Advancing Electronics Recycling in the Midwest: An Interactive and Educational Workshop Keiko Hirai Sony Electronics Inc. December 11, 2002

Business Overview Consumer/professional electronics products –Computers: VAIO series –Televisions –Walkman, Diskman etc. audio equipments –Digital cameras –Camcorders –Play station –Batteries –Recording medias Corporate headquarters: Tokyo, Japan Operation: Global Employees: 168,000 globally

Corporate Policy in Recycling Recognition of environmental impacts from business practice Shared responsibility –Design for Environment Increase use of recycled material Conserve materials and energy from products and its production Easy design for demanufacturing Reduction/elimination of use of materials with large impacts on environment Compliance with the most strict regulations –Share experiences and knowledge with concerned stakeholders (1996)

Initiatives in Business Practice Participation in many recycling programs and discussion groups –Minnesota Take Back Project –EPA Region 3, “eCycling” –CA, AZ, UT, CT and others Creation of closed loop for glass Use of recycled plastics for televisions and packaging material Eco Label – Communicate environmental aspects

Future Vision for Electronics Recycling Share responsibilities for all stakeholders Drive economies of scale to create self- sufficient electronics recycling industry –Utilize existing infrastructure –Propose efficient model of electronics recycling by utilizing low-grade ore mining technology

What do you see as the key factors impacting the cost-effectiveness of the overall electronics recycling system? Scale of economy –Quantity of materials available from post-consumer products Difficulty in controlling quality for recycled materials Utilization of existing infrastructure Low demand for recovered materials Low efficiencies for reverse collection and processing

What are the key impediments to expanding your company's recycling of materials and components from electronic products? Sony’s recycling programs are fine: –profitable since 1993 Impediments for using recovered materials –Quality control and assurance –Costs –Availability at a constant large quantity