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Case Study

Lowering CO2 emissions from products: Sony’s eco-innovation for televisions

By Corey A. Billington, Tania Braga and Aileen Ionescu-Somers

9 pages

December 2009

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Reference: IMD-2-0154

The case demonstrates the potential companies have to drive innovation in order to reach ambitious CO2 reduction targets. It documents Sony’s efforts under WWF International’s Climate Savers initiative. Climate Savers is a platform to transform business and industry into pioneers on climate and energy solutions. To reduce CO2 emitted in the use of its products, Sony started to focus on improving the energy efficiency of televisions. By combining sophisticated technological improvements with simple features that make it easy for customers to save energy, Sony achieved a sustained reduction in the carbon footprint of its televisions. The case also provides a framework for discussions around Sony’s major challenge: reducing the total (absolute) emissions from product use under market growth.

Learning Objective

1) Deliver strong arguments that ambitious CO2 reduction targets trigger innovation and are therefore good for business development and growth. 2) Inspire business leaders to adopt transformational change in product innovation. 3) Show how to create, develop and market climate friendly products.

Keywords

Innovation, Climate Change, Energy Efficiency, Consumer Electronics, Product Innovation, Corporate Responsibility, Partnership, Carbon Footprint, Corporate Sustainability Management, Sustainability

Settings

World/global
Sony
2006-2009

Type

Field Research

Available Languages

English

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Case reference: IMD-2661 ©2025

Summary

Shenzhen Power-Solution (SPS), founded in 2009 in China as an entrepreneurial venture, disrupted traditional lighting markets in African villages with its flagship product, Candles Killer. This solar lamp, priced under $5, replaces hazardous kerosene lamps and has an optimized design (9 components, water-bottle stands). The candles killer solar lamp addresses the critical need for affordable, safe and sustainable lighting for people at the bottom of the pyramid (BOP), a huge market that multinationals struggle to reach. By achieving both low cost and differentiation, SPS created a blue ocean market. The company has made remarkable progress in its mission to provide solar lighting to underserved communities: by 2023, it illuminated over 55 million people across 7.8 million households in 66 countries. Beyond social impact, SPS achieved environmental sustainability at scale, reducing cumulative carbon emissions by 6.7 million tons, the equivalent of planting 368 million evergreen trees. Candles Killer's success led SPS to expand its product line into a solar home system for phone charging and multi-bulb lighting. SPS also introduced Solar Media, a platform with pre-loaded content (medical tips, farming methods, education) to share vital knowledge in remote regions.

Reference IMD-2661

Organization Shenzhen Power-Solution

Industry Energy;Utilities, Electricity Supply;Consumer Goods, Consumer Electronics

Available Languages English

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