SONY Gulf

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October 1999

When I hear of a company whose own actions demonstrate its sensitivity towards the earth, a visit becomes necessary. A company that makes an earnest attempt to minimise the impact of its operations on the environment. That addresses even the little matters that add up to make a big difference in curtailing wastage of precious natural resources. You wouldn't find an employee of this company crushing a sheet of paper and throwing it away. It just isn't on. Firstly he'd use electronic mail as much as possible, so he doesn't need to use that much paper. And if he does use some, he'll put it on a reuse rack, or shred it (if it is confidential), or keep it in the used paper bin for recycling. You might find some tube lights missing in parts of the office. Don't think its poor maintenance. It's a deliberate energy saving strategy. You may be shown a storeroom where, at one time, lights had to blaze throughout the day just because the switchboard was located right at its rear end. Now, the rows of illumination are used only when required, because a light switch has been fixed just outside the entrance. It's these little details that make a difference.

In summary: a company that attends to product quality and cares for environmental quality; where a group of enthusiastic, committed, environmental committee members are backed by a leadership that believes in the green cause; a company whose staff, and even their associates such as contract workers, undertake small but significant conservation measures as a course of habit.

Business communities, professional groups, as a matter of fact, organisations of all kinds are becoming increasingly concerned about ecological issues, realising that it is impossible to separate these from economic performance. They are inclined to demonstrate this concern by controlling and continually keeping in check, the impact of their activities, products or services on the environment. Today, it is important to be recognized as a company that is 'green' - one that has an environmental policy, goals and objectives that are consistent with this policy, and a programme of activities aimed at achieving goals that it has set out for itself; a company that adopts earth caring practices, is always trying to better these, and proves that it devotes as much attention, if not more, to natural resources conservation as it does to the quality of products that it sells. Such a company may be one that has ISO 14001 certification, the internationally recognised standard for environmental management systems (EMS). More and more organisations are opting for the ISO 14001 certification, whether it is to enhance their image, or to remain competitive in the market place, or to improve their profitability through efficient use of resources, or simply because they believe in what it stands for. We take a look at one such company.
  • The Styrofoam polystyrene plastic foam filling in containers carrying their electronic goods
    is used again and again in shipments and packaging.
  • Wooden pallets and cardboard cartons are retained for reuse in-house. The surplus find their way to a local paper mill.
  • Their office stationery is recycled paper that is put to use on both sides before it is picked up for further recycling.
  • Used batteries are sent back to the suppliers.
  • Sandbags inside the flush tanks of their office toilets restrict the flow per flush.
  • All their taps are fitted with water saving aerators.
  • 'Green reminders' are sprinkled all over their work areas and the environmental policy pasted at places you can't help but notice

It is Sony Gulf FZE (Free Zone Establishment) in Jebel Ali Free Zone that we are talking about. The company is involved in the marketing, sales, distribution and customer support services of Sony products in the Middle East and Africa. It certified for ISO 14001 on 1st April 1999, only six months after it started taking its environmental responsibilities seriously, and as much as a year before it was required to do so as per its corporate policy, worldwide.

Walk into their office foyer and the EMS Certificate meets the eye, prominently placed along side catchy aphorisms on Sony's vision, commitment, inspiration, conviction and courage. Move indoors, and the indicators of environmental endeavours can be observed in every nook and cranny - the PC monitor (a subtly placed 'switch off monitor' sticker), the exit door (a sign that queries 'are you sure you have turned out the lights?'), the fax machine and photo copier (fixed on back to back copying; or, if you are reusing paper tells you whether the used side should be placed up or down), desk drawers, racks, trays,
and bins (marked 'one side used paper' or ' paper for recycling'), office stationery (mechanical pencils instead of wooden, recycled paper instead of virgin pulp), most office equipment (fixed on power-saving mode), the air conditioning thermostat (instructs you to switch off the AC when not required and maintain temperature at 70degrees Fahrenheit)… and that's not all.

