ethics work

8/7/2019 Ethics Work

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INTRODUCTION

WHAT IS ENVIRONNMENTAL ETHICS?Environmental Ethics is the part of environmental philosophy which considers the

ethical relationship between human beings and the natural environment. It exerts

influence on a large range of disciplines including law, sociology, theology,

economics, ecology and geography.

The inspiration for environmental ethics was the first Earth Day in 1970 when

environmentalists started urging philosophers who were involved with

environmental groups to do something about environmental ethics. An intellectual

climate had developed in the last few years of the 1960s in large part because of

the publication of two papers in Science: Lynn White's "The Historical Roots of ourEcologic Crisis" (March 1967) and Garett Hardin's "The Tragedy of the Commons"

(December 1968).

There are various questions that human beings make with respect to the

environment-these are a directly related to Environmental Ethics:

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• Should we continue to clear cut forests for the sake of human

consumption?

• Should we continue to make gasoline powered vehicles?

• What environmental obligations do we need to keep for future

generations?

• Is it right for humans to knowingly cause the extinction of a species

for the convenience of humanity

Environmental ethics became a subject of sustained academic philosophic reflection

in the 1970s. Throughout the 1980s it remained marginalized within the discipline

of philosophy, attracting the attention of a fairly small group of thinkers spread

across the English speaking world.

Only after 1990 did the field gain institutional recognition at programs such as

Colorado State, the University of Montana, Bowling Green State, and the University

of North Texas. In 1991, Schumacher College of Dartington, England, was founded

and now provides an MSc in Holistic Science.

These programs began to offer a masters degree with a specialty in environmental

ethics/philosophy. Beginning in 2005 the Dept of Philosophy and Religion Studies at

the University of North Texas offered a PhD program with a concentration in

environmental ethics/philosophy.

THEORIES

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There are various theories that are aimed to tell us how to

go about environmental ethics, these are:

Libertarian extension:

Marshall’s Libertarian extension echoes a civil liberty approach (i.e. a commitment

to extend equal rights to all members of a community). In environmentalism,

though, the community is generally thought to consist of non-humans as well as

humans.

Andrew Brennan was an advocate of ecologic humanism (eco-humanism), the

argument that all ontological entities, animate and in-animate, can be given ethical

worth purely on the basis that they exist. The work of Arne Næss and his

collaborator Sessions also falls under the libertarian extension, although theypreferred the term "deep ecology." Deep ecology is the argument for the intrinsic

value or inherent worth of the environment – the view that it is valuable in itself.

Their argument, incidentally, falls under both the libertarian extension and the

ecologic extension.

Peter Singer's work can be categorized under Marshall's ecologic extension. He

reasoned that the "expanding circle of moral worth" should be redrawn to include

the rights of non-human animals, and to not do so would be guilty of speciesism.

Singer found it difficult to accept the argument from intrinsic worth of a-biotic or

"non-sentient" (non-conscious) entities, and concluded in his first edition of

"Practical Ethics" that they should not be included in the expanding circle of moralworth.

This approach is essentially then, bio-centric. However, in a later edition of

"Practical Ethics" after the work of Naess and Sessions, Singer admits that, although

unconvinced by deep ecology, the argument from intrinsic value of non-sentient

entities is plausible, but at best problematic. We shall see later that Singer actually

advocated a humanist ethic.

Ecologic extension:

Alan Marshall's ecologic extension places emphasis not on human rights but on the

recognition of the fundamental interdependence of all biological and abiological

entities and their essential diversity. Where as Libertarian Extension can be thought

of as flowing from a political reflection of the natural world, Ecologic Extension is

best thought of as a scientific reflection of the natural world. Ecological Extension is

roughly the same classification of Smith’s eco-holism, and it argues for the intrinsic

value inherent in collective ecological entities like ecosystems or the global

environment as a whole entity.

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This category includes James Lovelock's Gaia hypothesis; the theory that the planet

earth alters its geo-physiological structure over time in order to ensure the

continuation of an equilibrium of evolving organic and inorganic matter. The planet

is characterized as a unified, holistic entity with ethical worth of which the humanrace is of no particular significance in the long run.

