities. These include burning of fossil fuels (natural gas, coal and oil) which emit a lot of carbon dioxide. Based on that, manufacturing of electronic products uses much electricity as large quantities of fossil fuels have to be combusted. In 2011, electricity was the largest producer of carbon emissions in the USA accounting to about 38%. As suggested by EPA [6], the only way around this is for companies, Sony included, to recycle their manufacturing materials since recycling utilizes less energy needs as compared to using the actual natural and raw resources. How does Sony Company use green computing strategies (green ICT) to reduce carbon emissions? Sony has a number of recycling programs where consumers who have any of their products or other electronic products can be in a position to drop them off at their various collection points worldwide. One of their programs is the “Take Back Program” that was the first to be initiated in the world by Sony in 2007 while the other program is the “Trading for credit” program that was initiated later on. According to Sony [7], the “Trading for credit” program is for consumers who have electronics such as used smart phones, laptops and tablets. Consumers are allowed to drop off their used electronics at their designated collection points. From this program, there are a number of benefits for Sony and their consumers. For starters, this program is open to anybody whether they have Sony products or not just as long as the product is qualified according to their standards for trading in. Secondly, the program is a joint initiative with ecoNEW – ecoNEW is a company whose solemn purpose is to evaluate the electronic products that have been brought in by consumers. It is important to note that not all of the collected electronic products are always fit for recycling. Therefore, electronic products that are considered useless or “not fit” by ecoNEW are always discarded as they have no value in them. From this process, both Sony and the consumer get optimal value while trading in their electronic products. Based on such policies, Sony Company seeks to employ a “zero tolerance landfill policy” which contributes to reduced carbon emissions. Another strategy is that Sony also recycles a wide variety of plastics. Apparently, Sony [8] uses up to 14,000 tonnes of recycled plastics each year in products such as: stereos, televisions, PC’s, laptops and recording media. Apparently, 50% of that is from consumer recycled plastics while the remaining 50% is from scraps that come from the production processes in manufacturing. Some of their products that have been manufactured through the use of post consumer plastics include: DSC-HX300 Cyber-shot™ digital camera whose lens rings and casing are recycled plastics. Through the recycling of plastics (polycarbonates) for their products, Sony have adequately implemented the use of green ICT’s in their operations as well as their products and this has contributed to low carbon emissions from the manufacturing of their products. Sony Company [8] also has targets to reduce the usage ration of virgin oil based plastics in their products by up to 5%. This will in turn translate to the increased usage of recycled plastics rations to approximately 5%. However, this means that a reduction in the usage of virgin oil based plastic products shall lead to a slight increase in the usage of metals. This strategy by Sony aims at reducing carbon emissions for a sustainable ICT. Sony [8] has also developed Sony Recycled Plastics (SoRPlas) which have a maximum of 99% recycled materials. The other 1% is dedicated to additives to the SoRPlas material. Based on those statistics, it also happens to be the highest percentage of recycled plastic in a product worldwide. It is also important to note that SoRPlas has the advantage of being flame retardant as compared to the other kinds of plastics that Sony recycles. In addition, SoRPlas is very a highly durable polycarbonate. Some of the products that have already implemented this technology include the bezel screens of the Sony Bravia LCD televisions. As such, this technology ensures that the operations by Sony Company emit very little or less carbon into the atmosphere. Sony [8] also uses vegetable based plastics which are derived from plant matter. As such, these plastics reduce on the usage of petroleum which in turn translates to lower carbon emissions. Good examples include the Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) cameras which have been manufactured through the use of castor oil based plastics. Sony [8] are also repackaging their products by using recycled paper materials that require less processing which in turn leads to less carbon emissions while manufacturing. In addition, their repackaging efforts aim at reducing the amount of resources needed in packaging of their products. Sony [8] has also adopted the use of light weight CD, DVD and Blu-ray Disk packages. Lastly, Sony [8] has also incorporated the use of air cushions for some of their products (Bravia LCD screens) as compared to using plastic and/ or hard cardboard packages. As such, they have cut highly on carbon emissions from their repackaging technologies. Methodology Source(s) of Data The data was collected from online resources that are related to the subject. As such there was no sample selection in the collection of data. Limitations of the Study The study was faced with a number of challenges. These include: Information collected could not be accurate: Secondary