Ricoh 2002 Annual Report Download - page 15

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Technology underlies Ricoh’s thinking on
the environm ent and corporate citizenship in
general. Technological innovation is central
to creating more efficient processes and prod-
ucts. It is thus critical to enhancing prof-
itability for ourselves and our customers
while minim izing the environm ental impact
of our respective operations. In other words,
being environmentally friendly can, and
should, be profitable.
Such thinking explains why Ricoh has
gone way beyond merely “responding” to
environmental issues or merely “m eeting”
local and international standards. By identi-
fying problem s and solutions well before they
materialize, we can rem ain free from the tra-
ditional vicious circle of “pollute and clean
up.” These considerations are thus central to
our product line from the conceptual and
developmental stages.
The fruits of our dedication are m any. In
the past year alone, we have won recognition
from diverse third parties for translating our
environmental philosophy into energy-sav-
ing machines with m any easily reusable or
recyclable parts. Innovest Strategic Value
Advisors, an environm ental rating invest-
ment research com pany based in New York,
awarded Ricoh an AAA, the highest score pos-
sible, in the photo and office equipment sec-
tor. This was the highest score am ong the 11
companies evaluated in that segm ent, and
reflected excellence in terms of environm en-
tal managem ent capacity, environm ental
risk factors, and strategic opportunity factors.
Innovest especially praised our environm en-
tal accounting system .
The Fina n cia l Tim es conducted a global
survey to identify the “World’s Most Respected
Companies.” The chief executive officers
polled in the survey ranked Ricoh a
respectable seventh am ong the top 10 com-
panies in terms of environmental resource
managem ent. We received a Climate is
Business award from the European and U.S.
business councils that operate in keeping
with the guidelines of the Kyoto Protocol.
Another achievem ent that affects our
business m ore directly is that all 49 of our
domestic sales com panies and 33 of our sales
subsidiaries in Europe qualified within the
past few years for certification under the ISO
14001 standard for environm ental manage-
ment.
Ricoh’s contributions to the environm ent
extend also to m any com m unity efforts. One
of the most recent is the Ichim ura Back-to-
Nature Project, a facility nam ed after our late
founder, Kiyoshi Ichimura. This nonprofit
organization helps youngsters from nine to
14 years old gain true respect for nature by
working on a com munity farm and form u-
lating their own nature projects. This facility
complem ents Ricoh’s business activities by
allowing it to m ore broadly contribute to a
better world.
CREATING VALUE THROUGH TECHNOLOGY
CONTRIBUTING TO A BETTER WORLD
RESPECTED FOR ENVIRONM ENTAL COM M ITM ENT
The December 17, 2001, edition of the Financial
Times featured the results of that publication’s poll
of chief executive officers around the globe. The
survey placed Ricoh a respectable seventh among
the top 10 in the environmental category of the
“W orld’s Most Respected Companies.”
SUSTAINING THE EFFORT
The European and U.S. Business Councils for
Sustainable Energy gave Ricoh a Climate is
Business award for Sustainable Energy in recogni-
tion of our commitment to observing the guidelines
of the Kyoto Protocol.