Sony Launch World's First Mercury-Free Silver Oxide Battery * New Environmentally-Conscious Battery Sparks a Revolution in the Watch Market

BERLIN (Germany) September 29 (PROTEXT/PRNewswire) - Sonyannounced today the launch of the world's first(1) mercury-freeSilver Oxide battery. Considered one of the most difficultchallenges within the industry, the introduction of the batteryheralds a revolution for millions of watch owners around theworld and a major advance for the environment. As a leader in thewatch battery market, Sony has utilized its expertise to developthe new product, overcoming major technical obstacles. The newrange of ten mercury-free batteries will be launched from January2005.

(1) as of September 29th, 2004

"By developing the world's first ever mercury-free watchbattery, Sony has demonstrated its concern for the environment,as well as its ability to innovate" Says Eric Prieur, SeniorProduct Manager of Sony Recording Media Europe. "The new batteryis a serious step forward in our quest to produceenvironmentally-conscious products that minimize any impacton nature."

Sony produces a wide range of Silver Oxide batteries forwrist watches, small thermometers and mobile game products and isworldwide brand leader. The company began its Silver Oxidebattery business in 1977 and as of September 2004 hasmanufactured cumulatively around 5 billion cells.The Role of Mercury in Silver Oxide Batteries

A Silver Oxide battery is a small-sized primary battery usingZinc as the negative electrode (anode), Silver Oxide as thepositive electrode (cathode) plus an alkaline electrolyte.

Zinc is the activator in the negative electrode and corrodesin alkaline solution. When this happens, it becomes difficult tomaintain the capacity of the unused battery. The zinc corrosioncauses electrolysis in the electrolyte resulting in theproduction of Hydrogen gas, a rise of inner pressure andexpansion of the cell (Figure 2). Mercury has been used in thepast to suppress the corrosion, despite its harmful effects onthe environment.Innovation for a Cleaner, Healthier World

In order to develop a mercury-free Silver Oxide battery, Sonyhas introduced three technical innovations to prevent zinccorrosion and the generation of hydrogen gas.

- High quality Zinc alloy powder with improved corrosionresistance

This new Zinc-alloy powder includes an extremely smallamount of another metal and by optimizing the mixed ration offine metal used, corrosion rates have been dramatically reduced,i.e. ten times less compared to conventional material.

- Anti-corrosion agents in anode materials

This additive prevents the generation of Hydrogen gas byblocking gas-generation spots. This leads to reducing thecorrosion rate by a half, thus reducing the Hydrogen gasgeneration dramatically.

- Anti-corrosion technology in collector materials

Suppressing the corrosion of the collector electrode cansuppress the corrosion of Zinc, but if not processed properly,causes leakage of the inner electrolyte. Sony's unique anti-corrosion technology adopted from electronic device manufacturingimproves processing accuracy and precents liquid leakage.Furthermore, a Sony-unique active cathode material delivers ahigh hydrogen absorption capacity, eradicating the problem ofcell expansion.

As for the patents related to the development of mercury-freesilver oxide batteries, applications of 5 patents have alreadybeen made in Japan, USA and Europe.

Protecting the Environment

With approximately 400 million Silver Oxide batteries soldevery year worldwide and considering the fact that the mercurylevel of Sony's Silver Oxide batteries is 0.2% of the totalcontent of a battery, introducing mercury-free products willreduce the annual usage of mercury by 320 kg and will clearlyhave a dramatic impact. By developing an innovative range ofcells that are free of mercury, lead, cadmium and a variety ofother harmful materials, Sony has demonstrated a long-standingcommitment to protect the environment. The latest Silver Oxidebatteries break new ground, heralding a technical revolution formillions of watch-users across the globe while exceeding therequirements of the European Parliament and EuropeanEnvironmental Council. Currently, revisions in the batterydirectives are being made in the European Parliament and EuropeanEnvironmental Council, however it is expected that eliminatingmercury from Silver Oxide batteries will be an exception due tothe difficulty in realizing it. However, Sony succeeded inreaching the 0% mercury level in Silver Oxide batteries and willcontinue to pursue the advancement of environmentally-consciouspolicies through innovative technology, aiming to eliminatemercury from all Silver Oxide battery cells in the near future.

For more information on the new range of Sony mercury-freeSilver Oxide batteries, go tohttp://www.sony.net/Products/MicroBattery/(scheduled to be active from October 7th 2004).Model Name Size (dimensions) CapacitySilver Oxide Battery External diameter 6.8mm, Height 28 mAhSR626SW 2.6mmSilver Oxide Battery External diameter 6.8mm, Height 23 mAhSR621SW 2.1mmSilver Oxide Battery External diameter 5.8mm, Height 17 mAhSR521SW 2.1mmSilver Oxide Battery External diameter 5.8mm, Height 12.5 mAhSR516SW 1.6mmSilver Oxide Battery External diameter 6.8mm, Height 16 mAhSR616SW 1.6mmSilver Oxide Battery External diameter 7.9mm, Height 29 mAhSR721SW 2.1mmSilver Oxide Battery External diameter 7.9mm, Height 39 mAhSR731SW 3.1 mmSilver Oxide Battery External diameter 9.5mm, Height 45 mAhSR920SW 2.0mmSilver Oxide Battery External diameter 11.6mm,Height 110 mAhSR43 4.2mmSilver Oxide Battery External diameter 11.6mm,Height 160 mAhSR44 5.4mmAbout Sony:

Sony manufactures audio, video, communications andinformation technology products for the global consumer andprofessional markets. With its music, pictures, game and onlinebusinesses, Sony is uniquely positioned to become a leadingpersonal broadband entertainment company in the 21st century. InEurope, Sony recorded consolidated annual sales of EUR 13.47billion (yen 1,765 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31,2004, based on an average market exchange rate for the sameperiod of yen 131 to the EUR. Sony Europe, headquartered at theSony Center am Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, is responsiblefor the company's European electronics business and registeredconsolidated sales of EUR 8.71 billion for the fiscal year endedMarch 31, 2004.

For more information on Sony Europe, please visithttp://www.sony-europe.com and http://www.sony-europe.com/presscenter.Source: Sony Europe GmbHFor more information, please contact Sylvia Shin, CorporateCommunications Europe, Sony Europe GmbH, tel: +49-30-2575-5156,fax: +49-30-2575-5174 email: Sylvia.Shin@eu.sony.com, www.sony-europe.com/presscenter

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