Sony unveils new earbuds and TVs powered by renewable Neste RE™

The Sony WF-1000XM6, truly wireless noise cancelling earbuds, utilize renewable plastics via a mass balance approach. According to Sony, this means 25%* of the plastic components are assigned renewable raw materials.

"The successful launch of this product demonstrates that when global companies work together, transitioning to materials with a lower climate impact is scalable today. Seeing the final consumer product makes it much easier to visualize how Neste's renewable molecules practically integrate into our everyday electronics," says Maiju Helin, Director of Polymers and Chemicals at Neste.

The initiative is a key part of Sony and Mitsubishi Corporations’  #CreatingNEWfromreNEWablematerials project, which sets out to prove that transitioning to electronics made with renewable plastic components doesn't mean compromising on quality or performance. The earbuds represent only the first step. The partnership acts as a scalable blueprint and is actively expanding this solution to larger-surface products, including the new Sony BRAVIA 9 II, where for example the 65-inch model of the TV uses up to 23%* renewable plastics. . This demonstrates unequivocally that plastics made from renewable raw materials are ready for the mass market and scalable across different polyolefin materials, polycarbonates, and more.

Meeting demanding specs with a drop-in solution

High-performance electronics require strict safety, aesthetic, and technical standards – such as flame resistance and optical clarity – that cannot be achieved with traditional mechanical recycling. To meet these demanding specifications while significantly lowering greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, Neste provides the renewable plastic raw materials that replace fossil oil at the very beginning of the value chain.

Neste RE™ is a drop-in feedstock for plastics made from renewable and recycled raw materials. It encompasses two distinct streams to tackle the fossil dependency challenge: renewable Neste RE (made from bio-based raw materials) and recycled Neste RE (produced from liquefied plastic waste).

Because it acts as a direct substitute for fossil resources, Neste RE offers significant environmental benefits without requiring changes to existing production infrastructure. Specifically, renewable Neste RE can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by more than 85%** when comparing to its equivalent fossil product. Meanwhile, recycled Neste RE – produced via chemical recycling – brings an over 70%** reduction in fossil resource consumption (abiotic depletion) and an over 35%** reduction of GHG emissions when chemical recycling and recycled Neste RE replaces fossil resources and the incineration of plastic waste.

"Because Neste RE is a drop-in solution – whether it is made from renewable or recycled raw materials – it easily replaces fossil naphtha within existing processes," explains Helin. "Manufacturers don't need to conduct exhaustive lab tests; they simply swap the raw material and maintain the exact same product specifications they already trust."

Mass balancing tracks renewable impact

To seamlessly integrate these renewable raw materials into existing infrastructure and historically opaque supply chains, the partnership utilizes the mass balance approach.

"The mass balancing concept is based on tracking the share of bio-based and fossil material inputs and allocating the respective bio-based content to the volumes of the manufactured products," notes Eugene Teo, Key Account Manager for Polymers & Chemicals at Neste. "It allows for a gradual transition from fossil to non-fossil materials in the value chain without any concessions to quality or performance."

A global collaborative effort

Because high-performance products involve a wide variety of plastics, their supply chains are notoriously complex. It required a massive, 14-company alliance spanning five countries and regions to map the existing supply chain and verify GHG emission reductions at every step. Defining this supply chain ensures data is tracked in a verifiable way, empowering all participating companies to reduce their carbon footprints.

"We chose this method because it does not change the quality of the product," stated Hisaoki Ohba, leader of the sustainability working group within Technology Strategy Committee Mechanical Strategy at Sony Group , when discussing the new supply chain. "What changes is the feedstock of the materials we use. This fundamentally changes how products are made, which is why the entire supply chain must work together."

Teo considers it admirable to see all 14 stakeholders fully aligned on the fundamental need to transition away from fossil resources: “Having everyone voluntarily drive these initiatives across a complex value chain is a remarkable achievement." 

"The example we've set is incredibly powerful. It demonstrates to other industry players and consumers alike that this level of collaboration is entirely possible, proving that sustainable supply chains can be a reality today," Helin concludes.

*The WF-1000XM6 is allocated 25% of its plastic components as biomass-derived renewable plastics, contributing to the reduction of the use of petroleum-derived virgin plastics. Source Sony WF-1000XM6 product page. The Sony BRAVIA 9 II utilizes plastics in some components and for example allocates 23% biomass-based renewable material (mass balance approach) to the 65-inch model. Source Sony press release of the launch of the BRAVIA 9 II model.

**Life Cycle Assessment on Environmental Impacts of Neste Renewable Polymers and Chemicals (30 June 2021) and Life Cycle Assessment on Environmental Impacts of Chemical recycling of waste plastic – Case Neste (October 2022).