February 3rd, 2012
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0 With consumer electronics playing an increasingly important part in everyday life, Toshiba considers the environmental impact of its products very carefully. Here are some of the ways in which it is meeting its responsibilities as an eco-friendly corporation.
Toshiba takes a holistic approach to environmental issues. This means pursuing greener business practices in all areas - including design, manufacturing, logistics, sales, and disposal. To that end, Toshiba has developed Environmental Vision 2050 - a vision of a future where people lead advanced lifestyles while living in harmony with the earth.
With a determination to meet this vision, Toshiba intends to pursue three main avenues of environmental care - to mitigate climate change, use resources efficiently, and manage the use of chemicals.
One of Toshiba Group’s current targets to this end is to reduce the emissions of six types of greenhouse gases by 38 per cent by the 2012 financial year. It has also gone further than legally necessary in its restriction of hazardous chemicals. While the Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (RoHS) restricts the usage of six hazardous substances, Toshiba has voluntarily restricted a further 42, in addition to a further 40 chemicals that are simply of concern.
Greener TVs
The results of Toshiba’s efforts become apparent when you consider specific products. For example, at least 52 of Toshiba’s 2011 television range were awarded the EU Eco Label. Meanwhile Toshiba televisions consume 45 per cent less power on average than the company’s 2008 models.
Toshiba introduced LED backlit displays to its television sets in 2009, which consume less power and don’t contain mercury. This applies to the wider LED lighting product range, which is 80 per cent more efficient than incandescent light bulbs and almost 100 per cent recyclable. Such products are also long lasting, with some working for up to 50,000 hours.
Eco Laptops
When it comes to laptops, Toshiba has achieved Energy Star 5.0 status for each of its products through careful sourcing of low power consumption components. All Toshiba laptop AC adaptors are in the highest efficiency class, and its EPEAT-registered B2B laptops have been gold ranked in France, Germany, Spain and the UK.
Giving back to the environment
As well as lowering its own impact on the environment, Toshiba takes part in numerous schemes to help replenish and restore the earth’s resources. Once such example is the company’s 1.5-million tree initiative, which intends to plant 1.5 million trees by 2025 (the company’s 150th anniversary).
As part of this initiative on 8 April 2011 Toshiba employees and executives helped plant 2,000 trees in Germany. This was to help replace the trees that had been destroyed in the big storm Kyrill back in January 2007. But it’s not just in Germany that Toshiba has been offsetting its carbon footprint. Here in the UK over 20, 000 trees have been planted in dedicated Toshiba woodlands across the country.
Whether it’s planting trees or making its own products greener, ecological concerns are of paramount importance throughout Toshiba’s business practices.
For more information visit Toshiba UK.
