Message from the President : Achieving the Best Sustainable Environmental Management
Solid sustainable environmental management for our business growth and for the creation of a sustainable society
Significant changes in the public perception and attitude toward energy in the wake of Japan's earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster
The world economy today is going through a significant change typified, for instance, by rapidly intensifying globalization and the remarkable growth of emerging economies. At the same time, various global problems threatening the sustainability of the Earth and human society have been worsening. These include the shortages of resources, energy, food, and water, as well as the issue of climate change.
Japan's earthquake and tsunami and the resulting nuclear plant accident on March 11, 2011 became a stark reminder of both the importance of ensuring a stable energy supply and the associated inherent risks. This natural disaster has had a great impact on the Japanese people's ideas of appropriate energy consumption. Such a change has been noted not only in Japan but also in the rest of the world. Now is the time that we should rethink the paradigm of contemporary society, which is based on the massive use of energy and resources, and accelerate our efforts to shift to a sustainable society that uses finite resources effectively and efficiently.
Through its sustainable environmental management, the Ricoh Group has long been contributing to helping our society move from the current model based on mass consumption and mass disposal to a society based on a sustainable business model. To ensure all the people around the globe, including those in emerging countries, will be able to lead a prosperous and convenient life, it is imperative to reduce our impact on the environment to a level that the Earth's self-recovery capabilities can manage. This calls on corporations to develop and establish new, innovative business models which can lead such transformational efforts in society. With this recognition, the Ricoh Group has been and will be contributing to building a sustainable society by using its technologies and know-how developed over the years to offer innovative products and services which enable effective use of resources and energy.
Creating new businesses that help society reduce its environmental impact
The Ricoh Group constitutes a global corporation. Our development and production bases are located in five major regions and our sales and support network covers more than 180 countries and regions. Under the new three-year management plan from fiscal 2011, we are currently focusing on the four objectives specified in the management plan: business creation and integration, acceleration of global expansion, highly efficient business operations and acceleration of the promotion of sustainable environmental management. We also recognize that our customers' business and work styles have been changing in response to the rapid development of an information society and emerging resource and energy issues in recent years and that it is a pressing task for us to achieve the shift of our business models and create new businesses to keep up with such changes on the customers' side.
To stay relevant to customers who have evolving values, the Ricoh Group is working to shift its business models from a traditional equipment-centered business to an integrated solutions business which offers both products and services as a best mix to solve customer issues. One such solutions-based business is the Managed Document Services (MDS), in which Ricoh manages all document-related processes on behalf of customers and thereby continuously provides benefits in the form of workflow improvement, cost reduction and environmental footprint reduction.
Another example is the launch of an eco solutions business. We will offer light-emitting diode (LED) illumination and other products and services that will reduce the energy requirements of customers' entire office operations. Through this new business, we will help customers reduce their environmental impact while maintaining a comfortable and highly productive working environment.
These new businesses, designed to offer total solutions to problems in customers' offices, rather than only providing imaging equipment, save customers from unnecessary energy use, operating costs, and operational processes, and help them realize a lower environmental impact and a more sustainable business. Customers can leave everything related to their office operations to the Ricoh Group, which has unparalleled expertise in office operations and energy efficiency improvements, and this in turn will allow us to grow as a corporation.
Promoting solid sustainable environmental management as a growth engine of our business
Committed to sustainable environmental management that aims at both environmental conservation and profit making, all employees of the Ricoh Group, irrespective of their department, are engaged in efforts to reduce environmental impact in the Group's operations. Environmental considerations are taken into account in everything we do. To reduce the environmental footprint from a long-term perspective, we are also sharing our internal experience and expertise in sustainable environmental management with our stakeholders, including suppliers and customers. Examples of collaborative achievements with business partners include the development of a network for used product collection and recycling for effective resources use, as well as the enhancement of the support service system. And, of course, we have been striving to develop attractive products which customers will cherish and wish to use for many years. In fiscal 2010, Ricoh released a color MFP which recovers from energy-saving mode within 10seconds, something which was previously considered difficult, if not impossible, for color MFPs. This quick recovery capability facilitates more extensive use of energy-saving mode, which will reduce power consumption by more than 80 percent.
Aspiring to serve customers as their long-standing trusted partner, the Ricoh Group strives to offer optimal solutions to customers any time they need to address business and social challenges. Toward this goal, we will continue to promote our solid sustainable environmental management and use it as our growth engine when addressing the shift of our business models and the creation of innovations.
Shiro Kondo
President and Chief Executive Officer
- Corporate Philosophy / Management Philosophy Here we introduce the driving force that has always been behind Ricoh's business development: the "Spirit of Three Loves"and our Management Philosophy.
- Ricoh Group Environmental Principles Here we introduce the Ricoh Group Environmental Principles, based on our Management Philosophy.
- Biodiversity Policy Read the full text from Ricoh Group Biodiversity Policy, which is based on the Group's policy of and approach toward the global environment.
