Besides premium product quality, profitability of the enterprise and social responsibility, Sharp regards protecting natural resources as an important responsibility. This explains why proactive environmental protection and sustainability have been a major focus of Sharp's business activities for so many years.  For Sharp, holistic and sustainable environmental protection means compliance with legal requirements as a self-evident minimum, but it also means integrating environmental aspects into the relevant business processes, and continually improving corporate environmental protection. Supported by a comprehensive strategy and management systems at almost all of Sharp's locations, Sharp continually develops new measures. The goal of environmental management is to make a tangible contribution to environmental protection in the fields of "Environmental Technologies", "Products and Components", and "Manufacturing", to comply with, and to exceed environment-related requirements, no matter whether mandatory or dictated by markets. To this end, Sharp makes efficient use of resources; dangerous goods and emissions are avoided wherever possible, or at least reduced to a minimum.

Working towards “Carbon Neutral Life” 
Understanding Sharp’s Initiatives Towards Becoming an “Environmentally Advanced Company”

Since the 19th century, the impact on the environment has grown as a result of increased economic and social activity. As an electronics manufacturer, Sharp has recognised and is now focusing on three main problems: global warming, pollution from toxic chemicals and depletion of resources. In Hannover, Germany for a recent conference on alternate energies and reducing greenhouse gases, Cleverdis had the chance to meet the prime movers behind Sharp’s initiative to become an “environmentally advanced company” - aiming to both expand business and protect the environment. The following article is an outline of what we gleaned from the Hannover conference.

Sharp has set forth a corporate vision to minimise greenhouse gas emissions from its worldwide business activities. According to Hiroshi Morimoto, Group General Manager - Environmental Protection Group - Sharp Corporation: “We believe that a carbon-neutral way of living will be possible by the introduction of solar power generation systems and by introducing energy saving home appliances into people’s homes.” Indeed, by 2010, the quantity of greenhouse gases emitted that year will be equalised to the quantity of greenhouse gases avoided that same year through customer use of both Sharp’s solar cells and energy-saving products. Sharp’s global emissions in 2007 are estimated to have been 1.8 million tons, and currently the amount of reduction is projected to be 1.4 million tons. So we are in a situation that, yes, Sharp can do this thanks in part to their solar business and energy-creating products.

Sharp - Almost 50 Years’ Solar Research Sharp began R&D on solar cells in 1959. Today, they are the only company that has continuously developed and produced solar cells without any interruption to the present day. Initially, Sharp’s solar cells were used in remote lighthouses and satellites, but we have always led the industry in innovative applications—for example, electronic calculators incorporating solar cells in 1974 and introducing solar power generation systems for residential use in 1994. By the end of 2007, Sharp’s total solar cell production volume had reached 2 GW (gigawatts): a world first. They achieved this milestone in the 49th year since launching research on solar cells as the next new technology after TVs in 1959, and since successfully achieving mass production in 1963. At present, cumulative solar cell production worldwide is estimated to be 8 GW, which means that Sharp-manufactured solar cells now account for approximately one-fourth of the world total.

© photo: Sharp

Revolutionary New Technologies For the Future

Sharp has started to mass-produce thin-film silicon solar cells which use 100 times less silicon material than conventional crystalline type cells. Sharp’s thin-film silicon cells have achieved one of the highest efficiencies in the industry supported by their unique thin-film technology and production technology. These cells have a wide range of applications and have a short energy payback time, because conversion efficiency has been improved and the production process is simpler.

Diverse New Applications

Thin-film silicon solar cells can now be used as architectural materials! The new “See-Through” type will allow for innovative new applications like this to expand to windows and wall surfaces of homes and buildings.

Make Energy… and USE less energy!

Sharp is, of course, continuing its efforts to improve power consumption in TVs.
Today, the amount of power consumed by the latest 52-inch LCD TV is less than the electricity consumed by a 32-inch CRT TV eight years ago. Compared to similar-sized 32-inch models, the latest 32-inch LCD TV consumes less than half the power per year than a CRT TV introduced in 2000.

Ecological Benchmarks

In recent years, a number of Sharp LCD televisions have made an "ecological name" for themselves. In 2005, a Sharp television was the first flat-screen TV to be awarded the EU eco-label. There are now more than 40 Sharp LCDs which bear this label.
With its new LCD technologies, Sharp not only achieves high picture quality and super-slim design, but also impressive environmental performance with a sophistication oriented towards the "LCD televisions of the future". The current LCD TV prototype combines Sharp’s unique LCD technologies with unparalleled performance: only 20mm thick, with contrast values of 100,000:1, combined with an annual energy consumption of 140kWh for a 52-inch LCD television!