Business News
Ricoh Sets Medium- and Long-Term Targets for Reducing Environmental Impact in Three Key Areas
Monday 04. May 2009 - Ricoh Company, Ltd. (President & CEO: Shiro Kondo) has set medium (2020) and long-term (2050) targets for reducing the environmental impact of the Company in the three key areas of Energy Conservation / Prevention of Global Warming, Resource Conservation / Recycling, and Pollution Prevention, with the aim of contributing to a sustainable society.
In fiscal 2005, Ricoh formulated its Long-Term Environmental Vision (*) of “reducing environmental impact to one-eighth the fiscal 2000 levels by 2050.” We utilized the Back-Casting Method (**) to set targets, drawing up an Environmental Action Plan every three years detailing the specific actions to be taken to reduce the total environmental impact of our business activities. To accelerate our activities, we subdivided our Long-Term Environmental Vision into medium- and long-term targets for each of the three key environmental impact reduction areas.
* Long-Term Environmental Vision
** Back-Casting Method: A method of envisioning a desirable outcome and then working backwards to the present to identify what actions must be taken to attain this vision.
< Medium- and Long-Term Targets for Reducing Environmental Impact >
(1) Energy Conservation and Prevention of Global Warming
(Targets)
To reduce total CO2 emissions (including five non-CO2 gases converted into CO2 over time) by 30% from fiscal 2000 levels in 2020 and by 87.5% in 2050.
(Approach)
? The Ricoh Group has set targets for reduction in CO2 emissions throughout the lifecycle of our products, in line with the levels recommended by the IPCC.
? We are committed to achieving steady reductions in CO2 emissions (direct emissions) by setting targets for production, logistics and every other stage in the chain.
? The Ricoh Group will continue to work hard to reduce the energy consumption of its products, setting more ambitious targets, given that products with lower power consumption reduce CO2 emissions at the customer site, contributing to a low-carbon society.
? At the procurement stage, we act in concert with our suppliers, cooperating in monitoring, setting targets for and reducing CO2 emissions.
(Activities)
? Technical development to enhance the environmental features of Ricoh products and to make them more readily available to customers.
? Proposals to help customers make the most of the environmental features of our products.
? Low-carbon manufacturing through innovation .
? Use of renewable energy sources such as solar power.
? Reduction of CO2 emissions from procurement through the development of compact and long-life products and the promotion of recycling.
The Ricoh Group will also support suppliers in reducing their environmental impact by sharing our know-how with them.
· Improvement of system for monitoring CO2 emissions from logistics. Enhancement of logistics efficiency and promotion of modal shift.
(2) Resource Conservation and Recycling
(Targets)
1) To reduce resource use by 25% from fiscal 2007 levels in 2020 and by 87.5% in 2050.
2) To reduce use of key raw materials that are at risk of depletion such as oil, copper and chrome and find alternatives by 2050, bearing in mind the trend for depletion of natural resources.
(Approach)
? From a global environmental point of view, it is important to control use of the worlds natural resources and making effective use of finite resources.
? Effective use of natural resources reduces product costs and is an effective hedge against rising prices in the future as well as a means of maintaining a stable supply of products.
(Activities)
? Reduction in size and weight of products / components
? Long-life products / components
? Improved collection rate for used products
? Improved recycling rate for products / components / materials (recycling technology and technical development for utilization of recycled materials)
? Reduction of raw materials at risk of depletion and shift to sustainable alternatives (plant-based plastics, toner, etc.)
(3) Pollution Prevention
(Targets)
To reduce the environmental impact of chemical substances by 30% from fiscal 2000 levels in 2020 and by 87.5% in 2050.
(Approach)
? To prevent pollution we believe that we need to assess environmental impact and control risk including the impact on peoples health.
? In risk management, we take into consideration the use of chemical substances, emissions, hazards and exposure data, hence our focus on reducing and finding alternatives to high risk chemical substances, as well as preventing environmental pollution.
(Activities)
? Upgraded system for chemical substances management
? Reduction of high risk chemical substances and switch to sustainable alternatives.
< Ricohs Environmental Mission >
Ricohs conservation activities are based on the belief that it is imperative to reduce environmental impact to a level that the Earths self-recovery capabilities can deal with. Recognizing that the ecosystem and biodiversity play a central role in the self-recovery capabilities of the global environment, the Ricoh Group has implemented various biodiversity conservation programs in the past. In March this year, in addition to the medium- and long-term targets for reducing environmental impact as we mentioned earlier, we established the Ricoh Group Biodiversity Guidelines.