A global approach
to identifying and reducing the use and
transfer of chemical substances is being
taken.
The Ricoh
Group established the Ricoh Environmental
and Chemical Safety Information System (RECSIS),
which categorizes sub-stances that fall
under Japan's Pollutant Releases and Transfer
Register (PRTR*) Law, as well as environmentally
sensitive sub-stances that are regulated
in other parts of the world, according to
whether they are to be prohibited, reduced,
or controlled, in line with the Group's
internal regulations, which are stricter
than the legal requirements set by most
countries. The Ricoh Group endeavors to
control as well as reduce the amount of
chemicals used, emitted, discharged, and
disposed of by setting goals to reduce the
dichloromethane and ozone-depleting sub-stances
used and emitted by the end of fiscal 2004.
The Group is striving to establish a system
that will provide prompt answers to inquiries
from customers, original equipment manufacturers
(OEMs), and civil organiza-tions around
the world regarding their use of chemical
substances. In fiscal 2002, the
Group conducted surveys on soil and groundwater
contamination in Japan and reported its
findings to relevant local governments.
Similar surveys are underway at relevant
sites in other regions than Japan.
*Under the PRTR system, the release of potentially
harm-ful environmental pollutants into the
air, water and soil; product contents; and
the transfer of waste are collected by enterprises
and then assessed/disclosed by third party.
The results are tabulated and released by
an independent organization. Member countries
of the Organization for Economic Cooperation
and Development (OECD), such as the United
States, Canada, the U.K., the Netherlands,
and Japan, have adopted this system. The
PRTR Law in Japan was based on this system.
In fiscal 1997, Ricoh participated in the
PRTR system that the Federation of Economic
Organizations (Keidanren) independently
started prior to its legislation by giving
a summary of the PRTR data of all Ricoh
business sites. We started supplying PRTR
data from all Ricoh Group companies in fiscal
1998 and began reducing the consumption
and emission of PRTR substances in 1999.
Ricoh Environmental and Chemical
Safety Information System (RECSIS)  (International)
|
The Ricoh Group
established RECSIS to monitor data on chemical
substances used, discharged, and disposed
of at business sites. RECSIS is designed
to reduce use of chemical substances, to
prepare materials for PRTR reporting, and
to respond to inquiries from outside the
Ricoh Group. RECSIS, a part of the Ricoh
Group's environmental impact information
system, contains data on more than 2,000
types of listed chemical substances and
environ-mental hazards.
PCB Storage (International)
|
Seven Ricoh Group
business sites in Japan store polychlorinated
biphenyl (PCB) pursuant to the Law Concerning
Special Measures for Promoting Appropriate
Disposal of Waste Containing Polychlo-rinated
Biphenyl, enforced in 2001. These facilities
prevent PCB from splashing, spilling out,
permeating the soil, or leaking due to mice
or insects. The substances are kept in double-lined
metal containers, placed on a leak-proof
concrete floor, and stored in locked buildings.
Appropriate disposal is expected to be completed
by the end of 2010 as the infrastructure
for PCB disposal is established in Japan.
Penalties and Fines (International)
|
No penalties or
fines have been imposed on the Ricoh Group
due to insufficient environmental safeguards.
Penalties
and Fines (Ricoh Group)
| |
FY
2000 |
FY
2001 |
FY
2002 |
| Number of cases |
0 |
0 |
0 |
 |
| Amount |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Information Disclosure to Communities
and Local Governments  (Japan)
|
| In a 1999 survey,
Ricoh Elemex Corporation's
Ena Plant discovered the soil and
groundwater had been contaminated
with trichloroethylene. The plant
immediately reported the contamination
to the relevant government authority,
conducted the appropriate clean-up
measures, and gave a thorough explanation
to local residents. Its efforts to
establish transparency and a favorable
relationship with the local community
were highly appreciated. Since then,
other companies have visited the Ena
Plant on the recommendation of government
authorities, who regard the facility
as a benchmark for pollution prevention. |
 |
A groundwater
purification facility at Ricoh Elemex
Corporation's Ena Plant |
Abolishment of Solvent-Based Paint  (France)
|
Ricoh Industrie
France S.A. has developed a water-based
paint to replace its organic solvent-based
paint. The use of the water-based paint
reduced emissions of volatile organic compounds
into the air by 83%, resulting in total
cost savings of €121,500, since the
second half of 1998.
 Click here for Segment Environmental Accounting.
BOD Reduction at Ricoh Asia Industry
(Shenzhen)  (China)
|
| In fiscal
2001, in response to increased production
and staffing at Ricoh Asia Industry
(Shenzhen) Ltd. (RAI), a production
base in Shenzhen, China, the company
installed wastewater purification
equipment to dispose of wastewater
from the cafeteria and other facilities.
As a result, biochemical oxygen demand
(BOD) from wastewater was reduced
from 36.426 tons in fiscal 2001 to
2.739 tons in fiscal 2002. |
|
Installation
of wastewater purification equipment
at RAI |
|
