Making earnest efforts to disclose information on the Ricoh Group's goals
The Ricoh Group, in partnership with
customers, client companies, and other business partners, aims to
implement environmental management systems. However, this is not sufficient
to attain a sustainable society. The Ricoh Group strives to contribute
to the establishment of such a society by disclosing information useful
to a variety of stakeholders, including know-how obtained from its
own activities throughout the world. Making earnest efforts at information
disclosure, the Ricoh Group promotes communication with the stakeholders
to improve its business activities and its methods of information
disclosure.
Sustainability Reports
The Ricoh Group's environmental report
has been issued annually since its first publication in April 1998,
which disclosed fiscal 1996 data. Starting with the fiscal 2002 edition,
published in July 2002 under the new name, "sustainability report,"
the Ricoh Group has presented concepts and performance reports on
its environmental management systems. The fiscal 2003 Japanese edition
was published in June.
 Click here for Sustainability Report 2003 [PDF File].
- Interactive Communication
To improve information disclosure,
the Ricoh Group worked with Seiko
Epson Corp. to organize a meeting
for reading environmental reports in December
2002. The purpose of the meeting
was to share information with
a variety of people. The Ricoh
Group also exchanged opinions
with the Valdez Society, a citizens'
group working in partnership with
citizens and businesses for environmental
conservation, and with Sustainable
Asset Management (SAM), a Swiss
organization that conducts ratings
based on the Dow Jones Sustainability
Indexes (DJSI)*.
*
The stock price indexes were developed
jointly in 1999 by Dow Jones &
Company and Sustainable Asset
Management, a Swiss asset management
company specializing in SRI funds.
The indexes consist of 310 blue
chip companies in 23 countries,
which are recognized for their
efforts in sustainability.
|
 |
A meeting
for reading environmental reports
(at General Press Corporation) |
- Environmental Reports Issued by Business Sites
Several Ricoh Group production sites, namely Ricoh
Fukui Plant, Ricoh Unitechno Co., Ltd., Tohoku Ricoh Co., Ltd., Ricoh Atsugi Plant,
and Ricoh Industrie France S.A. issue their own environmental reports. In fiscal
2002, Ricoh Numazu Plant, Ricoh Electronics, Inc. in the United States, as well
as the non-production sites, namely, Ricoh Technosystems Co., Ltd., and Ricoh
Logistics System Co., Ltd. began publishing such reports. Guidelines were drawn
up in fiscal 2001 to encourage as many business sites as possible around the world
to issue their own reports.
|
|
Environmental reports of Ricoh business
sites and Ricoh Group affiliates |
Environmental Web Site
Ricoh's
environmental Web site focuses on timeliness
and accessibility of information so that
visitors can easily find the information
they want, including bulletins and information
on products covered by the Law on Promoting
Green Purchasing. In fiscal 2002, a new
section called "Global Information"
was established on the English version of
the Web site to facilitate access to information
from the five Ricoh Group regions around
the world. On the ECO TODAY Web site
for children, a section called the Tempel-Tuttle
Story was set up. In it, forest ecosystem
conservation activities are explained in
an easy-to-understand way using the examples
from China, Brunei, Malaysia, and Afan Forest
in Japan. Ricoh's environmental Web site
had 1,340,885 visitors this year, approximately
270,000 more than the previous year. And
in fiscal 2002, Ricoh won the Grand Prix
of the Environment Goo Award from Japan's
largest environmental information Web site,
"Environment Goo."
Environmental Advertisements and Sponsored Publications
|
| Ricoh produces environmental
advertisements to introduce its activities to people in charge
of environmental conservation in government, business enterprises,
citizens, and other stakeholders, as well as to highlight the
Ricoh Group's environmental conservation values. Ricoh has also
endorsed a photo anthology, One Hundred Years of Idiocy, serving
as its sole sponsor. |
|
One Hundred Years of Idiocy, a photo
anthology sponsored by Ricoh |
Exhibitions
|
The
Ricoh Group actively takes part in
environmental activities at such exhibitions
as Eco-Products, held in Japan; CeBIT,
held in Europe; and International
CES, held in the United States, to
draw attention to the environmental
performance of its products and activities.
At Eco-Products 2002, the Ricoh Group
presented eco-friendly products under
the theme of sustainable management
as well as parts made from recycled
PET bottles, a result of the Ricoh
Group's environmental conservation
activities. Additional presentations
were given to explain the Ricoh Group's
global activities. At the International
CES* (Consumer Electronics Show),
the Ricoh Group focused on its efforts
to reduce
environmental impact through its quick
startup (QSU) technology - a convenient,
energy-saving technology - and
high-speed duplex copying.
*
One of the largest exhibitions of
electric and electronic products in
the United States, CES is operated
by the Consumer Electronics Association
(CEA), a trade organization for office
equipment and home appliances. This
year, CEA organized environmental
conservation activities with the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA). |
|
Eco Products 2002
CeBIT
International
CES |
A Neon Sign Using Natural Energy
|
Ricoh recently put up a neon
sign in Osaka called the "solar/wind power sign,"
which is powered by the hybrid system that combines photovoltaic
and wind power. Over 10 years, it is estimated the sign will
save some 30 tons in CO2 emissions.
|
|
 |
Environmental Lectures - Promoting Communication with Society
|
The top management of the Ricoh
Group eagerly gives lectures of their own volition to explain
the importance of environmental conservation and to provide
an overview of the Company's environmental management system.
In fiscal 2002, Ricoh gave 59 presentations1 outside the company.
At the keynote speech for Eco Products 2002, Ricoh president
Masamitsu Sakurai explained the Ricoh Group's sustainable management
practices. Ricoh Corporation, the regional sales headquarters
for the Americas, holds frequent seminars for major customers
and government authorities to explain the importance of environmental
conservation, reduction of environmental impact in Ricoh products,
as well as cost reductions resulting from energy conservation.
In the same fiscal year, Ricoh vice president Haruo Kamimoto
was appointed director of the Global Reporting Initiative Forum
Japan2.
1. The total number of
major speeches in which Ricoh's Corporate Environment Division
was involved. Other company divisions carry out similar activities
separately.
2. An organization established to gather opinions of Forum members
and information on internationally-recognized environmental
measures taken in Japan; the organization notifies the Global
Reporting Initiative (GRI) about these opinions and measures,
and notifies Forum members about GRI activities. Forum members
include businesses, government officials, and NGOs.
|
|
The keynote speech for Eco Products 2002 |
| FY |
Number of lectures |
| 1999 |
43 |
 |
|
| 2000 |
66 |
|
|
| 2001 |
50 |
|
|
| 2002 |
59 |
|
|
|