sources of data do not guarantee information accuracy. Information collected could be too vague: The information from secondary sources may be too wide and it may require a lot of effort to search for data that is related to the subject. Information collected could be out dated: Data analysed is not recent – it is from previous studies. Findings and Discussion From the study that was conducted, it was revealed that Sony Company do have a number of green computing strategies in their company operations. Majority of their products are considered “green” from their design to their manufacturing process. The green product life cycle by the University of Alberta [9] seeks to establish whether the products manufactured by companies, Sony included, are actually “green” as they claim. The life cycle has six (6) major steps that all products go through. These include: Use and maintenance: This refers to the electronic product that the consumer always uses to satisfy their own needs. These products are also prone to undergo maintenance; as such, this step is inclusive of the maintenance of the product. Disposal: After the electronic product has undergone is full design life, it is always disposed and/ or collected by a needing company. For the case of Sony, they have a number of “Take Back” as well as “Trade in” programs where consumers can drop their used electronic products and get a Sony gift card. Extraction of raw materials: The disposed electronics are then analysed by ecoNEW so as to find out their worthiness. Items that are evaluated as unworthy are discarded and the useful ones are stored for the next process. Manufacturing and production: The worthy products are then manufactured and all measures to ensure that less carbon emissions are emitted are implemented. Sony Company uses a number of recycling technologies for their plastics. A good example is the use of vegetable based plastics as well as Sony Recycled Plastics (SoRPlas). Packaging and distribution: The products are then packaged in recycled plastic cases and in other instances, they use air filled cushions which are made from less plastic and more air. Sony [8] uses air cushions to pack their Bravia LCD screens. Purchasing: The consumer again purchases the electronic product for their personal use and the process repeats itself. Source: University of Alberta [9] In addition to the green product life cycle, the University of Alberta [10] has green purchasing product principles. These principles can be compared with those of Sony in order to realize whether they have fully followed on the green purchasing product principles. The principles include: Recycled content: Consumers are always advised to go for products that have recycled materials. In addition, consumers are highly recommended to select products that have a higher post consumer recycle content. When it comes to Sony products, a majority of their electronics have been manufactured through the use of post consumer recycled materials. In addition to that, some of their products have also been manufactured through the use of Sony Recycled Plastics (SoRPlas) which contain 99% recycled materials and 1% additives. Reduce: This refers to the careful consideration of whether the product is viable to a consumers needs or not. For example, a majority of Sony digital camera products serve a number of purposes such as: picture taking, video recording etc. Based on that, their products have fulfilled the reduce principle. Raw materials: Consumers are advised to always select products whose raw materials are natural and free from chemical based ingredients. Before the surge in the use of green ICT, a lot of electronics companies were using mercury in their products – televisions are a good example. However, when green ICT was implemented in the same electronics companies, a majority of those companies ceased to use mercury component in their products. A company like Sony is a good example; they ceased to use mercury component in their screens since it utilised a lot of energy and emitted a lot of heat hence becoming unsafe to the environment. Quality and durability: Consumers should always aim at selecting products that are of high quality since they are always durable. A majority of Sony Company [11] electronics are of high quality since they have been manufactured in accordance to green computing strategies and again, they have been designed under OEM/ ODM standards. Reusability: Reusable products are much better as compared to products that are not. In addition to that, reusable products ensure that there are low carbon emissions to the environment. It is without doubt that a majority of Sony products are highly reusable. Third party certifications: These certifications help to ascertain that the product is really eco friendly and the standards that have been used to evaluate the product are not biased. Sony Company [11] electronic products are evaluated by a number of OEM/ODM companies for their value and worthiness. Efficient: An efficient electronic product is that which uses less energy and offers more value. Sony electronics like the Bravia screens consume very little energy (electricity). Packaging: Products with less packaging materials always reveal what the company’s goals are with regard to a greener environment. Sony Company [8] has implemented a number of repackaging techniques such as the use of air cushions to pack their LCD Bravia screens. This strategy aims at minimizing on raw materials hence less carbon emissions. Choice