Pioneer Europe elected by European Commission As ‘Campaign Partner’ Of Sustainable Energy Europe

Pioneer Europe elected by European Commission As ‘Campaign Partner' Of Sustainable Energy Europe

Pioneer, one of the consumer electronics (CE) industries most innovative brands, has been awarded the ‘Campaign Partner' status by Sustainable Energy Europe. The acclaim, received ahead of its CE peers, acknowledges the company's commitment to environmental policies and the lead it has shown by unilaterally reducing the energy consumption of its products.

Sustainable Energy Europe is a four-year European Commission initiative to raise awareness of energy issues. It supports the drive to i ncrease power generation from ‘renewables' to 12% by 2010 and reduce energy consumption by a fifth by 2020.

“Pioneer is a business that constantly pushes the boundaries of technology. Our plasma TVs have been recognised as the best in Europe for the last two years. As well as originating unique technologies, we are excelling in environmental innovation. The industry has agreed voluntary codes to cut the energy usage of products in ‘standby' mode. Pioneer has pre-empted these while unilaterally reducing power consumption and enhancing efficiency in product categories not covered by voluntary agreements,” says Jan Van Hoof, Manager Product Compliance of Pioneer Europe. Pioneer equally has policies to lower energy consumption in manufacturing, enhance energy efficiency during the life cycle and, improve product disposal. “Pioneer's commitment to the environment is clear,” adds Van Hoof.

One of the targets of the European Commission includes the expectation that all new audio products released in 2007 will operate at less than 1 Watt in standby mode.

Pioneer has therefore designed innovative technologies to reduce average standby power requirements in line with the Commission's aims and its new audio products already comply with the code. Furthermore, in line with its commitment to the environment, Pioneer has gone beyond the status quo by unilaterally committing to an average standby power requirement of 1 Watt for all its DVD players from 2005 on.

It has also complied with the expectation that standby mode for plasma TVs should be 6 Watt and will comfortably meet the industry's agenda of standby power consumption of 1 Watt for plasma TVs scheduled for release in 2008. Furthermore, Pioneer aims to improve the energy efficiency of its plasma displays by 15% by 2010, while reducing average standby power figures to just 0.1 Watt for audio and DVD products.

These targets could reduce the total energy consumption by 20 billion KWh (kilowatt/hours). That amounts to the annual energy consumption of Ireland or 2.000.000 families. For the preservation of the environment it is imperative that these measures are put into practice and more companies follow the example of Pioneer.

Pioneer's confirmation as ‘campaign partner' by Sustainable Energy Europe (SEE) continues a strong track record in environmental performances. Pioneer was also the first company in the European Union to have all its European businesses comply with the IS014001 environmental certification.

About Sustainable Energy Europe
Sustainable Energy Europe has nine focus areas including Sustainable Energy in Transport, Sustainable Energy in Buildings and Sustainable En ergy in Lighting and Appliance Systems – the category in which Pioneer has become a partner. With this status, Pioneer will be able to use the Sustainable Energy Europe logo on its products and promotional materials.

About Pioneer Europe NV
Pioneer Europe NV is the regional European headquarters of the Pioneer Corporation, a global leader in electronics and audio/video products for the home, car, commerce and industry, particularly in the following core multimedia technologies – digital versatile disc (DVD), plasma display panels (PDP), and in-car navigation and AV systems. Its shares are traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.