Corporate Information
Environment
Sony Bank aims to be a bank that is widely supported by our customers not only for our beneficial interest rates and low fees, made possible by forgoing physical branches and their associated management costs, but also for our proactive efforts to protect the environment.
MORE and LESS for the Environment
We issue green bonds and engage in ESG investments and financing with the goal of contributing to forest conservation, biodiversity activities, and a low-carbon society.
We promote paperless procedures for various processes, such as opening accounts and applying for mortgages, as well as efforts to reduce GHG emissions.
Eco Activities With Customers
Sumatra project
For every Sony Bank account opened since September 2012, Sony Bank has donated 10 yen to the Project for Forest Conservation in Sumatra, a conservation project managed by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Japan. Customers can support this conservation project simply by opening an account with Sony Bank.
Introducing paperless procedures
Taking advantage of our strengths as an online bank, Sony Bank uses as little paper as possible in our dealings with customers, such as by providing information on our website and electronically delivering receipts, passbooks, product descriptions, and other documents to them.
Reducing GHG Emissions
Use of recycled plastic material for Sony Bank WALLET
We use recycled PCT-G, a raw material made from processed recycled waste plastic, for some parts of our Sony Bank WALLET (cash card with Visa Debit functionality). The use of recycled raw materials reduces the consumption of fossil fuels and waste plastic, which helps to reduce the burden on the environment. The use rate of recycled materials is 43% per card, which has the effect of reducing CO2 emissions by approximately 1.2g.
Use of paper files for sending mortgage documents (*product is only available in Japanese)
We use FSC-certified paper binders to send mortgage-related documents. This enables us to reduce the use of plastic files by approximately 80,000 per year, as well as CO2 emissions from incineration. FSC-certified paper is paper material made from wood from well-managed forests.
Notification of Commencement of Use of Paper Binders for Sending Mortgage Documents (information is only available in Japanese)
Using an environmentally friendly paper material, "Original Blended Material"
We have adopted "Original Blended Material," a paper material developed by Sony, for our employees' business cards since April 2024 and have been gradually replacing it with the new material since then. "Original Blended Material" is a paper material developed for its ability to achieve material recycling in the packaging of Sony products.
Introducing "Original Blended Material," an environmentally friendly paper material developed by the Sony Group, for business cards for Sony Financial Group companies (information is only available in Japanese)
Carbon offset
As an online bank, Sony Bank is undertaking initiatives to reduce its environmental footprint. Since fiscal year 2008, Sony Bank has offset 100% of CO2 emissions from all electricity used during its operations (except for subcontracted tasks).
To offset CO2 emissions, we have been utilizing and practicing the following certificates:
- Fiscal years 2008-2012, Tradable Green Certificates under the Green Power Certification System
- Fiscal years 2013-2017, certified credits by the J-Credit Scheme
- Fiscal years 2018-2020, the Green (Heat) Certification System
- Fiscal years 2021-present, RE100-certified Non-Fossil Certificate
We will continue our efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Tradable green certificate purchase volume:
Fiscal year 2020 actual purchase volume equivalent 5,366,984MJ (Megajoules)
FIT Non-Fossil Certificate purchase volume:
Fiscal year 2021 actual purchase volume equivalent 870,000kWh
Fiscal year 2022 actual purchase volume equivalent 850,000kWh
Environmental Conservation and Biodiversity
Sony Bank's Synecoculture™ Efforts
Sony Bank is working to utilize Synecoculture, a cultivation method that contributes to biodiversity. We aim to raise awareness of Synecoculture and to encourage employees to think about the value of biodiversity and its contribution to a sustainable society.
Eco activities by employees
Sony Bank is an active member of the One Blue Ocean Project, an ongoing effort by the entire Sony Group to address the issue of ocean plastic pollution, and is undertaking company-wide efforts to reduce plastic waste. We are working to reduce the use of paper, such as by digitizing internal forms, promoting double-sided printing and printing of multiple pages per sheet, and strictly managing the number of sheets of photocopier paper used, while also reducing the overall number of pages printed out.
Furthermore, we have put up signs that show how to separate recyclable materials, with everyone that works at Sony Bank cooperating in the separation and collection of waste. Each individual employee is also actively involved in various initiatives to reduce our environmental footprint, such as reducing electricity consumption and volunteering in the community.
ESG Investments and Financing
Initiatives through Investment
Sony Bank is committed to fulfilling our responsibilities as a responsible institutional investor and contributing to a sustainable society in accordance with Sony Group's common ESG investment policy.
We have also set an ESG investment and financing target that considers "Environment", "Social", and "Governance" factors.