Conservation ethics:

Marshall's conservation ethics looks only at the worth of the environment in terms

of its utility or usefulness to humans. It is the opposite of deep ecology, hence is

often referred to as shallow ecology, and argues for the preservation of the

environment on the basis that it has extrinsic value – instrumental to the welfare of

human beings. Conservation is therefore a means to an end and purely concerned

with mankind and intergenerational considerations. It could be argued that it is this

ethic that formed the underlying arguments proposed by Governments at the Kyoto

summit in 1997 and three agreements reached in Rio in 1992.

Humanist theories:

Following the bio-centric and eco-holist theory distinctions, Michael Smith further

classifies Humanist theories as those that require a set of criteria for moral status

and ethical worth, such as sentience. This applies to the work of Peter Singer

who advocated a hierarchy of value similar to the one devised by Aristotle which

relies on the ability to reason. This was Singer's solution to the problem that arises

when attempting to determine the interests of a non-sentient entity such as agarden weed.

Singer also advocated the preservation of "world heritage sites," un spoilt parts of

the world that acquire a "scarcity value" as they diminish over time. Their

preservation is a bequest for future generations as they have been inherited from

our ancestors and should be passed down to future generations so they can have

the opportunity to decide whether to enjoy un spoilt countryside or an entirely

urban landscape. A good example of a world heritage site would be the tropical

rainforest, a very specialist ecosystem or climatic climax vegetation that has taken

centuries to evolve. Clearing the rainforest for farmland often fails due to soil

conditions, and once destroyed can never be replaced.

Anthropocentrism simply places humans at the centre of the universe; the human

race must always be its own primary concern. It has become customary in the

Western tradition to consider only our species when considering the environmental

ethics of a situation. Therefore, everything else in existence should be evaluated in

terms of its utility for us, thus committing speciesism. All environmental studies

should include an assessment of the intrinsic value of non-human beings.

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Anthropocentrism:

What Anthropocentric theories do not allow for is the fact that a system of ethics

formulated from a human perspective may not be entirely accurate; humans are notnecessarily the centre of reality. The philosopher Baruch Spinoza argued that we

tend to assess things wrongly in terms of their usefulness to us. Spinoza reasoned

that if we were to look at things objectively we would discover that everything in

the universe has a unique value. Likewise, it is possible that a human-centred or

anthropocentric/androcentric ethic is not an accurate depiction of reality, and there

is a bigger picture that we may or may not be able to understand from a human

perspective.

Peter Vardy distinguished between two types of anthropocentrism. A strong thesis

anthropocentric ethic argues that humans are at the center of reality and it is right

for them to be so. Weak anthropocentrism, however, argues that reality can only be

interpreted from a human point of view, thus humans have to be at the centre of

reality as they see it.

GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES

A variety of environmental problems now affect our entire world. As

globalization continues and the earth's natural processes transform localproblems into international issues, few societies are being left untouched bymajor environmental problems.

Some of the largest problems now affecting the world are :

• ACID RAIN:

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The term acid rain refers to what scientists call acid deposition. It is causedby airborne acidic pollutants and has highly destructive results.

Acid rain, one of the most important environmental problems of all, cannotbe seen. The invisible gases that cause acid rain usually come fromautomobiles or coal-burning power plants.

Acid rain moves easily, affecting locations far beyond those that let out thepollution. As a result, this global pollution issue causes great debatesbetween countries that fight over polluting each other's environments.

The levels of acid rain vary from region to region. In Third World nationswithout pollution restrictions, acid rain tends to be very high. In EasternEurope, China, and the Soviet Union, acid rain levels have also risen greatly.

However, because acid rain can move about so easily, the problem isdefinitely a global one.

CAUESE OF ACID RAIN:

For many years, there was considerable debate and disagreement over whatcaused acid rain. Recent scientific work, however, has helped to clarify this

The primary causes of acid rain are sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. These chemicals are released by certain industrial processes, and as a result,the more industrialized nations of Europe as well as the US suffer severely

from acid rain.

Most sulfur dioxide comes from power plants that use coal as their fuel. These plants emit 100 million tons of sulfur dioxide, 70% of that in the world.

