The basis for all corporate activities is having a society in which everyone can live with peace of mind in a healthy global environment. Protecting biodiversity has been identified as one of the important initiatives in our "Road to Zero" environmental plan, which aims for a zero environmental footprint by 2050, and this action is being pursued both through business and environmental efforts that respect local communities.

Sony Forest is one such initiative at the Kohda Site of Sony Global Manufacturing & Operations in Aichi, Japan, which has been involved in greening from the start. Through forest conservation, we contribute to the community and protect biodiversity.

Creating a lush, park-like environment—Sony Forest takes shape

Kohda Site opened its doors in 1972 and has been actively greening here ever since.

A new chapter began in 1993, when the plant decided to open its green areas to the public. After five years of working to create value by giving something back to the community and protecting the environment, 1998 saw the completion of Sony Forest. Caring for the trees at the nearly 58,000-m2 forest was only one facet. Employees also set up rope bridges, walking trails, and a perfectly positioned observation deck. The forest is used by children and many others in the community to learn about the environment.

From cultivating owl habitat to restoring tended rural areas

An employee greening club has taken the lead in protecting biodiversity since 2008, and a key initiative has been cultivating a habitat for owls in Sony Forest. Owls are thought to be at the top of this ecosystem in this area of Nishimikawa. Their nesting here proves that the smaller animals they subsist on also live here in sufficient numbers, along with abundant nuts and other food sources for the smaller animals. This shows how healthy the ecosystem is.

Employees voluntarily engage in regular conservation that includes thinning trees (to give the owls room to fly), caring for feeding grounds, and installing nest boxes.

Community-supported, and recognized with ministerial and Urban Green certification^*

Sony Forest has grown over the course of 25 years as one generation passes the founding aspiration of Kohda Site to the next. This longstanding effort has also earned recognition from the Ministry of the Environment and others and could not have achieved it without the support and understanding of the community.

Kohda Site has also been engaging in other environmental activities such as rooftop greening and care of on-site plants as well as encouraging local participation in planting of flower beds and trees along nearby roads, river cleanups, and other activities. We remain committed to building on these efforts and expanding community ties in the future.

^*Certified for conservation in the ministerial 30by30 Alliance for Biodiversity

The Sony Group is also a member of the 30by30 Alliance for Biodiversity, promoted by the Ministry of the Environment as a means of attaining the 30by30 target of protecting or conserving at least 30% of land and oceans by 2030, which has been advocated internationally in recent years. Toward attainment of the 30by30 target, the government is considering certifying other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs), as "sites in harmony with nature (tentative naming)". Sony Forest at Kohda Site earned an evaluation equivalent to certification in a trial program in fiscal 2022.

^*Certified as a Green Legacy site in the SEGES evaluation program of Urban Green

SEGES is a certification system that recognizes well-maintained green sites and the routine activities and initiatives behind them, through which companies or organizations enrich society and the environment. For this work over many years, Sony Forest was recognized as a Green Legacy site, the premier SEGES distinction, in 2017. We maintained this level of certification in 2022.