Balance of ESG Investment and Financing
Target: 250 billion yen by fiscal year 2030
Actual: 99.4 billion yen as of March 31, 2024 (including 66.9 billion yen Bank of Japan Funds-Supplying Operations to Support Financing for Climate Change Responses)
Green Loan Framework Development / Green Loan Issuance
Sony Bank has established a Green Loan Framework to ensure that funds raised by Sony Bank through Green Loans are used exclusively for purposes that have benefits for environmental improvement. Sony Bank is committed to fulfilling its responsibilities as a responsible institutional investor and contributing to a sustainable society in accordance with the Sony Financial Group's environmental policy and the Group's common ESG investment policy. The funds raised through the Green Loan will be used to acquire Green Bonds and to refinance the acquisition of Green Bonds. By utilizing this framework, Sony Bank will contribute to increasing the balance of its ESG investments and financing and to raise investor awareness of its environmental conservation efforts.
The Second Offering for Sony Bank's 'Security token' - Notice of Commencement of Offering and Handling of USD-denominated Products with a Scheduled Dividend Rate of 5% per annum (2-year investment period) [Appendix] Green Loan Framework (information is only available in Japanese)
Green Loan Framework (information is only available in Japanese)
Status of Initiatives (as of June 30, 2024)
| Green loan balance | USD 950,000.00 |
|---|---|
| Amount appropriated to qualified criteria | USD 950,000.00 |
| Unappropriated amount | USD 0.00 |
Green Bond (Links to Marubeni Corporation website)
Issue Green Bonds to fund mortgages
Sony Bank has became the first bank in Japan (according to Nomura Securities Co., Ltd. on April 27, 2022) to issue Green Bonds to fund mortgages for buildings with excellent energy efficiency. Sony Bank has formulated the "Sony Bank Green Bond Framework" to raise funds to further promote such initiatives in the future and has received a third-party evaluation from Rating and Investment Information, Inc. (R&I) for its eligibility as a Green Bond. The funds raised through this Green Bond will be used not only for "new ZEH condominiums," which are eligible for the special interest rate, but also for buildings with excellent energy efficiency such as ZEH and ZEH-M. Through the issuance of this Green Bond, we will actively promote the spread of low-carbon housing, thereby contributing to the conservation of the global environment.
- Notification Green Bonds Issuance (information is only available in Japanese)
- Sony Bank's Green Bonds Framework (develped in October 2024) (information is only available in Japanese)
Status of Initiatives (as of March 31, 2024)
| Green Bonds balance 3rd unsecured bonds | 10 billion yen |
|---|---|
| Green Bonds balance | 10 billion yen |
| Amount appropriated to qualified projects | 10 billion yen |
| Unappropriated amount | 0.0 billion yen |
| Eligible Building Certifications and Criteria | Number of loans | Loan amount | Annual CO2 reduction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green loan balance | 155 | 6.5 billion yen | 495,880kg-CO2/year |
| Amount appropriated to qualified criteria | 363 | 14.5 billion yen | 460,066kg-CO2/year |
| Unappropriated amount | 518 | 21 billion yen | 955,946kg-CO2/year |
| Annual CO2 reduction equivalent to Green Bond balance (10 billion yen) | 455,212 kg-CO2/year |
|---|
Annual CO2 reductions are estimates based on design primary energy consumption.
Sustainability-Linked Bond Framework Development / Sustainability-Linked Bond Issuance
Sony Bank has issued Japan's first sustainability-linked bond with an SPT of 87 billion yen (reference date: end of March 2028) in mortgages for buildings with excellent energy efficiency that meet the eligibility criteria (surveyed by SMBC Nikko Securities Inc. on February 6, 2024). In order to promote the spread of low-carbon housing, we have developed the sustainability-linked bond framework and received a third-party evaluation of the eligibility as a sustainability-linked bond from Rating and Investment Information, Inc. (R&I). Through the issuance of sustainability-linked bond based on this framework, Sony Bank will contribute to the preservation of the global environment, together with raising awareness of its initiatives among a wide range of stakeholders.
KPI performance
Fiscal year 2023: 21 billion yen
The following KPIs have been third-party verified by Socotec Certification Japan.
Sony Financial Group Environmental Policy
Basic principles
Sony Financial Group will provide value to our stakeholders through our business activities, and as a member of Sony Group, we will pay special attention to environmental conservation in our business activities and in all phases of the life cycle of our products and services in keeping with the "Sony Group Environmental Vision" that aims to realize a sustainable society.
Policy
- 1. We will promote recycling of resources and saving of energy that are needed to operate our business. All our employees are highly conscious of the environment and will endeavor to reduce the impact on environment.
- 2. We will comply with laws and regulations on environmental conservation that are applied to our business activities and will also fulfill other requirements.
- 3. We will set environmental goal and objectives to promote activities on environmental conservation and will continuously improve them.
- 4. We will get our environmental conservation activities across to all employees and make them environmentally conscious in various aspects of their professional and daily lives.
- 5. We will announce our environmental policy and initiatives internally and externally through our public relations activities.