2/19/2008

Washington, DC - A business group including leading companies such as HP, Sony, Nokia and Nike recently released the Tokyo Declaration, a joint call to tackle the urgent issue of climate change. Signing the declaration at the Climate Savers Summit 2008 held by WWF and Sony in Tokyo, a dozen business leaders highlighted that the world’s greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced by more than 50 percent by 2050. They added that emissions must peak and start to decline within the next 10 to 15 years in order to keep global warming below the dangerous threshold of 2 degrees Celsius.

Presented by Sony Chairman and CEO Sir Howard Stringer on the eve of the 3rd anniversary of the Kyoto Protocol’s entry into force, the Tokyo Declaration is the most far reaching call for action on climate change from the global business community.

“At Sony, we believe that it is impossible for a business to flourish in a degraded environment. For this reason we are committed to using our technological ability and know-how to reduce our impact on the planet, and to help our customers reduce their impact at home,” said Sir Howard Stringer. “We have always recognized that we have an obligation to act responsibly in all of our business activities to help minimize our environmental impact, and at the same time utilize our unique talents to help solve environmental problems together with our peers and our partners.”

Many signatories of the Tokyo Declaration and other WWF Climate Saver companies have already exceeded the ambitious emission reduction targets they set themselves upon joining the Climate Savers Program. In the declaration they go beyond this with a pledge to reach out to their business partners and urge them to undertake effective steps to reduce climate pollution. The companies also pledge to promote and enable a low-carbon lifestyle among their customers and consumers.

“These companies should be applauded for taking leadership on the issue of climate change and setting a strong example for others to follow,” said Richard Moss, VP and Managing Director, Climate Change. “They are tackling the issue head-on and using their global presence to talk to other companies, governments, consumers and customers.”

With the Tokyo Declaration, Climate Saver companies intend to emphasize the imperatives and benefits of early, voluntary and innovative action on climate change. The signatories are Allianz, Catalyst, Collins, HP, Nike, Nokia, Novo Nordisk, Sagawa, Sony, Spitsbergen Travel, Tetra-Pak and Xanterra.

SOURCE: Sony