TOKYO – Sony will start phasing out plastic packaging for small electronic gadgets such as smartphones, cameras and audio accessories from next year, a company spokesman said on Tuesday.

From April, plastic packaging will not be used for some new products weighing 1kg or less.

The Japanese conglomerate wants to eliminate the material from all containers for newly designed smaller goods by 2025, the spokesman told AFP.

“Instead of plastics, we will mainly use paper, and a so-called ‘original blend material’ made from bamboo, used paper and squeezed sugarcane fibre,” the spokesman said.

Sony eventually wants to eliminate plastic packaging for larger products like televisions, but no specific timeframe has been decided yet, the spokesman added.

Most plastics, including those in packaging and single-use products, do not readily decompose in nature.

The material can break down into polluting microplastics, which have been found in all corners of the world and even in some human organs.

Sony has announced a long-term global plan targeting a “zero environmental footprint” throughout the life cycle of its products and business activities by the year 2050. AFP