Here and there, sit cartons of damaged electronic components, deliberately kept aside so they may be handed over to the Jebel Ali Free Zone authorities for crushing and proper disposal. Even printer and copier toner is stored away for the same purpose. On some shelves one may notice tiny containers holding droplets of lead solder, fallout of training 'demos' on electronic equipment components. Again, these droplets are to be kept apart from the general trash. Proceed to the rear of the premises and you will notice 'master bins' for segregated rubbish - magnetic tapes, toner cartridges, shredded paper, tube lights, cans, plastic, pencil battery cells, electronic parts; and piles of wooden as well as Styrofoam pallets, and cardboard cartons, each awaiting their own special treatment; some to be reused; and some headed for various recycling companies.

The environmental performance, in just a short time span, has been impressive. Did we think that it takes big bucks to fulfil ones responsibility towards the environment and the community? Not quite. Instead, you save some and so, gain some! In Sony's experience, the conservation initiative has taken willingness, a sense of purpose, simple ideas, an attitudinal change and discipline. Most importantly, the thrust has come from a leadership that is deeply committed towards the environmental cause. It goes without saying that encouragement from the leaders makes a big difference in any situation.

They set out to cut down consumption of electricity, water and paper; reduce waste; promote and participate in community activities. It began with a brief training by Sony Singapore, the coordinating office for this area. Then followed the constitution of a team comprising representatives from each division, weekly meetings and brain storming sessions, a surfeit of ideas, identifying implementation procedures and setting up the organisation structure. When the results of waste reduction started showing, any reservations or reluctance staffers may have had towards the eco-initiatives got blown away.

  • Earlier, garbage collectors used to make 30-35 trips per month to clear out their refuse. Now, just seven to eight trips are enough. Reduction in the waste generated has meant lower disposal charges.
  • Electricity consumed has dropped by 482880 units (kW per hour) over the last year. This translates into a saving of 23%.
  • Annual water usage has fallen by 436807 units (gallons). That's a 25% saving.
  • Paper consumption has lowered by 912 units (reams) - a 30% saving.
  • Re-using packaging material has reduced the requirement for fresh packaging.
The cost benefit of these environmental measures worked out to approximately US $ 40- 50 thousand over a year. But more important has been the contribution to natural resource conservation. As Ramani Chittur, environment management representative of Sony Gulf FZE, stresses ''The prime objective of establishing ISO 14001 is to reduce the impact of our activities and increase our environmental performance. The cost benefit that we receive is a pleasant by-product of this."

The environmental performance of Sony Gulf will get even better with time because that's what ISO 14001 certification is all about - continuous environmental improvement.

Green Souq
Re-using printer cartridges

Do you need a new cartridge for your printer? Don't throw away the old one. Is possible for you to reuse it. ProPrint, Dubai, is a printer specialist company that accepts empty or damaged cartridges for remanufacture. Just give in the old cartridge and you will get it back as good as new - cleaned, serviced, inspected and tested. Components may be repaired or replaced, fresh toner put in or any other faults corrected. So why junk that empty or mal-functioning cartridge? You may be throwing away over a 100 good parts for a few, or, just a single bad one. For that matter, if your printer itself is playing up, don't rush to replace it. ProPrint handles printer repair and service. You can contact ProPrint at Tel. 04-3355495 or Toll free 800 4495.

Coconut palmwood furniture

Uncontrolled logging for timber is the greatest threat to the world's forests. How about seeking alternative sources of wood for your furniture? Coconut palmwood furniture is available in Dubai at Global Elements. Using palmwood from senile trees, not living ones, furniture is handcrafted in Fiji and designed in Australia. The upholstery is leather, and the colours, vegetable dyes. Apart from furniture for lounge room, dining room and family areas, there are other household effects as well - flooring, venetian blinds, panels, benches, shelves and lamps. Contact: Karen Clague, general manager, Global Elements.

