As the need to help improve our environment increases, many companies are looking to ways they can their increase efforts.

 

Energy consumption plays a giant role in the impact on the environment and electronic devices are especially significant as it has been shown that electronics in the home are consuming high amounts of energy even when they're turned off.

 

In a bid to meet the requirements of the Environmental Protection Agency ENERGY STAR (News - Alert) Program, Thomson Audio/Video announced today they have tripled the number of Energy Star qualified RCA Audio/Video products they offer to consumers.

 

The company also said they have plans to increase the energy efficiency in more products as well.

 

As per the new offerings, RCA Bookshelf Audio Systems, DVD players and Home Theater Audio Systems consume less then one-watt of power in standby mode.

Extending their green initiatives beyond energy consumption, the company also announced that over the next two years, they will utilize "Smart Packing". They will use smaller, more environmentally-friendly paper gift boxes instead of plastic and other materials harmful to the environment when they package their products. Thomson (News - Alert) noted in a press release that this has already saved over 81 tons of plastic and says it will help them to save more than 450 tons of plastic over the two year period. 

Dan Collishaw, Chief Operating Officer of Thomson's Audio/Video business commented on the benefits of their new energy efficient offerings, "According to the Department of Energy, 40 percent of electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off. Using Energy Star products not only saves on power, but helps prevent air pollution and offers a considerable amount of savings on home energy bills."