Though human causes are primarily responsible for acid rain, natural causesexist as well. Fires, volcanic eruptions, bacterial decomposition, andlightening also greatly increase the amount of nitrogen oxide on the planet.However, even the gigantic explosion of Mt. St. Helens released only aboutwhat one coal power plant emits in a year.

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EFFECTS OF ACID RAIN:

Acid rain is having harmful effects both on people and on the natural

ecosystems of the world. Scientists today are convinced that acid rain issevere in many areas, and that it is having an adverse effect on theenvironments of those locations.

The problem of acid rain is rapidly spreading. Because it is mainly caused byindustrial processes, automobiles, and power plants, those countries that aredeveloped have the most severe acid rain problems. However, as theundeveloped nations begin to industrialize, acid rain will increase greatly.

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SOLUTIONS OF ACID RAIN:

Debate over acid rain and ways of preventing it have raged between

environmentalists and corporations. Businesses such as power companiesand car makers oppose controlling acid rain because they fear the effects ontheir profits.

Policy makers and environmental experts are now looking into the bestmethods to limit acid rain.

Individuals can help by conserving energy or driving their cars less.Governments can pass laws restricting pollution levels, or can use a varietyof methods such as tradable emission permits to reduce acid rain. Whateverway it is done, acid rain will certainly have to be limited in the future.

• AIR POLLUTION:

Every day, the average person inhales about 20,000 liters of air. Every timewe breathe, we risk inhaling dangerous chemicals that have found their wayinto the air.

The sources of air pollution are both natural and human-based. As onemight expect, humans have been producing increasing amounts of pollutionas time has progressed, and they now account for the majority of pollutantsreleased into the air.

Because it is located in the atmosphere, air pollution is able to travel easily.As a result, air pollution is a global problem and has been the subject of global cooperation and conflict.

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CAUSES OF AIR POLLUTION:

Among the many types of air pollutants are nitrogen oxides, carbon

monoxides, and organic compounds that can evaporate and enter theatmosphere.

Though some pollution comes from these natural sources, most pollution isthe result of human activity. The biggest causes are the operation of fossilfuel -burning power plants and automobiles that combust fuel. Combined,these two sources are responsible for about 90% of all air pollution in theUnited States.

Some cities suffer severely because of heavy industrial use of chemicals thatcause air pollution. Places like Mexico City and Sao Paulo have some of the

most deadly pollution levels in the world.

EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION:

Air pollution is responsible for major health effects. Every year, the health of countless people is ruined or endangered by air pollution.

Many different chemicals in the air affect the human body in negative ways. Just how sick people will get depends on what chemicals they are exposedto, in what concentrations, and for how long.

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Studies have estimated that the number of people killed annually in the USalone could be over 50,000.

Older people are highly vulnerable to diseases induced by air pollution. Those with heart or lung disorders are under additional risk. Children andinfants are also at serious risk.

SOLUTIONS OF AIR POLLUTION:

There are two main types of pollution control.

Input control involves preventing a problem before it occurs, or at leastlimiting the effects the process will produce.

Five major input control methods exist. People may try to restrict populationgrowth, use less energy, improve energy efficiency, reduce waste, and moveto non-polluting renewable forms of energy production. Also, automobile-produced pollution can be decreased with highly beneficial results.

Output control, the opposite method, seeks to fix the problems caused by airpollution. This usually means cleaning up an area that has been damaged bypollution. Input controls are usually more effective than output controls.Output controls are also more expensive, making them less desirable to taxpayers and polluting industries.

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Current air pollution control efforts are not all highly effective. In wealthiercountries, industries are often able to shift to methods that decrease airpollution. In the United States, for example, air pollution control laws have

been successful in stopping air pollution levels from rising. However, indeveloping countries and even in countries where pollution is strictlyregulated, much more needs to be done.

• GLOBAL WARMING:

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Global warming, also known as the greenhouse effect, immediately received

international attention. Scientists, environmentalists, and governments

around the world took an interest in the subject.