Polystyrene foam recycling

Sony has started recycling polystyrene foam, the white protective material you find in the boxes of electronic items such as TV sets,

Sony shows how an orange peel and polystyrene foam can be brought together to preserve the Earth's valuable petroleum resources
by combining the waste foam with a natural extract from orange peels! The extract, which can also be derived from other citrus fruits, is called 'limonene.' Orange R-net is the name of the recycling process and it works like this: polystyrene foam is collected in a special truck into which 'limonene' is added. This melts down the foam, reducing it to one twentieth of its original volume. One truck, for instance, can dissolve foam packing from 450 28-inch TV sets. The mixture then goes to a processing plant where 'limonene' and polystyrene are separated. The first goes back to the Orange R-net collection truck for reuse and the second, converted into granular form to be re-used as raw material for high quality polystyrene. Sony began collecting styrene foam from Sony retailers in the Tokyo metropolitan area in October 1996 and, in December 1998, started recycling waste foam from domestic manufacturing bases. By April 1999, Sony had recycled a total of about 30 tonnes of styrene foam. The packaging used for TVs are made from 100% recycled styrene foam. Further, adoption of the Orange R-net method reduces CO2 emissions by two-thirds compared with making styrene foam from virgin material.

Recovering rubber from tyres In the near future, it may be possible to utilise the huge quantities of disposed rubber tyre scrap. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., Akron, USA, has obtained a patent for a process that will recover a high percentage (as much as 80 per cent) of rubber from existing tyres making it possible to recycle them into other products, including tyres. All this while, recycling of cured rubber had proven difficult (permitting a recovery of only 1 to 2 per cent) because, once vulcanized, rubber cannot easily be melted and reformed into other products. When Goodyear's new technique becomes applicable on a large-scale commercial basis it, reportedly, could be used to recycle over 800 million scrap tyres in North America alone.

Energy-efficient, long-lasting bulbs Bulbs made of gallium nitride, a recently developed material, emit intense light, consume one-fifth the energy of ordinary light bulbs and, in homes, could virtually last a lifetime. Whereas normal traffic lights need to be changed every six months or so, gallium nitride lights would last 10 years. So far, only Nichia Chemical Industries, a privately owned Japanese company, are making these bulbs but other companies are following suit. In the UK the bulbs are being tested in traffic lights in London and in Bristol. Addressing a British science conference in September, 99, a Cambridge University professor was reported saying that gallium nitride is probably the most important new material since silicon. It would revolutionise electronics and could be used in applications such as laser surgery.

Letters
Payal Gaglani has written in to say that she wishes to do something for our mother earth but doesn't know how to go about it.

Payal, I suggest that you become a member of active environmental NGOs such as the Emirates Environmental Group and the Arabian Leopard Trust. Not only do they have programmes in which students participate, they often seek voluntary help for their activities from supporters. So keep track of their work and offer your help should they need it. You haven't mentioned the name of your school. I wonder whether your institution submits environmental projects under such schemes as Shell Better Environment Awards and Dubai Municipality's Target 555 Awards. A student with your enthusiasm should certainly be involved in such school projects. You seem to be missing the environmental essay competitions that you could participate in till last year. Can you not continue to write for your school magazine? Many schools also have their own nature club magazines.

Finally, if you read this column regularly, I am quite sure you will get some ideas that you can follow - for yourself, your family and friends.

WHAT ON EARTH CAN WE DO?

EVERY TONNE OF RECYCLED PAPER THAT WE BUY SAVES 17 TREES. RECYCLING ½ THE PAPER USED IN THE WORLD TODAY WOULD FREE 20 MILLION ACRES OF FOREST FROM PAPER PRODUCTION.

  • Recycle paper products and purchase paper products made of recycled materials.
  • Set up a paper-recycling programme at work.
  • Get our office to purchase office supplies made of recycled paper.
  • Use computer technology for correspondence. Instead of printing out memos or letters on stationery, use electronic mail to get your messages across
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