The consumer electronics industry has been slow to establish any meaningful environmental programs, but there have been signs recently that a movement is coming to life. Sony is one of a dozen companies that recently pledged to reduce its environmental impact, from the manufacturing of its products to how consumers use them.

The so-called 'Tokyo Declaration' is designed to reduce global warming, and encourage the companies’ business partners and customers to participate in ongoing environmental initiatives. Along with Sony, Nokia, Hewlett-Packard Co, Nike Inc, and Novo Nordisk are some of the other companies sponsoring the program.

Sony will communicate its environmental message with the themes of 'Product, Process, Planet', representing the areas that Sony intends reduce its environmental impact. Sony has set up an eco website to highlight its environmental programs and reduction activities, and promote a low-carbon lifestyle to its customers. It’s also investing in research & development to improve the energy efficiency of its products, and has plans to make better use of recycled materials.

Televisions account for 76 percent of Sony's overall product CO2 emissions, so the company has focused much of its energy in creating more energy-efficient sets. Sony’s latest LCD TVs consume half the energy of traditional CRT sets, and the company has also introduced the world's first OLED TV, with its reduced environmental impact in terms of thinness, lightness and energy saving potential of the panel. Sony also wants to quadruple its overall volume of renewable energy used worldwide, and in Europe alone it aims to save 30,000 tons of CO2 by 2010.

One of the areas of immediate concern to environmentalists is the upcoming transition from analog to digital broadcasting in the U.S., which is one year away. Between now and then, there will be millions of old TVs headed to landfills, and efforts to recycle and/or properly dispose of the sets have been half-hearted at best.

The environmental movement in Japan seems to have a full head of steam these days, and it’s good to see the private sector taking on challenges hand in hand with the government. The CE industry has a long way to go in order to reduce its environmental impact, but with major companies like Sony and Nokia leading the way, it can’t be long before significant gains are made.