It seems to be a bit of a trend these days for companies to show off how “green” they are by telling you how much recycled material they use in their products. While the sentiment is obviously quite admirable, it tends to come off more as marketing than genuine care for the environment. It’s Sony’s turn at the pulpit as they extol the virtues of SORPLAS, Sony’s proprietary recycled plastic formula.
It’s a mix of recycled water bottles and CDs, along with some secret Sony sauce to make it flame resistant, which they’re using in everything from their still and video cameras to smartphones and TVs. Sony says that they’ve used around 379 tonnes of SORPLAS in the past ten years in their photography and video camera production.
Plastic waste has become a massive global problem, and more companies than ever are finally starting to realise that virgin plastics aren’t sustainable in the long term. Recycling is the key, but it’s not always easy. Sony seems to be taking things seriously across much of their product range – no mention of Playstation, though – with SORPLAS, and I expect that its uses will only continue to grow in the coming years.
The video does come across as being a little insincere, though. When they start talking about how it’s used in the “beautiful, non-fading, rear covers of our award-winning Bravia TV”, it gets a bit cringy, but Sony says that SORPLAS provides the strength and durability required to be a major part of its Xperia line of smartphones.
Sony mirrorless camera users, on the other hand, are often debating the durability of their gear online. But recycled plastics are here to stay, and their use will only increase in the future as more processes and new formulas to recycle and rejuvenate old plastics are developed. Given the amount of waste plastic out there – it was estimated that 200 billion CDs had been sold worldwide just up until 2007 – it’s not really surprising that we’re at this point.
So, top marks for the effort, Sony. Not so much for the marketing sound bites.
Have you faced durability issues with your Sony Alpha camera?
[via Sony Alpha Rumors]
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