The purpose of environmental conservation activities is to reduce environmental impact to a level that the Earth's self-recovery capabilities can deal with and sustain the global environment. The Ricoh Group, by considering how the relationship among the three Ps (planet, people, and profit) in environmental, social, and economic activities has changed over time, defines the kind of society we should pursue and carries out its responsibility as a company to create such a society.
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Prior to the Industrial Revolution, the environmental impact of human activity was small.
Before the industrial era, the environmental impact caused by human activity stayed within the global environment's self-recovery capabilities.
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Since the Industrial Revolution, human society has continuously generated a growing detriment on the environment.
The Industrial Revolution, originating in 18th century England, spread around the world quite rapidly. It was the beginning of an age of mass production, mass consumption, and mass disposal. Consequently, the environmental impact resulting from such human activity has increased to a significant enough level that the environment's self-recovery capabilities can no longer keep up. As a result, human society, including its economic system, is now facing serious adverse consequences, such as climate change and resource depletion. At the end of the 20th century, a growing number of people began to warn of a deteriorating global environment and its impact on human society. Today, companies that are not seriously committed to environmental conservation will have trouble gaining support from society.
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Currently, the development of a resource-recirculating society is gradually underway.
Today, people are paying more attention to activities that reduce damage to the global environment, including recycling and prevention of global warming. Manufacturers face such challenges as promoting smaller products with longer lifecycles, energy conservation, and resource recycling, as well as providing the maximum benefit to society and companies with minimum resources. Global companies as well are expected to support and promote the awareness of environmental conservation in developing countries and regions so that they can achieve economic progress with minimum environmental impact. Another important issue is to increase the self-recovery capabilities of the global environment by such efforts as improving forest ecosystem conservation.
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Ultimately, our goal is to help build a society in which the impact on its environment is maintained at a level that never exceeds the Earth's self-recovery capabilities.
To keep environmental impact within the natural environment's self-recovery capabilities, setting specific goals for the prevention of global warming, resource conservation, and pollution prevention is essential. Based on the Year 2050 Long-Term Environmental Vision and as milestones on the path to attaining a long-term vision of the ideal sustainable society, the Ricoh Group has adopted the Mid-and Long-term Environmental Impact Reduction Goals, and the Environmental Action Plans, and has been working in accordance with these policies. To preserve the global environment for future generations, we need to continue taking action with greater environmental awareness and ever clearer goals.
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