Sony's Green Partner program

Abstract

Increased regulatory attention on substances used in electronic products has changed the way electronics industry manages its supply chain. As manufacturers expand their scope of responsibility, new types of supply chain management programs have been examined and initiated. This paper describes Sony's challenges with its global supply chain to control chemicals and materials in its products by making changes to its conventional ways of business. Regulatory background, rationale for the initial launch, reestablishing vendor relationships with new focus on environment, setting threshold limits for chemicals of concern, specifying the testing protocol and technology used, database construction are examined in this paper. Results and prospectus of the future as a sustainable business practice are covered as means of sharing lessons learned from initiation of its supply chain management program. On its course of implementation of the program, it was revealed that effects from such a green procurement program are not limited to a relationship between a manufacturer and its suppliers, but have also placed on multi-industries, giving new opportunities for some industries while restricting business for others. While many initiatives to standardize and simplify the environmental compliance system for products have been taken, how to tackle the green procurement in advance of regulatory requirements can determine the long term survival of each electronic manufacturer.