Environmental Policy

• Sharp Environmental and Social Report 2008
Sharp maintains a long-standing focus on building a sustainable society through environmentally-conscious policies. This report presents an overview of Sharp’s activities seen from three perspectives: 1) Expanding the use of solar energy, 2) Environmentally-conscious product design, and 3) Reducing negative environmental impacts in production facilities.

• ISO 14001 Certification
The International Standards Organization (ISO) establishes performance objectives and environmental management systems to prevent pollution, ensure compliance with regulations and achieve continual improvement. In 1995, Sharp began the process of acquiring ISO environmental management system certification for its production facilities. And in 2004 the process was completed, with all Sharp Corporation plants worldwide now ISO 14001 certified. Further, Sharp introduced in 2002 its own Environmental Management System which adds for all its plants an 49 additional control points to supplement those specified by ISO standards.

Environmental Product Innovations

Sharp’s goal is to minimize the environmental impact of our products by continually implementing and improving product technologies, designs and programs aimed at environmental conservation, from the materials used in the manufacture and packaging of our products, to their transportation, use and safe disposal at the end of their product life. more info >>

Power Saving Operation

Sharp's continued aggressiveness in the development of more efficient TV systems has resulted in one generation after another of models with reduced power consumption. Select current Sharp LCD-TV models employ the latest in energy saving design with a dedicated Power Saving mode allowing operation with up to 20% less energy consumption than prior models. more info >>

Environmental Awards

Sharp divisions in the U.S. and around the world have won numerous awards for creating products with high environmental performance, developing unique environmental technologies, and contributing back to their communities and society at large. more info >>

Environmental Press Releases

Sharp’s goal is to minimize the environmental impact of our products by continually implementing and improving product technologies, designs, and programs aimed at environmental conservation. more info >>

Environmental Activities

Sharp’s industry leadership extends to a number of partnerships and organizations which encourage our own company and others with strong environmental records to go above and beyond their legal environmental requirements.

Recycling

Consistent with our vision to contribute to the world through environment and health conscious business, focusing on energy-saving and energy-creating products, Sharp Electronics strives to conduct our business operations in an environmentally conscious manner. We support the industry call for a unified, national program to address the recycling of end-of-life electronics products in the United States. We are committed to making our products easier to recycle, and we continue to work toward that goal.

The handling of end-of-life electronic products is best addressed through cooperative and collaborative efforts. As an example, every year since its inception in 2003, Sharp has received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's "Plug-in to eCycling" Award for participating in and contributing to collection events for discarded electronics. Since the Plug-in to eCycling program's inception, Sharp has supported more than 650 Plug-in events that collected and recycled 15.4 million pounds of electronics. In 2007 alone, over 100 Sharp supported events collected and recycled 2.25 million pounds of electronics.

In January 2008, Sharp, in partnership with Panasonic and Toshiba, announced the formation of Electronics Manufacturers Recycling Management Company (MRM) in the United States to efficiently manage collection and recycling programs. During its first year of operation in Minnesota, MRM has collected and processed 11 million pounds of end-of-life electronics products, making it the largest program in the state.

In February 2008, we expanded our national Copier Toner Recycling Program, which enables business and government customers to recycle used Sharp-branded copier, printer and multifunctional peripheral (MFP) toner cartridges sold in the United States at no cost.

Sharp is proud to have been recognized for our commitment to environmentally-friendly practices and business operations. Our core business philosophy is to aim for mutual prosperity with stakeholders by contributing to the culture, benefits, and welfare of people throughout the world, and thus, reducing our impact on the environment is as important to us as improving the scope of our technology.

For information on how to recycle your Sharp televisions and other Sharp brand audio/visual products, click here.

Electronic Manufacturers Recycling Management Company
This newly formed joint-venture between Sharp Electronics Corporation, Panasonic Corporation of North America and Toshiba America Consumer Products is designed to manage collection and recycling programs in the United States for electronics manufacturers and others, including state and local governments. MRM’s first activities are focused on providing cost effective services to manufacturers who must satisfy the recently enacted requirements in Minnesota for the recycling of used electronic products. more info >>

ENERGY STAR^® Qualified Products
ENERGY STAR^® is a voluntary Environmental Protection Agency program to promote energy efficient products. ENERGY STAR^® qualified models are those with advanced technologies which use 10-50% less energy than the standard products in their categories. Sharp manufactures ENERGY STAR^® qualified models in a wide range of products, including televisions, computers, copiers, printers, monitors, facsimiles, air conditioners and air purifiers. Many of these models employ specially designed and patented technology developed by Sharp expressly for reducing their energy usage without sacrificing the reliability and features customers expect.

Plug-In to E-Cycling Program
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s “Plug-In to eCycling” program is a voluntary partnership created to reduce the environmental impact of electronic products during their production, use and disposal, The EPA partners with electronics manufacturers, retailers, recyclers and government agencies to collect and safely recycle used equipment such as cell phones, computers and audio and video equipment. Sharp has actively participated in the program since its inception in 2003, and has been recognized by the EPA for its performance in this program every year from 2003 to the present.

Energy Efficient Product Transportation
Sharp was one of the first members of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay™ Transport Partnership program. This voluntary alliance establishes incentives for fuel efficiency improvements and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions through creating partnerships, reducing unnecessary engine idling, and increasing the efficiency and use of rail and intermodal operations. The EPA recognized Sharp’s legacy of environmental responsibility with its “SmartWay Excellence Award” in 2006 and 2007.

EPA’s Performance Track Program
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Performance Track Program recognizes and drives environmental excellence by encouraging facilities with strong environmental records to go above and beyond their legal requirements. Sharp Manufacturing Company of America, a Division of Sharp Electronics Corporation, has been a proud member of Performance Track since 2005. View our Performance Track annual report.