Sony Joins 13 Chemical Material Firms to Build World's First Renewable Plastic Supply Chain in Electronics

February 6th, 2024, ZUANSU Insight learned that Sony Corporation, in collaboration with 13 leading chemical and materials companies including Mitsubishi Corporation, Adeka, Chimie, ENEOS Holdings, Formosa Chemicals and Fibre, Hanwha Impact, Idemitsu Kosan, Mitsui Chemicals, Neste, Qingdao Haier New Material R&D Co., Ltd., SK Geo Centric, Toray Industries, and Toray Advanced Materials Korea, jointly announced the creation of the world's first global supply chain for renewable plastics specifically for Sony's high-performance audio and video products.

This collaboration aims to reshape the manufacturing landscape of the electronics industry by promoting the application of multiple renewable plastics made from biomass resources. Utilizing a mass balance approach ensures that the renewable plastics used achieve the same quality and performance as traditional plastics. These advanced materials are planned for use in Sony's upcoming new products to be launched globally.

This supply chain covers the entire plastics value chain, with clear divisions of labor at each stage.

Neste produces renewable naphtha.

Idemitsu Kosan converts renewable naphtha to renewable styrene monomer.

Formosa Chemicals & Fibre Corporation manufactures renewable polystyrene resin.

Both SK Geo Centric and ENEOS Holdings are responsible for producing renewable paraxylene.

Hanwha Impact Synthesizes Renewable Terephthalic Acid

Korean Toray Advanced Materials Develops Recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate (rPET) Resin.

Mitsui Chemicals produces bio-based bisphenol A.

Chemie manufactures renewable polycarbonate (PC) resins.

Edik supplies renewable flame retardants.

Qingdao Haier New Materials produces recycled polycarbonate/acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (PC/ABS) resin.

The mold maker completes the molding of the parts.

Sony completes the design and manufacturing of high-performance audio and video finished products.

Mitsui Chemicals states that high-performance audio-visual equipment has diverse demands for plastic materials, with many materials requiring strict industry standards for flame retardancy and optical transparency. In the past, these stringent requirements severely limited the use of recycled plastics and made it difficult for companies to reduce their reliance on virgin fossil-based materials.

The alliance formed by these 14 companies, by comprehensively reviewing and restructuring the plastic supply chain, has established a new cooperation framework. This framework helps Sony proactively procure renewable materials while ensuring product quality remains unaffected. The application of the mass balance approach enables the tracking and verification of renewable material content throughout the entire supply chain.

This collaboration also supports all participating enterprises in verifiably monitoring and recording greenhouse gas emission data across the entire supply chain, providing a foundation for all parties to further reduce their carbon footprint and advance sustainable development goals. This cross-industry collaboration marks a milestone step for the electronics industry in transitioning to sustainable materials and building a transparent supply chain.