CAUSES OF GLOBAL WARMING:

Global warming has a variety of causes. One of the largest factorscontributing to global warming is the general problem of overpopulation andits many effects.

The most common gas is carbon dioxide, accounting for about 50% of all

greenhouse gases. Other gases, including methane, CFCs, nitrogen oxides,and ozone, also contribute to forming the greenhouse layer.

EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING:

To know just what the effects of global warming will be in the future is

extremely difficult, if not impossible. .

The climate changes that will result from global warming are extremely

difficult to predict. The weather is determined by so many factors that it is

often compared to chaos by scientists. Changing the temperature will likely

have some effect on the planet's weather, but just what that effect will be is

nearly impossible to predict.

If temperatures do indeed rise significantly, the most important result would

be that some portion of the polar icecaps would melt, raising global sea

levels. .

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SOLUTIONS OF GLOBAL WARMING:

The problems that cause global warming include overpopulation,deforestation, ozone depletion, garbage dumping, and many others. Theseall have unique solutions which are now being promoted byenvironmentalists.

Some policies could successfully reduce global warming. Raising fossil fuelprices, taxing emissions, and encouraging people to take environmentallyfriendly action through such activities as planting trees will all help. Familyplanning services actually help in the fight against global warming.Educationis a key method of reducing the greenhouse effect.

Widespread media attention to the global warming problem is also increasing

awareness. This is causing both individuals and governments to act more

responsibly towards the environment.

• HAZARDOUS WASTE:

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In addition to releasing gases and particles into the atmosphere, humansproduce waste that is dumped on the environment. Often, this waste ishazardous and dangerous to both nature and human life.

The levels of dangerous wastes continue to grow. Industries and individualscontinue to be largely unaware of this major environmental problem.

As a result, many people and industries are failing to prevent the creation of hazardous waste or to limit the negative effects it produces.

Individuals often throw out goods without realizing that they are headed for alandfill and could be dangerous for the environment. No matter wherepeople put these hazardous waste materials, there is always a chance thatthey could find their way into the ground, and eventually into our bodies. .

Around the world, hundreds of millions of tons of hazardous waste areproduced annually. Rather than cleaning up or storing waste more carefully,one method of reducing the hazardous waste problem may be to simply stopproducing so much of it.

Some countries, including many in Europe, are working to reduce wastelevels. A great deal of success is being achieved in eliminating this seriousproblem.

• OZONE DEPLETION:

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The ozone layer protects the Earth from the ultraviolet rays sent down by the

sun. If the ozone layer is depleted by human action, the effects on the

planet could be catastrophic.

Ozone is present in the stratosphere. The stratosphere reaches 30 miles

above the Earth, and at the very top it contains ozone. The suns rays are

absorbed by the ozone in the stratosphere and thus do not reach the Earth.

CAUSES OF OZONE DEPLETION:

Only a few factors combine to create the problem of ozone layer depletion. The production and emission of CFCs, chlorofluorocarbons, is by far theleading cause.

EFFECTS OF OZONE DEPLETION:

The environment will also be negatively affected by ozone depletion. The lifecycles of plants will change, disrupting the food chain. Effects on animalswill also be severe, and are very difficult to foresee.

The planet's climate could also be affected by depletion of the ozone layer.Wind patterns could change, resulting in climatic changes throughout theworld.

Despite the difficulties, international action has been taken to limit CFCs. Inthe Montreal Protocol, 30 nations worldwide agreed to reduce usage of CFCsand encouraged other countries to do so as well.

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• SMOG:

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In many areas around the word, smog has reached extraordinary levels. Some

governments have quickly reacted with severe measures in response to the

problem. Smog causes a smoky dark atmosphere to arise over cities. It decreases

visibility, and creates a haze throughout the area.

Despite government action to reduce them, smog levels remain very high in many

cities. Even those areas that do successfully reduce smog may be the victims of

smog blown in from other locations.

• WATER POLLUTION:

Attention for water pollution exploded in the 1980s. The oil spill of the ExxonValdez showed many around the world just how horrible the effects of waterpollution could be.

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However, even the Exxon Valdez spill barely touched the surface of theproblem of water pollution. The ship spilt only 5% of the oil spilt that year,and oil is just one of many pollutants that people dump into the water every

year.

