"Super Green Strategy" Aiming to Become an Environmentally Advanced Company
Raising environmental sustainability management level through unique management systems
Sharp's system for advancing environmental sustainability management is centered on the Environmental Protection Group. Under this system, Sharp is continuously making efforts to strengthen environmental sustainability management and raise employees' environmental awareness by building an Integrated Management System that is incorporated into a strategic management system and by implementing environmental education programs.
Developing unique environmental technologies that contribute to environmental conservation
To realize the corporate vision of Sharp's energy-creating and energy-saving products more than balancing out its greenhouse gas emissions, the development of superior environmental technologies is an essential factor in the performance of products and devices, together with the reduction of environmental impact during production. That is why Sharp is developing critically important environmental technologies as "one-of-a-kind" environmental technologies, in line with its strategy for company-wide technology development.
Sharp establishes increasingly higher objectives as it revises its guidelines every year in making ever more strict assessment standards, all with the goal of continuously improving the environmental performance of products and devices. As a result, in fiscal 2007 Sharp achieved its goals to increase the percentage of net sales accounted for by Green Seal Products, Super Green Products, Green Devices, and Super Green Devices.
Factories with high environmental consciousness
Applying its own unique criteria and standards, Sharp certifies a factory with a high level of environmental consciousness as a Green Factory (GF), and a factory with an extremely high level of environmental consciousness as a Super Green Factory (SGF). Sharp achieved its medium-term plan to convert all domestic and overseas Sharp Group production sites into Green Factories or higher by the end of fiscal 2007.
Recycling used products effectively
Sharp is working to expand recycling of products that have reached the end of their service life based on three concepts: 1) improve the recycling rate and aim for zero landfill disposal, 2) improve the efficiency of the recycling system to reduce recycling costs, and 3) incorporate recycling technologies into the development and design of products.
In cooperation with shipping contractors, Sharp is creating a system to accurately assess environmental impacts in distribution. In Japan, the Sharp Group as a whole is promoting initiatives to optimize transport methods and load efficiency. Sharp is also working to further reduce environmental impacts in distribution by setting a goal of slashing annual CO2 emissions per sales unit by at least 1%, a mandate for certain shippers specified under Japan's revised Law Concerning the Rational Use of Energy.
To enhance environmental communication with its wide range of stakeholders, Sharp discloses environmental information through exhibitions and various media, including Environmental and Social Reports, websites, and newspaper ads. Each Sharp site also endeavors to promote dialogue on environmental topics with local communities by sponsoring various events and holding factory tours.
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