Business News
Fuji Xerox Implements Four-Month Environmental Protection Campaign Throughout Its Domestic and Overseas Offices to Contribute to Global Warming Prevention
Friday 13. June 2008 - Introduces a Rewarding Program to Inspire a Deeper Commitment From Employees
Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. provides all employees, including those of affiliates in Japan and abroad, with the opportunity to participate in environmental protection activities at work, in local communities and even at home. The campaign, dubbed “Love Earth Action Fuji Xerox”, or “Leafx”, aims to boost environmental awareness and actions, and runs for four months from June 1 to September 30.
The campaign is held every summer as part of Fuji Xeroxs efforts to educate its employees about environment protection. One of its objectives is to raise their interest in this matter so that each employee would make an action in their immediate surroundings.
This year, Fuji Xerox will newly promote environment-friendly driving by employees who use a car at work, which includes encouraging light acceleration and idling stops. Those employees will put a sticker declaring “eco-drive” Diagram 1 on approximately 7,600 company cars in Japan.
As a member company of the Green Purchasing Network (GPN), Fuji Xerox will take part in the “Green Purchasing Action Campaign by GPNs Five Million Members”, calling on employees to minimize the use of plastic bags on shopping and to choose food that is locally produced and in season.
As one means to deepen commitment to the cause, Fuji Xerox will introduce a rewarding program called “volunteer points system”. By reporting participation in a program of the campaign, employees can gain a certain number of points, according to the amount set for each program. Awards such as “eco-goods” will be given to companies, business sites and individuals that earned high points. An amount equivalent to the total points obtained by all participants will be donated to UNICEF and WWF, two organizations that support the wellbeing of future generations as well as environmental protection. Thus, individual efforts would ultimately contribute to the society.
The campaign consists of different programs including contests of senryu (Japanese poem) on energy saving and photos, and the company will motivate employees to participate in any of those programs by providing information on volunteer activities.
Fuji Xerox has been running this campaign since 2003, and is expanding the number of programs every year. Beginning with efforts to energy conservation at both home and work, the company took part in the nationwide “Carbon Dioxide Reduction and Lights-Out Campaign” organized by the Ministry of the Environment in 2006 to help reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and in 2007, it participated in the “Candle Night by Million People”. All domestic business sites and affiliates as well as nine overseas affiliates, including those in China, Thailand and Taiwan, were involved in the programs last year, with a total of 6,739 employees participating. In 2008, the first year of Japans commitment period as stipulated by the Kyoto Protocol, Fuji Xerox aims to further enhance environmental awareness and to have more affiliates than last year engaged in the campaign, targeting 10,000 participants.
Outline of the Key Programs
Programs at offices and business sites
1. Participation in the “Carbon Dioxide Reduction and Lights-Out Campaign”
Fuji Xerox turns off its 78 illuminated signs in Japan, including the headquarters building in Tokyo Midtown, from 8 to 10 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays between June 1 and September 30. This results in an estimated reduction of around 44,000 kilowatt-hour of electricity and 18 tons of carbon dioxide. Affiliates overseas also participate in this initiative.
2. Eco-Drive Initiative
Sales representatives and customer engineers who use cars for work will receive pamphlets that explain how to drive eco-consciously. They will also put “eco-drive” stickers on around 7,600 company cars in Japan.
3. Energy-Saving Initiatives at Work
Fuji Xerox encourages energy conservation in daily activities in the workplace, particularly in summer when power consumption grows, setting room temperature to 28 degrees Celsius, turning lights off during breaks, switching off office equipment when not in use, and taking the stairs whenever possible.
Off-Work Programs
1. Candle Night by Million People
Fuji Xerox participates in this campaign in which NGOs such as Daichi-O-Mamoru-Kai, The Association to Preserve the Earth, encourage people to turn off electricity at home and work from 8 to 10 p.m. during the summer solstice period, June 21, and also to leave the office on time.
2. “Green Purchasing Action Campaign by GPNs Five Million Members
Fuji Xerox will participate in this campaign that the Green Purchasing Network (GPN) calls for, and encourages employees not to use plastic bags at shopping, and to eat food in season and locally produced.
3. Energy-Saving Initiatives at Home
This annual program encourages employees to reduce electricity in their homes during holiday periods. Last year, power consumption at homes was reduced by 7.8 percent during the campaign period relative to pre-period.