Every year, 14 billions pounds of sewage, sludge, and garbage are dumpedinto the world's oceans. 19 trillion gallons of waste also enter the waterannually.

The problem of ocean pollution affects every nation around the world. This isespecially true because water is able to transport pollution from one locationto another.

For many years, chemicals were dumped into bodies of water without

concern. While many countries have now banned such behavior, it continuesto go on today.

As the world has industrialized and its population has grown, the problem of water pollution has intensified. The simple fact that millions of people livealong coastlines and near rivers means that these bodies of water are likelycandidates for heavy and destructive pollution.

It is hard to know now what our oceans will look like in the future. Just howdamaged they will be by pollution is uncertain.

One of the reasons that the water pollution problem is so severe is that it isnot actually illegal to dump pollutants into water bodies.

Sewage, sludge, garbage, and even toxic pollutants are all dumped into thewater. Often, governments either do not care or simply look the other way.

Across the world, about half of all sewage is dumped into water bodies in itsoriginal form. No efforts are made to disinfect the sewage or to removeespecially harmful pollutants.

Even if sewage is treated, problems still arise. Treated sewage forms sludge,

which is sent out into the sea and dumped.

Many cities and countries dump sewage out at sea. Often, they place it notfar from their own coastline, often killing all the sea wildlife in the dumpingarea.

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In addition to sewage, chemicals dumped by industries and governments areanother major source of water pollution.

Oil, such as that spilled by transport ships, has been dumped into the watersince the US Civil War. Every year, between 1 and 10 billion tons of oil arespilt, killing many species and destroying the ecosystem in the area.Cleanup efforts have been weak, as only about 10% of the oil is removed bythe most successful efforts.

EFFECTS OF WATER POLLUTION:

The effects of water pollution are varied and depend on what chemicals aredumped and in what locations.

Boston Harbor is a strong example of how badly pollution can damage bodiesof water. The water is filled with toxic waste and sewage, and routinelyreceives more waste when rainfall pushes it into the harbor.

Many bodies of water near urban areas are highly polluted. This is the resultof both garbage dumped by individuals and dangerous chemicals legally orillegally dumped by industries.

The main problem caused by water pollution is that it kills life that inhabitswater-based ecosystems. Dead fish, birds, dolphins, and many other animalsoften wind up on beaches, killed by pollutants in their habitat.

Pollution disrupts the natural food chain as well. Pollutants such as lead andcadmium are eaten by tiny animals. Later, these animals are consumed by

fish and shellfish, and the food chain continues to be disrupted at all higherlevels.

Eventually, humans are affected by this process as well. People can getdiseases such as hepatitis by eating seafood that has been poisoned.

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Ecosystems can be severely changed or destroyed by water pollution. Manyareas are now being affected by careless human pollution, and this pollutionis coming back to hurt humans.

SOLUTION OF WATER POLLUTION:

Many laws have been created to restrict industries from dumping materialsinto the water. However, many laws remain weak, and many countries donot restrict water pollution.

In the United States, the Clean Water Act was written to completely put anend to all dumping of pollutants into water. The law has not been thateffective in many areas, but in other locations, it has achieved its goals.

Since the Clean Water Act, other legislation has been enacted as well. Now,eleven different federal government agencies and 21 federal governmentprograms all monitor the quality of water and regulate pollution.

The world has spent tremendous sums of money trying to clean up water.From 1972-1990, the US spent over $250 billion.

Many non-governmental projects are also being carry out in an effort toclean up the water. Industries are beginning to reduce the amount of chemicals they dump into water, and environmental groups are participatingin cleanup projects.

The plastics industry, blamed for some of the worst pollution of the water, ismaking its products degradable. However, many environmentalists thinkthis is hardly enough.

Public reaction to the water pollution problem has also been influential.

Governments have responded when public anger has risen, such as after the Exxon

Valdez acciden

• OVERPOPULATION:

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The world's population has been booming for years. The population is nowthreatening to reach the stage where there are simply too many people forthe planet to support.

