Evaluation Methods -Evaluation Methods-
- Evaluation Methods
- Eco Balance
- Environmental Accounting
Action plans are mapped out and sustainable environmental management is evaluated using Eco Balance, integrated environmental impact, and environmental accounting as tools.
The Ricoh Group believes that the environmental impact generated by advanced nations must be reduced to one-eighth the fiscal 2000 levels by 2050 (described in the Long-Term Environmental Vision). For our part, we aim to reduce total lifecycle CO2 emissions by the Group and the input of new resources as well as the impact of chemical substances on the environment by 87.5% (declared in the 2050 Long-Term Environmental Impact Reduction Goal). We pursue these targets by improving the level of sustainable environmental management—that is, by promoting environmental conservation activities that reduce environmental impact and enhance economic effects at the same time. To realize this, an appropriate scheme must be developed so that suitable action plans can be mapped out to reduce the environmental impact caused by all our businesses, and that effective measures can be examined and implemented, whih the results properly evaluated and disclosed. At the Ricoh Group, Eco Balance, integrated environmental impact, and environmental accounting serve as tools to operate the PDCA cycle for improvement of sustainable environmental management and for evaluation of action plans, measures and activity results.
Eco Balance and integrated environmental impact evaluation flow
Understanding the environmental impact caused by all our businesses using Eco Balance and integrated environmental impact evaluation
The Ricoh Group obtains information on the environmental impact caused by all its businesses and by each process, using Eco Balance and integrated environmental impact as tools, to effectively reduce the environmental impact generated by processes with a large environmental footprint. First, Eco Balance is prepared based upon input and output data for each process and for each environmentally-sensitive substance. The data are collected by the sustainable environmental management information system. At this stage, however, the significance of the environmental impact generated by each process cannot be compared because each process employs different environmentally-sensitive substances. Therefore, an integrated analysis method is used to convert the total environmental impact caused by business activities—including impact upon human health, depletion of resources, and impact upon ecosystems/biodiversity—into indicators to evaluate the integrated environmental impact and identify processes generating a large environmental footprint. The Ricoh Group sets environmental action plans based on its evaluation of the integrated environmental impact that is identified by Eco Balance.
Selecting measures by environmental accounting and evaluating activity results
Reducing environmental impact using measures that will lead to the creation of benefits is crucial to promoting sustainable environmental management. The Ricoh Group uses environmental accounting to determine what measures should be taken for what processes and for what operations so that the maximum effect can be obtained. A number of improvement plans to reduce the identified environmental impact are examined in consideration of developments in society and changes in laws/regulations as well as the activities of competitors to improve processes generating large environmental impact identified through evaluation based upon Eco Balance and the integrated environmental impact. Then, using segment environmental accounting, we simulate how much environmental impact is reduced and how much profit is created compared with the costs for each measure, while surveying the results of the individual measures.
Eco Balance
Eco Balance means the preparation of a list of input and output data on environmental impact to identify, quantitatively measure, and report environmental impact caused by companies; or such a list itself. It is based upon the same concept as LCA, and direct environmental impact as well as indirect environmental impact is calculated.
Integrated environmental impact
This is an integrated indicator shown in ELUs (Environmental Load Units), incorporating various types of environmental impact caused by environmental load. Substances that put a load on the environment cause various phenomena including global warming and air pollution, which negatively affect the ecosystem, biodiversity and human health. In addition to these, the depletion of resources is taken into consideration, and all these factors are incorporated into one single indicator that represents the significance of environmental impact overall. Determining the environmental load caused by all our businesses and calculating the integrated environmental impact allow us to formulate specific plans to reduce them. In calculation, we apply the EPS (Environment Priority Strategies for Product Design), a method developed by IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute Ltd, to allow us to convert the results into monetary values (1 ELU = 1 Euro).
- Evaluation Methods |
- Eco Balance |
- Environmental Accounting
