Communication:Communication with Stakeholders
–Reports, Website, Advertising, Exhibitions–

Award ceremony for the 14th Environmental Report Award

The Ricoh Group’s environmental reports have been issued annually since the first was published in April 1998, which disclosed fiscal 1996 data. Since the 2004 edition, we have been issuing three Sustainability Reports (Environment, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Economic) and a corporate profile, which are all published in June. The 2010 Sustainability Reports received an Excellence Award at the 14th Environmental Communication Awards hosted by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment and the Global Environmental Forum. The Sustainability Report (Environment) 2010, meanwhile, was chosen to receive an Excellence Award at the 14th Environmental Report Award hosted by Toyo Keizai, Inc. and Green Reporting Forum.

To enhance relationships with local communities, Ricoh Group business sites issue their own environmental reports as a means of communication with government departments, local residents, and family members of their employees. The Ricoh Group established guidelines for the preparation of site reports on environmental conservation for its business sites in fiscal 2001, and this is currently used within the Group. The Environmental Report 2010 issued by Ricoh Electronic Devices Company was chosen as a recipient of a Site Report Award at the 14th Environmental Report Award.

Ricoh believes in contributing to the reduction of environmental impact in society in general by effectively using communication tools. In fiscal 2010, we aired a series of TV commercials under the title “Eco Banashi” (roughly translated as “eco-friendly stories”), which introduce simple ways to be eco-friendly. This advertising received a TV Commercial Excellence Award at the 14th Environmental Communication Awards hosted by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment and the Global Environmental Forum. In addition, the stationary placement version within the series (about reducing unnecessary clutter but maintaining efficiency at work) was awarded a bronze prize at the 50th Advertisement Selected by Consumers Contest hosted by the Japan Advertisers Association.

Ecotoday Tempel-Tuttle Story

Ricoh’s environmental web site focuses on visibility, simplicity and user-friendliness so that visitors can easily find the information they want, including environmental information of products and the latest news. It is also available in English and is linked to affiliates throughout the world. For children, the learning section, “Ecotoday Tempel-Tuttle Story,” provides stories about forest ecosystem conservation activities supported by Ricoh in various parts of the world, as well as quizzes and games to help children learn about environmental issues in an enjoyable way.

Eco-Products 2010

In December 2010, Ricoh participated in Eco-Products 2010, a general environmental exhibition held annually at Tokyo Big Sight. A total of 745 companies and organizations had booths at the event, which attracted 183,000 visitors. Ricoh organized a categorized exhibition at its booth according to three themes: environmental impact reduction in manufacturing process, environmental impact reduction in office operations, and biodiversity conservation activities. The company also introduced its unique technologies and efforts to contribute to environmental preservation. The highlights of the 2010 exhibition included new technologies developed for purifying water used for manufacturing, QSU function for color copiers, "level-color" mode printing as well a cart production line system.