Ricoh 1999 Annual Report Download - page 13

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B ETTER P LACE
10
While building on its product leadership, Ricoh aims to be
second to none as a corporate citizen. The prime focus here is
environmental management, coupled with assistance from
Ricoh operations worldwide to worthy research.
Ricoh is now widely considered a pioneer in corporate envi-
ronmental activities. We have come a long way. In early 1998,
for example, Japan’s top business daily ranked us the nation’s
leader in environmental management. In early 1999, the Envi-
ronmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the United States
awarded us its most notable prize for our energy-saving
initiatives, the Energy Star Imaging Partner of the Year, for the
fourth successive year.
Such achievements benefit our customers in many ways.
They know we are doing our best to reduce environmental im-
pact. They also know they can save real money by using less
energy. We have thereby helped users save literally millions of
dollars in electricity consumption.
Our approach is schematically presented in the Ricoh
Comet Circle. Through it, we are transforming ideas into
action, doing everything to promote recycling and responsible
disposal, not just by ourselves, but also by our suppliers under
our Green Partnership Program and Green Purchasing Plan.
To accelerate the goals we seek through the Comet Circle,
we have put in place our Environmental Action Plan. This ini-
tiative provides specific deadlines, mostly for just before or after
the turn of the century. The plan stresses progress in four areas:
1. Environmental management systems
2. Resource conservation and recycling
3. Energy saving
4. Pollution prevention
Ricoh has used its environmental management system to
help all major Group companies earn certification under ISO
AKING THE W ORLD A BETTERPLACE
M
14001, the global standard for environmental management.
It is impossible to sufficiently cover all our environmental
initiatives here. For more information, visit our website:
(http://www.ricoh.co.jp/R_Info/Erth/index_e.html).
All Ricoh Group members aid efforts to better understand
the world we live in. An excellent example is a donation that
Ricoh France S.A. made for an intensive biodiversity project in
Gabon’s rainforests in early 1999. The research was organized
by Pro-Natura International, a private, nonprofit organization,
and involved leading scientists from around the world. This
project used the world’s largest motorized dirigible to spread a
large net above the forest canopy so the scientists could live
and work there for days at a time.
By doing its best for the environment, Ricoh aims to make
the world a better place.