Business News
Ricoh Announces Support for the Copenhagen Communiqué on Climate Change
Tuesday 22. September 2009 - Ricoh Company, Ltd. (CEO Shiro Kondo) is pleased to announce its support for the Copenhagen Communiqué on Climate Change, an initiative aimed at the early establishment of an anti-climate change framework, launched ahead of the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP15) scheduled to be in Copenhagen, Denmark in December 2009.
The Communiqué has been proposed by Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change (hereinafter “CLG”), an organization developed by His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales and managed by the University of Cambridge.
Mr. Kondo´s Message to the Communiqué
I strongly believe we are still in the stage we can solve the climate change toward 2050 with human wisdom and activities of people in the world. In 2005, Ricoh has set up “The year 2050 Long Term Environmental Vision” to express our belief. In March, 2009 we established “Mid- and Long-term Reduction Targets” whereby green house gases will be reduced 87.5% by 2050 and 30% in a whole product life cycle by 2020 compared to 2000. The latter is a 34% reduction against 1990.
Ricoh aims not only to achieve these targets by accelerating the development of environmental technology but also to contribute to a paradigm shift in society and the economy. We call this shift the “Environmental Industrial Revolution for the 21st Century”.
Summary of the Communiqué
The following are the basic proposals of the Communiqué:
·Limit the average rise in global temperatures to less than 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels.
This will require global emissions to peak and begin declining rapidly within the next decade. Any delay could have serious consequences.
·Developed countries need to commit to immediate and deep emission cuts that are much higher than the global average. They must also provide the necessary financial and technological assistance to developing countries.
·Developing countries will need to draw up their own emission reduction plans in line with their common but differentiated responsibilities and capabilities. In this way they must obtain funding solutions, technological transfer, and capacity building. Advanced developing countries should aim to develop low-carbon growth plans by 2020, through appropriate economy-wide commitments.
Reason for Ricohs decision to support the Communiqué
Ricoh aims to help create a sustainable society for the future generations in which the environmental impact is limited to within the Earth´s self-recovery capabilities.
The Copenhagen Communiqué is important because it will contribute to the advance and adoption of anti-climate change commitments, a task that requires our utmost effort. We believe that the Communiqué agrees with the Ricoh Group´s policy, commitments, and aims for the sustainable society. This is why we have decided to support the Communiqué.
Details about the Communiqué
Click here for more information about the Copenhagen Communiqué.
* Ricohs Anti-Climate Change Commitments So Far
Ricoh agreed and signed to date the following activities promoted globally by external organizations.
· July 2001
Promotion activities in the e-mission55 to express the companys support to have Kyoto Protocol effective at the 7th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP7)
· April 2002
The Global Compact in the United Nations
· June 2007
The Caring For Climate of the Business Leaders’ Platform of the United Nations Global Compact
· May 2008
The Business and Biodiversity Initiative at the 9th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP9)
· December 2008
The Poznan Communiqué at the 14th Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP14)