Environmental considerations in product design are extremely important to Sony. We developed SORPLAS to incorporate more recycled materials and deliver high performance, to match both our product design and quality reputations.
Our twin objectives are to deliver exceptional products, and minimise their environmental impact, in line with our Road to Zero environmental goals. We developed recycled flame-retardant plastic SORPLAS to achieve these objectives.
SORPLAS is made from used water bottles and waste optical discs collected from factories and markets, and a proprietary flame retardant. It's used in a variety of Sony and external products. SORPLAS won't degrade too much even after being recycled several times, so in the future, it's expected that SORPLAS will be recovered and reused in new products.
[1] Crush [2] Mould [3] Products [4] Collect from factories/markets
Crushed waste optical discs from disc manufacturer Sony Music Solutions Inc. are one of the ingredients of SORPLAS, used for the rear covers of Sony's BRAVIA™ TVs.
Sony's recycled plastic SORPLAS is safe, reliable, and its performance in products matches that of virgin plastics.
Recycled plastic used in electronics is typically only around 30% recycled content. Our ground-breaking sulphur-based flame retardant produces consistently high-performance plastic even when using up to 99% recycled content.
[1] SORPLAS
[2] Recycled content 99% [3] Flame retardants, other additives 1%
[4] Typical flame-retardant recycled polycarbonate plastic
[5] Recycled content 30% [6] Petroleum-based virgin plastic 55% [7] Flame retardants, other additives 15%
CO2 emissions from production of SORPLAS can be reduced by approximately 72% compared to flame-retardant virgin plastic production used in the same application.
[1] Flame-retardant virgin plastic [2] SORPLAS with 95% recycled content
To allow products to be used for long periods in a variety of environments, Sony is developing degradation-resistant recycled plastics. As our proprietary formulation uses only a small amount of the flame retardant, SORPLAS has both strength and high resistance to temperature and humidity.
[1] Retention of initial molecular weight under 85 ºC, 80%RH [2] Time elapsed (weeks) [3] SORPLAS [4] Flame-retardant recycled PC [5] Flame-retardant virgin PC
The reduced amount of flame retardant allows SORPLAS to achieve equal or better durability than general flame-retardant plastics. It's also robust, and has been adopted for uses such as suitcase parts and PC cases that require strength.
In the various products that add colour to our lives, durability and aesthetics also matter. As well as providing solid durability, SORPLAS has a good surface appearance, and can maintain its quality over long periods of use.
SORPLAS achieves high recycled content while also providing durability due to its lower flame retardant content, and a beautiful non-fading exterior finish for BRAVIA TVs.
We have developed a special grade of resin suitable for TV rear covers which exhibits excellent strength and design, overcoming a challenge for recycled plastics. We've also done it while using an industry-leading recycled material ratio.
The quality finish of SORPLAS makes it suitable for exterior surfaces, allowing for a significant increase in its use, and reducing virgin plastic use in BRAVIA by up to 60%.
Since smartphones are used in a variety of environments, they must be both robust and durable.
Prioritising high strength and durability, even compared to virgin plastic, has allowed SORPLAS to be adopted for major internal parts.
The introduction of SORPLAS into XPERIA devices has allowed virgin plastic use in internal parts to be reduced by 27%.
Our proprietary recycled plastic SORPLAS is used for the exterior and internal parts of some vlog cameras and digital cameras, without compromising quality or functionality.
Yasunobu Kawasaki
Product Design Division 2,
TV Business Group, Home Entertainment and Sound Products Business Group,
Sony Corporation
In TV we've long been designing to reduce environmental impact, and actively using SORPLAS, which contains a high proportion of recycled material. In order to increase the amount of SORPLAS used, from 2021 we started using SORPLAS for the rear covers of some models. We started material development with Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation in 2018, but it requires a high level of design know-how to adopt the material for large-area exterior parts such as rear covers of TVs. After repeated prototyping and recipe improvement we developed a grade suitable for rear covers. This has enabled us to contribute to the reduction of virgin plastic usage. Through our BRAVIA design activities we will continue to contribute to further reductions in environmental impact going forwards.
Yasuhito Inagaki
SORPLAS Business Office,
System Solutions Business Division,
Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation
SORPLAS was born from research that began about 20 years ago, based on a strong desire to convert waste plastic from business sites into a resource with high added value. First, we had to make practical a proprietary flame retardant that shows high flame retardancy in polycarbonate resin with extremely small amounts. SORPLAS blends that flame retardant and various additives with recycled materials such as used water bottles and waste optical discs from factories and markets, to create a flame-retardant recycled plastic with beautiful lustre and high durability while achieving up to 99% recycled content. SORPLAS with a wide variety of resin properties has already been put to practical use, but going forwards we will continue development to expand the range of applications and contribute further to the environment.
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