Promoting product and packaging innovations: TCL's sustainability journey

TCL Electronics ESG Report 2022 demonstrates efforts on a brand and product level which aim to inspire its customers to live more sustainable lives

TCL Electronics, a leading consumer electronics brand, recently launched their 2022 ESG report, detailing the milestones reached on the sustainability journey to date, and the vision for the future.

The  customer-facing part of this journey is the efforts being made to ensure that the products finding their way into the homes of consumers are as eco-conscious as possible. With World Environment Day earlier this month focusing global attention on environmental impact, TCL is highlighting the way its products can do their part to inspire consumers to live more sustainable lives.

Packaging with purpose – Planet-friendly materials and thoughtful design

Packaging materials are a pivotal aspect in the development of a circular economy. As a brand that shipped 23.78 million branded smart TVs worldwide in 2022, it is vital that TCL’s packaging meets the high standards of environmental friendliness through the implementation of lightweight, harmless, pollution-free, renewable, and sustainable packaging materials. TCL has invested in finding innovative alternatives to traditional materials, such as promoting the use of soybean ink, recyclable paper and paper packaging materials certified by Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), and ABS recyclable plastics – with some projects instilling a total ban on non-recyclable packaging with a view to further decrease the use of plastics in the future.

Wherever possible, efforts are made to reduce the amount of packaging required altogether. By downsizing packaging boxes and decreasing the pages of product manuals, TCL lessens the weight and volume of products, effectively reducing the quantity loaded into containers, and subsequently reducing the greenhouse gas emissions generated from the transportation of goods. In 2022, TCL developed the first new embedded and integral honeycomb-board packaging solution in the industry which improves the cushioning performance of the packaging material, while reducing the thickness, thus further saving on shipping container space.

Building long-lasting, energy-efficient products for the future

Beyond packaging and user manuals, TCL’s R&D efforts ensure the design of each product is as eco-friendly as possible, making adjustments to improve practicality, durability and efficiency – helping consumers make savings as well as protecting the environment.

The energy efficiency indexes of TCL products meet and exceed national energy efficiency standards.

Selected TCL washing machines are rated as A-class in both energy efficiency and noise level with a low environmental impact, whilst TCL refrigerators utilize Twin Eco Inverter to promote energy efficiency.

Features like ‘eco-mode’ on TCL TVs also encourage consumers to use products more sustainably, making it possible to enjoy a high-quality visual  and acoustic  experience while limiting energy consumption.

On TCL smartphones, the Smart Charging feature improves energy efficiency and reduces battery aging by intelligently adjusting the charging pattern according to user habits.

ESG commits to a more sustainable future

The findings in the TCL ESG Report 2022 reflect TCL’s mission to improve the lives of customers everywhere. By 2025, TCL has committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 18%, water consumption by 27%, electricity consumption by 13.5%, natural gas consumption by 70% and EPS consumption by up to 10%.

(Sourcehttps://esgnews.com/tcls-sustainability-journey-advancing-product-and-packaging-innovations/)

About the Authors

Associate Director, Investment Banking

Prachurjya has over 16 years of experience in investment banking with Acuity Knowledge Partners. At Acuity, he has led sector and product-specialist pilot teams across Capital Markets, ESG, Debt Advisory, Loan Syndications, Metals & Mining and Real Estate. He has been actively involved in setting up and on-boarding new ESG Advisory, ESG DCM and Sustainable Finance teams for various bulge bracket investment banks. Within DCM and Rating Advisory, he has been instrumental in helping the clients achieve over 30% in annual savings on both regular and adhoc tasks through standardization of the outputs and deployment of our proprietary BEAT tools.

Delivery Manager, Investment Banking

Puja has 7 years of extensive experience in ESG, Climate Change & Sustainability and she is supervising the ESG team at Acuity. She also has diverse experience in conducting ESIA, EHS compliance audits, ESG Risks and Controls, EHS & ESG Due Diligence assessments. Prior to joining Acuity, she was working with companies like KPMG Global Services, EY India and ERM India. She has expertise in provisioning extensive research requirements for clients through preparation of Peer Benchmarking, Target Compilation, Sustainability report, Sustainable Finance Updates and Sectoral ESG Thematic Detailing Engagement.

Connect with the experts at contact@acuitykp.com