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.

• 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.

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.

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.

• Best of Green Award 2010 -Science & Technology: Best Electronics Take-Back Program: MRM Recycling. Read more at www.treehugger.com
• 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.