By Martin Vedris
SYDNEY: As part of its worldwide brand differentiation and vision strategy called ‘Think Gaia’, Sanyo is committed to being known as environmentally conscious and engaging in business activities that are beneficial to planet Earth.
Their latest product release, the Eneloop rechargeable battery, is not only designed to be rechargeable and recyclable and therefore have less environmental impact, it is also contributing directly to cleaning up Australia.
Sanyo will donate five cents from every Eneloop rechargeable battery to Clean Up Australia, a national non-profit organisation which strives to inspire and work with Australians to clean up and conserve the environment.
According to Sanyo, the Eneloop rechargeable battery uses innovative technology that allows it to be recharged up to 1,000 times, reducing the 8,000 tones of batteries that end up as landfill in Australia each year. Sanyo are calling it, ‘the only battery you will ever need’.
“Sanyo is dedicated to improving the environment and conserving our country for future generations,” said Sanyo Oceania managing director, Bill Crichton.
“We are very pleased to contribute to Clean Up Australia and help conserve the beauty of Australia and our planet.”
Ian Kiernan AO, chairman and founder of Clean Up Australia said, “An alliance between Clean Up Australia and Sanyo makes good sense – two organisations intent on providing people with practical solutions to reduce their impact on the environment.”
According to Sanyo, their ‘Think Gaia’ vision recognises that the earth is a living planet where nature and all life are intimately interwoven. The vision works towards creating products that allow the environment and technology to coexist in harmony.
J.E. Lovelock, who had participated in NASA’s Mars exploration program in the 1960’s, proposed the idea of earth as a living, green organism where mankind and all living things live in harmony. He used ‘Gaia’, the name of the goddess Earth Mother in Greek mythology, to describe the living organism we call Earth.
Sanyo is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of LCD projectors, digital cameras, security products, components, consumer electronics and rechargeable batteries. However on a global scale Sanyo say they are looking beyond product manufacturing to a bigger vision of clean energy generation.
According to a company statement, the danger to the environment of non-renewable fossil fuels has accelerated Sanyo’s soft energy development program. Sanyo’s clean energy/clean environment program, called ‘Genesis’ is assisted by the Japanese Government. The program’s aim is to establish huge power generators in the world’s deserts and plains and link them with superconductor grids sufficient to supply all the world’s power needs.
In Australia, Sanyo batteries, including the Eneloop, are distributed through Master Instruments, a manufacturer, assembler and distributor of batteries and test equipment.