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Sharp & the Environment

environmental product innovations

Sharp aims to minimize the environmental impact of our products by continually implementing and improving product technologies, designs and programs aimed at environmental conservation, from the materials used in the manufacture and packaging of our products, to their transportation, use and safe disposal at the end of their product life.

AQUOS® LCD Televisions

  • Sharp has worked to take the lead in LCD research and development to fully realize its promise in energy-efficient, resource-saving devices. As an example of our success, power consumption of the 32-inch Class (31 ½ Diagonal) Sharp AQUOS® LCD TV was reduced from 271 kilowatt-hours per year in 2000 to just 135 kilowatt-hours per year in 2006.
  • Most AQUOS® models are ENERGY STAR® qualified for energy efficiency.
  • Superior environmental performance includes not just low power consumption, but also extended operating life and the increased use of recycled parts.
  • The easy-to-recycle design features environmentally conscious components and materials including lead-free solder for circuit boards.
  • All products for the U.S. market comply with the EU RoHS (European Union Restriction of Hazardous Substances) directives for elimination of lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) or polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE).
  • Larger AQUOS® LCD panels are manufactured in the Sharp Kameyama plant #2 in Japan, one of the world’s most environmentally friendly LCD TV factories. From the earliest planning stages the plant was designed with environmental consciousness at the heart of every activity.
    • The plant features one of the world’s largest roof-mounted solar electric systems. Thus, AQUOS® LCD TVs are literally made with the power of the sun.
    • Waste heat is recovered for air conditioning, with a co-generation system producing about one-third of the electricity used in the plant.
    • The 5MW solar power system, 1MW fuel cell system and co-generation system together reduce overall CO2 emissions by 40%.
    • All of the plant’s production wastewater is recycled, purified and reused.
    • The entire LCD TV manufacturing process—from fabricating the LCD panels to final assembly—is carried out in a single plant, eliminating the need to ship sub-assemblies between distant plants. This enables Sharp to slash the amount of packaging materials required for shipping while reducing emissions.

Solar Electric Systems

  • Sharp first began to develop solar cells in 1959 and began commercial production in 1963. Today Sharp is recognized as a world leader in solar cell production.
  • With the know-how and technologies gained from many years of experience in this field, Sharp is furthering R&D on a wide variety of solar cell technology and pursuing the potential for still wider use of solar energy.
  • New solar cells under research by Sharp include silicon (single-crystal, polycrystalline and thin-film) and concentrators that are expected to lower costs while meeting the burgeoning worldwide demand.
  • The Sharp Solar Academy, developed in Japan and now expanding worldwide, is an educational program designed to help schoolchildren learn about the environment and global warming issues as well as the importance of renewable energy and recycling.

Business Products, Copiers and Printers

  • Sharp copiers and printers are among the industry’s most energy efficient.
  • All Sharp models in the present Document Systems and Multifunction Products line are ENERGY STAR® qualified for energy efficiency.
  • The organic photoconductive drum unit has an extended life of up to one million pages.
  • Sharp fax products require an extremely low power consumption of less than 1W in standby mode.
  • High-speed MFPs deliver energy savings through external heat-fusing technology using an external system to heat thin-walled steel fusing rollers.
  • The SharpToner Recycling Program helps customers collect and recycle toner cartridges free of charge for all Sharp copiers, MFPs and printers sold in the U.S. www.sharpusa.com/recycle
  • Other Sharp recycling programs provide for recycling products’ used Nickel-Cadmium and Lithium-Ion batteries.

Home Appliances

  • Many Sharp Air Conditioners are ENERGY STAR® qualified and use at least 10% less energy than conventional models.
  • All Sharp Air Purifiers are ENERGY STAR® qualified and are 35% more energy-efficient than standard models.
  • Sharp Air Purifiers use lead-free solder on printed circuit boards and are designed for easy disassembly and recycling.
  • Sharp Air Purifiers use high efficiency motors, inverter technology, a wide range of fan speeds and air quality sensors to automatically adjust the fan speed to the room conditions, contributing to energy efficiency.
  • All of the Sharp Appliance factories are ISO 14001 certified, ensuring environmental management compliance.

environmental awards

Sharp divisions in the U.S. and around the world have won numerous awards for creating products with high environmental performance, developing unique environmental technologies and contributing back to their communities and society at large.

  • Plug-in to eCycling Award: Every year since 2003, Sharp has received this award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for participating in and contributing to collection events for discarded electronics.
  • 2007 Stevie® Award for Best Corporate Social Responsibility Program: Sharp won this award from the American Business Awards for the Sharp solar building project that benefited residents of New Orleans affected by Hurricane Katrina.
  • 2007 Evergreen Award: Sharp was awarded the Evergreen Award from the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) to recognize its efforts in recycling, affirmative procurement and waste reduction.
  • 2007 Excellence in Partnership Green Contractor Award: Sharp was recognized by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) as the government contractor demonstrating the strongest overall commitment to environmentally sound manufacturing and operating procedures.
  • 2006, 2007 and 2008 SmartWay™ Excellence Awards: Sharp was recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for conserving energy and lowering greenhouse gas emissions from transportation and freight activities.
  • 2007 Award of Excellence, Environmental Report and Sustainability Report Awards: The Sharp “Environmental and Social Report 2006” received a fifth consecutive honor in these awards since 2002.
  • 2006 Energy Conservation Encouragement Award: Sharp was recognized by the Japan Cogeneration Center for the Kameyama LCD TV plant’s fuel-efficient cogeneration system which utilizes waste heat as a source of energy for air conditioning and hot-water supply.
  • 2004 Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Minister’s Prize: The Sharp closed-loop plastic material recycling technology received this award at the 13th Global Environment Awards sponsored by the Japan Industrial Journal.
  • 2005 Best Technology Award: The Sharp closed-loop plastic material recycling technology was awarded this prize by the Japan Society of Polymer Processing.
  • 2006 Industrial Technology Award: Sharp plant-based paint received this award sponsored by the Osaka Industrial Research Association.
  • China Electronics and Information Equipment Green Manufacturing Commendation
  • Award of Excellence, Evaluation of Corporate Energy Conservation Activities: Sharp was recognized as an outstanding energy-saving company by the Thai Ministry of Energy.
  • 2007 Green Hero Award: Sharp received this award from the Green Organization, an environmental activity group, in recognition of the positive investment it made in introducing equipment for analyzing hazardous substances as well as making that equipment available to other enterprises.