Identifying Environmental Impact and Target Setting (Eco Balance)

The Eco Balance data on environmental impacts caused by overall business activities are utilized for establishing long-term targets and action plans.

To effectively reduce the impact of processes with larger environmental impacts on a priority basis, the Ricoh Group identifies the environmental impacts of overall business activities and per process using Eco Balance. ^*1 Eco Balance shows the numerical data of all environmental impacts caused by business activities, such as effects on human health, resource depletion and effects on the ecosystem. These numerical data were obtained by applying the integrated analysis method ^*2 of the data collected by the Sustainable Environmental Management Information System. Based on the evaluation of the "integrated environmental impact" that was identified by "the Eco Balance", " the Year 2010 Long-Term Environmental Goals" and " the Environmental Action Plan" are estalished.

• *1.
• Eco Balance means the preparation of a list of input and output data on environmental impact to identify, quantitatively measure, and report environmental impacts caused by companies; or such a list itself.
• *2.
• Environmental Priority Strategies for Product Design (EPS), developed by the Swedish Environmental Research Institute (IVL) to calculate LCA of products, is used in calculating the Eco Balance of business activities. Under EPS, damage caused by environmental impact on human health, the ecosystem, non-living resources, and biodiversity is converted into financial values using ELU (Environmental Load Unit) as unified indicators (CO ₂=0.108 ELU/kg, NOx=2.13 ELU/kg, SOx=3.27 ELU/kg, BOD=0.002 ELU/kg, etc.).
  
  

Review of Fiscal 2003

As for Eco Balance in image system-related businesses, integrated environmental impact as a whole decreased approximately 5% from that in the previous fiscal year. This is mainly due to further reductions in environmentally sensitive substances (lead, hexavalent chromium, PVC, etc.) contained in products and progress made in the use of natural-gas vehicles during product transportation. However, because environmental impact caused by the production and use of resources is increasing, measures to reduce such impact are currently underway.

Eco Balance of Overall Business Activities(PDF:131KB)