12:56 JST, November 27, 2022
Sony Corp. will focus on using environmentally friendly materials for product packaging instead of plastic from April 2023.
The company will start introducing the new packaging, made from recycled paper and bamboo, on smaller products sold around the world, such as smartphones and headphones. Sony will also consider repackaging larger products, such as televisions, with the aim of completely eliminating the use of plastics in the future.
The new packaging will be used for products weighing less than one kilogram. Some products, such as Sony’s Xperia smartphone and some wireless headphones, already use plastic-free packaging. Products sold by parent company Sony Group Corp. and all of its subsidiaries used 94,000 tons of packaging materials in fiscal year 2021.
Since the Plastic Resources Circulation Law came into effect in April, the government has been asking companies to reduce the use of plastic products. Convenience stores and restaurants have already started switching from plastic cutlery to other materials, or charge a fee.