of vendor: Sony Company aims at ensuring that environmental sustainability is who they are with regard to all the policies that they have when it comes to designing and manufacturing of electronic products that adhere to ICT sustainability. Conclusions Due to the current changes in climate as a result of intensified human activities which have lead to the high emissions of green house gases (GHG) such as carbon, methane and nitrous oxide. A lot of ICT and electronic companies have now geared their operations by adopting green computing strategies (green ICT or green IT) in a bid to try and reduce the emissions of GHG into the environment. According to EPA [12], the levels of Carbon emissions over the years have been increasing gradually with 2014 set to have higher levels than the one recorded in 2013 of approximately 396 ppm. A lot has to be done by companies who engage in manufacturing of products so as to at least have a decrease in these levels globally. Despite the efforts of some few companies such as Sony to adapt to green product life cycles as well as green principles, many more companies have to implement these techniques for a sustainable environment as well as a sustainable ICT. The green product life cycle described by the University of Alberta [9] had six (6) key steps which include: use and maintenance; disposal, extraction of raw materials, manufacturing and production; packaging and distribution; purchasing. The aim of these steps was to ensure whether Sony Company in real sense do adhere to company operations that encourage ICT sustainability. Based on the discussions and comparisons, it was realized that Sony Company do actually adhere to the green product life cycle. This is because from the design to the manufacturing processes of each electronic product the company always aims at ensuring that ICT sustainability standards have been properly followed. The other aspect that was discussed was that of the green purchasing principles as set out by the University of Alberta [10]. The principles discussed included: recycle; reuse; reduce; raw materials; quality; durability; efficiency; packaging; third party certifications; choice of vendor. Based on the discussions, it was revealed that Sony Company seek to ensure that their consumers also implement green purchasing options. One good example is that Sony Company always seeks to ensure product quality and durability. As such, the company always recommends their consumers to select products that are of high quality. The reason behind this is that high quality products are always durable and in turn they help the consumer to save energy which in turn translates to a reduction in carbon emissions. In the long run, Sony Company contributes to the global initiative to reduce GHG. The second example is that Sony electronic products are always certified by third party companies such as ecoNEW and ODM to ensure that they are of value and they meet green ICT design and manufacturing requirements respectively. Hence, it can be concluded that Sony has with no doubt ensured that their consumers do have the best when it comes to electronic products that implement green computing strategies. Despite the benefits posed by green computing strategies, Green ICT [13] suggests that there is need to determine how the reused and/ or recycled product will be disposed at the end of its design life. Bibliography [1] Sony Company. (2014). Corporate Info [Online]. Available from: http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/CorporateInfo/ [2] M. San and G.R. Gangadharan, Harnessing green IT: Principles and practices. New York, USA: John Wiley & Sons, 2012, pp. 25-36 [3] Energy Star. (N.d). Televisions: Buying Guidance [Online]. Available from: https://www.energystar.gov/certified-products/detail/televisions [4] EECA. (2014). Televisions [Online]. Available from: http://www.energywise.govt.nz/products-and-appliances/home-entertainment/televisions [5] EPA. (2014). Overview of green house gases [Online]. Available from: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/gases/co2.html [6] EPA. (N.d) Recycling, Energy Conservation, and Community Beautification: Why It Matters and What You Can Do [Online]. Available from: http://www.epa.gov/region3/beyondtranslation/2013BTF/SessionB-Beautification/MichelleFeldman.pdf [7] Sony Company. (2014). Sony Store Trade - in Program [Online]. Available from: http://store.sony.com/-cms-page.sony.tradein.faq [8] Sony Company. (2013). CSR Reporting: Environment [Online]. Available from: http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/csr_report/environment/resources/products/index4.html [9] University of Alberta. (2014). Green Purchasing Lifecycle [Online]. Available from: http://sustainability.ualberta.ca/GetInvolved/GreenPurchasing/GreenPurchasingLifeCycle.aspx [10] University of Alberta. (2014). Green Purchasing Principles [Online]. Available from: http://sustainability.ualberta.ca/en/GetInvolved/GreenPurchasing/GreenPurchasingPrinciples.aspx [11] Sony Company. (2013). CSR Reporting: Product Quality and Quality Management [Online]. Available from: http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/csr_report/quality/management/ [12] EPA. (2013). Climate Change Indicators in the United States [Online]. Available from: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/science/indicators/ghg/ghg-concentrations.html [13] Green ICT. (N.d) What is Green ICT [Online]. Available from: http://www.greenict.org.uk/what-is-green-ict Read More