The Ricoh Group
takes the lead in establishing a resource-recirculating
society by further promoting Zero-Waste-to-Landfill.
The Ricoh
Group promotes Zero-Waste-to-Landfill activities
as a part of its environmental management
system by efficiently using resources -
particularly water, improving the efficiency
of production, reducing waste disposal costs,
and improving corporate quality by promoting
employee awareness of environmental conservation.
These activities are also carried out at
non-manufacturing sites. Based on the excellent
results achieved in the Zero-Waste-to-Landfill
effort, the Ricoh Group is actively working
to establish a resource-recirculating society
through local community efforts.
Promoting Zero-Waste-to-Landfill
Zero-Waste-to-Landfill
cannot be achieved through waste recycling
alone. Regardless of the intensity of the
recycling effort, the massive amount of
materials produced inhibits effective environmental
impact reduction. The Ricoh Group therefore
pro-motes Zero-Waste-to-Landfill activities,
primarily by limiting the production of
waste through the "5Rs" described
below.
The Ricoh
Group's 5Rs
 |
| 1. Refuse |
: Avoid buying
anything that may become waste. |
| 2. Return |
: Return
what can be returned to suppliers. |
| 3. Reduce |
: Reduce
waste. |
| 4. Reuse |
: Reuse products. |
| 5. Recycle |
: Recycle
products. |
|
Zero-Waste-to-Landfill by the Ricoh Group
Ricoh classifies
zero waste (100% re-source recovery rate
and no waste used as landfill) into three
levels. Although zero waste is roughly defined
as no industrial waste being generated (level
1), the Ricoh Group aims at also eliminating
general waste (level 2) and household solid
waste, such as sludge (e.g., raw sewage),
from private sewage systems (level 3). We
regard cases in which waste is not utilized
as an energy resource and simply incinerated
as mere disposal of waste. The Ricoh Group
aims at achieving complete re-source recycling
by reducing, reusing, and recycling resources,
as well as engaging in thermal recovery
of waste.
Hot Runners for Injection Molding
Equipment  (Japan)
|
Ricoh's Atsugi Plant
replaced the runners of the 350-ton injection
molding equipment (which are used to align
the position of materials in molds) with
hot runners. This resulted in a reduced
discharge of waste plastic and lower materials
costs. The old runners were crushed for
re-cycling, but some parts had to be disposed
of due to their composition. Hot runners,
by contrast, produce no waste because parts
can easily be broken down and reused. From
September 2002 through March 2003, the plant
reduced waste plastic by 19.2 tons and costs
by ¥21 million.
 Click here for Segment Environmental Accounting.
Promoting Zero-Waste-to-Landfill
in U.S. Communities  (The
United States)
|
| Ricoh Electronics,
Inc., (REI) a U.S. manufacturing subsidiary,
achieved Zero-Waste-to-Landfill in
fiscal 2000. Its plant in California
regularly engages in activities to
raise awareness of Zero-Waste-to-Landfill
in the local community. In April 2002,
REI worked with a local environmental
business support center to hold a
zero-waste seminar. At the seminar,
it talked about its own efforts to
achieve Zero-Waste-to-Landfill with
more than 20 participants, including
local businesses, citizen organizations,
representatives from local assemblies,
and the California Integrated Waste
Management Board. The plant also invites
MBA students from the University of
California, Irvine (UCI) Graduate
School of Management, and students
from the University of California,
Los Angeles (UCLA) to visit the plant. |
 |
UCLA students who participated in the Zero-Waste-to-Landfill/waste reduction seminar
|
Shenzhen: Progress in Zero-Waste-to-Landfill  (China)
|
| Ricoh Asia
Industry (Shenzhen) Ltd. (RAI), which
achieved Zero-Waste-to-Landfill in
fiscal 2001, worked to promote awareness
of Zero-Waste-to-Landfill by inviting
117 visitors from 17 companies to
tour its zero-waste plant in fiscal
2001. In November 2002, more than
1,600 employees picked up garbage
in a wide area, both inside and outside
the plant site, further raising employees'
awareness of environmental conservation
issues. Employees also volunteered
to clean up downtown Shenzhen. Through
these environmental conservation activities,
RAI was certified as the first green company in Shenzhen. |
|
More than 1,600 employees participate in an extensive garbage collection project.
Cleaning up downtown Shenzhen.
|
|