Around 1850, the world population reached one billion. By 1987, it was atfive billion and still rising rapidly. . The populations of Third World countriesare expected to continue to boom.

In 1968, Paul Ehrlich published The Population Bomb. The book describedhow the world population had risen, citing the discovery of agriculture as the

cause. The book predicted that population growth would result inwidespread famine and even nuclear war. While some of his predictions

turned out to be false,famine did occur at high levels in later years.

.

• RAIN FOREST DESTRUCTION:

The atmosphere and oceans are not the only parts of the environment beingdamaged. Rain forests are being quickly destroyed as well, and their

survival is questionable.

E.O. Wilson, a biologist at Harvard, called the depletion of rain forest areas

"the greatest extinction since the end of the age of dinosaurs."

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Unlike some environmental issues, rain forest depletion has fortunately

received significant public and media attention.

According to some estimates, 50 million acres of rain forest are cut down

every year. The United Nations says the figure is closer to 17 million acres.

The World Life Fund says that every minute, 25 to 50 acres are cut or burned

to the ground.

The world's growing population has been a primary cause of rain forest

destruction. More people need land to live on and wood products to

consume. Limiting populatio growth may be the first in a series of steps

that would limit the destruction of the rain forests.

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WHAT STEPS HAS THE PAKISTANI

GOVERNMENT TAKEN TO MEET THESE

CHALLENGES

For the sake of the above mentioned topic we

are attaching the original print of a document

taken from the pakistani environment protection

agency’s website which is:

www.environment.gov.pk

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WAYS IN WHICH BUSINESSES CAN HELP THE

ENVIRONMENT

Companies need to move towards environmental sustainability. They need to

have structures, processes and incentives in the business which support

environmental management. Companies who work to help the environment

are sometimes called green companies and proactive green companies can

take the following steps:

Top managers with environmental responsibilities

One step companies can take is to give environmental tasks to its managers.

Many firms now have a vice president for environmental affairs with a direct

reporting relation with the CEO.

Dialogue with stakeholders

Green companies can also get into dialogue with external stakeholders such

as environmental organizations. The company can take advice fromenvironmental organizations on how they can help the environment.

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Take suggestions from employees

Employees can suggest ways to improve processes and make them less

damaging to the environment for example:

Where recyclable material can be used

Where to use renewable energy

Where to use energy efficient machines

Codes of environmental conduct

Green companies should put their commitment in writing, often in the form

of a code of conduct which basically states the environmental goals of thecompany. A survey result suggested that employees at firms with well

communicated environmental policies were much more likely to come up

with suggestions for helping the environment.

Rewards and incentives

Employees and business people are most likely to consider the

environmental impacts of their actions when their organizations

acknowledge and reward this behavior. Green companies can link pays of

employees to environmental achievement and take steps to recognize these

achievements publicly.

Environmental audits

Green companies can track their progress toward environmental goals.

Companies can have environmental audits that review initiatives taken to

help the environment. National Semiconductor Corporation initiated a new

audit that scored company facilities in areas such as air pollution control,

hazardous waste management and ground water protection.

Interorganizational alliances

Firms can form alliances with other firms to promote mutual environmental

goal and work a bigger scale. Oil companies, for example, can form alliances

to asses how they are damaging the environment and they should work

towards helping the environment.

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Technological innovation

Green companies are often technological leaders. Companies can find new

ways and methods for reducing pollution and increasing efficiency. Theseinnovations can also be used by other companies.

Examples of innovation

Industrial ecology refers to designing factories and distribution systems as

if they were self contained eco systems. Businesses can save materials

through closed loop recycling, use wastes from one process as raw material

for others.

Design for disassembly means that products are designed so that at the

end of their useful life they can be disassembled and recycled. Volkswagen

designs cars for eventual disassembly and reuse.

Life cycle analysis involves collecting information on the life long

environmental impact of a product, all the way from extraction of raw

material to disposal of products. The aim is to minimize the impact of a

product at all stages. Dell has redesigned one of its lines of PC’s with

recyclable chassis and offers incentives to customers to return their old PC to

be taken apart and rebuilt with new internal parts. This redesign has reduces

a lot of waste.

