Sony Style Encouraging Recycling With $100 Trade-Up Offer
By Alan Wolf -- TWICE, 1/7/2008
SAN DIEGO — In an effort to encourage consumers to recycle their old TVs, Sony Electronics is offering shoppers $100 toward the purchase of a new BRAVIA HDTV for every old set recycled through the company's Take Back recycling program, which kicked off last September.
Under the TV Trade Up promotion, participating customers are issued special $100-off coupons that can be redeemed at Sony Style stores, online at sonystyle.com and via Sony Style telesales at (877) 865-SONY through March 31, 2008.
The program follows the launch of Sony's first national electronics recycling initiative last fall to help consumers recycle and dispose of electronic devices in an environmentally sound manner, the company said. Its Take Back recycling program was established with Waste Management Recycle America to offer customers free recycling of any of their unwanted Sony products. Consumers can bring Sony-branded products, as well as other manufacturers' electronics products that may include a recycling fee, to 79 eCycling centers throughout the United States. Customers who drop off a TV regardless of brand at a participating collection site for recycling between now and March 15, 2008, will receive the $100 coupon.
"By layering our Take Back recycling program with offers like the TV Trade Up promotion, Sony expects to reach its goal of recycling one pound of old product for every pound of new product sold," said Mark Small, environment, safety and health VP for Sony Electronics. "With the next wave of high-definition technology, we anticipate many HDTVs to replace analog television sets, and Sony is providing customers with end-of-life solutions for those unwanted items."
"We value Sony as a partner and are excited to be expanding our partnership to reward responsible consumers who seek waste management services for their old electronics," said Patrick DeRueda, president of Waste Management Recycle America. "The Take Back program has been a huge success since its inception, gathering more than 530 tons of electronic waste to date, and we anticipate the TV Trade Up promotion to further encourage people to recycle."
The amount of electronics waste is expected to grow as the FCC-mandated switch to all digital TV signals in February 2009 nears, Sony said. The transition will create demand for digital televisions as well as the need for a responsible, efficient way to manage the disposal of obsolete analog TV sets.
Sony said its TV Trade Up and Take Back recycling programs are part of the company's broader global commitment to environmental stewardship, which spans product design, recycling, facilities management and energy conservation across all categories. This is the first national recycling initiative in the United States to involve both a major electronics manufacturer and a national waste management company, the company said.
Sony TV Trade Up coupons are being distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis at 79 participating Waste Management eCycling drop-off centers nationwide. Sony and Waste Management hope to open enough drop-off locations so there is a recycling center within 20 miles of 95 percent of the U.S. population.
