Commenting on Fujitsu's commitment to reducing its plastic waste, an analyst says it comes at a time when brands are looking at their environmental impact
Fujitsu's Melbourne office (Credit: Schiavello)
The ocean plastic pledge made by technology company Fujitsu reflects the public mood at the right time, says an analyst.
The Japanese computing firm announced this week it will push forward with further initiatives to reduce its use of plastic waste.
Shagun Sachdeva, consumer insights analyst at data analytics company GlobalData, said the move comes at a time when most consumer giants are focused on their positive social impact.
She added: “With consumers increasingly becoming more critical of brands’ messages, the onus is on the companies to convince consumers beyond mere marketing that they are committed to mitigating the environmental impact of their products and business activities.”
Fujitsu’s plastic pledge
Fujitsu revealed it will further expand its efforts by ending the use of plastic cups and straws at its offices, while also no longer offering plastic bottled drinks in meeting spaces and cafés.
In addition, plastic bottled drinks in vending machines on company property will be replaced with cans or paper cartons, which it says will reduce the number of plastic bottles used from seven million per year to zero.
Plastic bags will also be eliminated from convenience stores and other shops on company sites, with the goal of encouraging employees to carry around reusable bags.
These follow on from commitments made by the company to promote the use of fewer resources in its products and packaging, making them recyclable and reducing waste in offices.
According to a GlobalData fourth quarter consumer survey, 32% of Asian consumers often consider how ethical, environmentally friendly or socially responsible a product or service is while making purchasing decisions.
Alongside this, 22% of Japanese consumers keep eco-friendly aspects of buying at the forefront of their mind.
Ms Sachdeva said: “In line with this, Fujitsu plans to resolve the plastic waste problem on a global scale by adopting multiple measures such as promoting innovative materials to replace plastic packaging across its supply chain.
“This will help it to capitalise on influential consumer trends and capture their sentiments.”
Other tech companies’ environmental commitments
In tech giant Apple’s 2019 sustainability progress report, it revealed it uses 100% recycled aluminium enclosures in the latest editions of the MacBook Air and Mac mini.
It also announced that 100% of the solder used to develop the logic board found in new iPhones were developed using 100% recycled tin.
Speaking earlier this year, CEO Tim Cook: “Apple is committed to advancing technologies that are good for the planet and help protect it for generations to come.
“We are proud to part of this ambitious new project, and look forward to one day being able to use aluminium produced without direct greenhouse gas emissions in the manufacturing of our products.”
As part of its environmental commitments, fellow tech giant Microsoft operates with a paper-first design principle in an effort to reduce or eliminate its use of plastics, increase sustainable sourcing, optimise packaging size and weight, and encouraging recycling.
Its principles include using less paper, reducing package documentation like user manuals, and providing more online resources than ever before.