COMPANY UNDER STUDY:

“SONY works to be green” The following are taken from Sony sources to prove what they as an

organization are doing in order to help the environment.

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Reducing energy consumption. Increasing

enjoyment. Working toward efficiency,

Sony style.

Efficient products are attracting attention as

one way people can reduce CO2 emissions by

conserving energy at home. Sony seeks out

efficient technology for products that save

energy.

Harnessing the power of the Sony Group.

All sites working together,greatly

reducing greenhouse gases.

Working toward a target of reducing total

emissions of greenhouse gases, calculated in

terms of CO2, by 7% or more in 2010 relative

to 2000 levels, Sony business practices cut

greenhouse gas emissions.

Efficient products are not the last word in

environmental stewardship. Saving

energy throughout product life cycles is

the way.

From production of parts and materials to

product manufacturing, distribution, use, and

final processing. Sony promotes energy

conservation throughout product life cycles.

Not just another pretty face. The

surprising environmental performance of

OLED televisions.

OLED televisions are renowned for beautiful

picture quality. But OLED technology is not

only good for superior images--it saves energy

and resources.

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Monitoring chemical substances in

product materials. Sony's own brand of

chemical substances control is practiced

worldwide.

Not a scrap of waste overlooked. Sony

pursues environmentally conscious

packaging materials.

Lightening our environment impact, even

in distribution. Reusable international

shipping containers help conserve energy

and reduce packaging.

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Returning water Sony uses to the

groundwater supply. Groundwater

recharge, an answer for a thirsty world.

To improve groundwater recharge, Sony

Semiconductor Kyushu Corporation's

Kumamoto Technology Center works with the

community, environmental NGOs, farmers, and

agricultural cooperatives.

Next phase in plan started more than a

decade ago. Sony's commitment to using

recycled plastic.

For more than a decade, Sony has been

involved in development focused on recycled

plastic. We seek to reduce our consumption of

limited new resources as much as possible,

and we promote the use of recycled plastic in

products.

Eco-transmutation: turning used power

cords into metal resources. Sony'sinvolvement in copper reuse.

People in Japan are now more conscious of

home appliance recycling since the Home

Appliance Recycling Law took effect in 2001.

Sony recovers copper from used power cords

as a valuable resource.

From Ishikawa Prefecture: an advanced

plant wastewater recycling system.

A recycling system for wastewater from

production processes was introduced at Sony

Chemical & Information Device Corporation's

Neagari Plant in 2006.

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Tomorrow's batteries, powered by

sugar. Today's research points

the way to production of bio

batteries.

Sony is moving ahead in R&D for bio

batteries powered by sugar, a

substance synthesized by plants from

sunlight in photosynthesis.

Truly smart smart cards,

popularized by Sony first in 2006.

Non-contact smart cards of

vegetable-based plastic.

Vegetable-based plastics help reduce

consumption of oil resources and CO2.

Making moves to introducerenewable energy from power

sources that do not generate CO2.

Dominant fossil fuels such as oil have

a big impact on higher CO2 emissions.

Sony is moving aggressively to

introduce renewable energy free of

these emissions.

Success at Togane Site, Chiba Prefecture.Renewable energy now powers 16% of

the entire facility.

The solar power system installed at Sony

EMCS Corporation's Service Togane Site can

generate 200 kW, enough for a neighborhood

of 50 homes.

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Afforestation that started more than

30 years ago. Kohda TEC in Aichi

Prefecture is behind "Sony Forest."

Creating a green industrial park has been an

objective of Sony EMCS Corporation's Kohda TEC

since the establishment of this site, where

greening has long been practiced.

A park, where the community can

take a break and have fun. The

founding concept of Sony Shionoka

Park.

Sony Shionoka Park, on the grounds of Sony

Semiconductor Kyushu Corporation's Oita

Technology Center, is free for the public to enjoy.

To protect deer, foxes, and otherwildlife, some 48,500 m2 on the

facility grounds are now protected as

a wildlife sanctuary.

A wildlife sanctuary was set aside at the Sony

DADC plant in Pitman, New Jersey, in agreement

with the state of New Jersey in 2006.

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