$ONY

Now that the people at ACER were kind enough to repair my laptop within a month, it's about time for another entry. 

This might be my last entry for the next month or so though, because I'll be busy moving to Germany in the following weeks. Everything is set already except for the packing part, which will be arranged on the 28th this month.

To be honest I don't really look forward to staying in Germany but what to do. I don't want to leave Singapore, but as so often in life, it is not about what you want, but what you have to do.

Music, like this great song by 2pac called "life goes on", will keep me going. After all, there is so much more to life than oneself.

Ok, I admit, this little passage was rather untypical for this blog.

Anyway, back to business. Today's entry is about SONY!

Everybody knows SONY, everybody likes SONY, everybody has some SONY product somewhere.

But who really knows about SONY's social, environmental and ethical records?? 

Well, I feel that hardly anybody knows or even wastes a thought that such records could actually exist. 

This is not surprising, as we are not suppose to know anything about these records anyway, because that might influence consumption patterns, or even worse, people might end up buying less useless products, if they knew all the records of various corporations.

So here we go, this is what I was able to find about SONY, good & bad:

About SONY Corp.

Sony makes home video game systems, semiconductors, DVD players, batteries, cameras, MiniDisc and Walkman stereo systems, computer monitors, VCRs, stereos, and flat-screen TVs. With 181,800 employees, the company reported sales of $58.5 billion in 2001.

• 
  
  Charitable Giving: After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade center and the Pentagon, Sony donated $4 million for relief efforts. (Who knows what the true motivations are?!)
  
  Source: United Press International, Sept. 20, 2001
  
  

• Environmentally-friendly Initiatives: Sony has been Praised for its Environmentally Friendly Initiatives:
  
  1. Environmentally-friendly Initiatives The Computer TakeBack Campaign gave Sony a "needs improvement" grade on its 2002 Report Card, which grades 28 computer manufacturers on the environmental impacts of their production and disposal of computer equipment. The company was praised for its disclosure of its recycling process but was criticized for its "double standards" in complying with Japanese recycling laws while having no "take-back" plans for its US operations.
  
  2. According to Clean Production Action, a Canadian organization, Sony Europe has product simplification initiatives underway for new television designs with more snap-together parts and fewer screws, making disassembly easier, and for fewer material types to be used to make recycling sorting easier. In addition, PVC has been phased-out of Sony products.
  
  3. Sony has signed a 15-year contract with Japan Natural Energy Co. to supply 4.5 million kilowatt-hours a year of wind-power-generated electricity to help meet new emission reduction targets.
  
  Source: GrassRoots Recycling Network, et al.

• Recycling: Sony Electronics is one of the companies financing the Electronic Industries Alliance which, in 2001, earmarked $100,000 to fund research on how best to collect used household electronics for recycling, reuse and disposal.
  
  Source: cNet 

• Human Rights: Sony is among the companies who have chosen to remain financially involved in Burma despite the potential of any business to directly or indirectly strengthen the illegal military junta there.
  
  Source: Burma Forum Los Angeles

                                                       What's Wrong with Doing Business in Burma? 

• Human Rights: In a 2001 report done by Human Rights Watch which analyzed the 23 complaints filed since 1994 when NAFTA was enacted, Sony was named as a violator of workers' rights in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
  
  Source: Human Rights Watch, April 16, 2001

• Ethics: Sony has admitted to creating a phony film critic and inventing quotations from that critic, in order to provide positive reviews for Sony films. The company has also admitted that so-called moviegoers praising Sony films in promotion ads were actually employees of the company.
  
  Source: CNN, June 15, 2001 

• Waste Reduction: In September 2000, it was found that Sony had been tracking the activities of environmental organizations seeking to regulate waste caused by the high-tech and electronics industries. A leaked document written by Sony outlined a presentation made to other electronics companies at a conference showing activities of environmental groups. According to the Inter Press Service, the company has been opposing efforts of environmental groups and the European Union to make manufacturers responsible for their products and for environmental and health damage caused.
  
  Source: Inter Press Service, September 15, 2000
  
  

Overall the SONY corp. doesn't look too bad, although one has to remain critical if the messures taken are mainly publicity stunts or if SONY really tries to clean up its own backyard.

No doubt that this corporate empire needs to be pressured further by consumers and activists, so that it achieves clean or at least close to clean records. 

That's it for now folks. I might add one or two points in the following two days. If you have any more infos or comments about the SONY empire, then please share them with us.

                                         ~peace~

tags: sony  human rights  burma  corporate record  

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