Epson named Number 1 sustainable company

Epson has been named Forbes Japan Number 1 sustainable company, a notable accolade on its journey towards becoming a leading eco-friendly company under its Environmental Vision.

The company says the accolade, gained after a thorough assessment and evaluation process, is testament to Epson's commitment to sustainability, which has played a major part in its corporate approach and philosophy for some time.

This has resulted in the achievement and further targeting of major milestones across climate change and renewable energy.

On the machinery front, Epson recently revised its 10-year long-term vision to include a definitive commitment to developing technology that significantly contributes to the environment and a long-term perspective that creates sustainable value.

Epson has embarked on a campaign with National Geographic entitled, “Turn Down the Heat” where it engaged with Professor Katey Walter Anthony on her research on the Arctic warming and the effects of melting permafrost ice on the speed of global warming. As part of the campaign Katey uses Epson’s innovative inkjet printers with Heat-Free Technology.

Craig Heckenberg, CEO, Epson Australia, points to environmentally friendly innovations such as the company's patented Heat-Free technology, which it claims uses up to 94 per cent less energy when compared to an equivalent laser printer or copier.

“Heat-Free technology is already helping industries around the world move towards a more sustainable future, and Epson is confident, with the support of our customers, that we can achieve the same result when it comes to printing," he said. 

With further focus on climate change, Epson released the results of its Climate Reality Barometer, before the November start of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference to be held in the UK.

The survey captured global experiences and perceptions of climate change from 15,000 consumers in Australia, Asia, Europe, North America and South America.

It was timed to help frame discussions at COP26, and hopes to raise greater public awareness about climate change impacts, influence business decisions and better inform policy makers.

The survey found that many in Australia, nearly a third (31.7 per cent) of those surveyed, believed governments should be “most responsible” for tackling the climate emergency, and next are 11.7 per cent who say business should – with one in 20 (4.9 per cent) not believing in a climate change emergency.

There was also evidence that the idea of personal and collective responsibility is widely held with 12.6 pe cent of Australian respondents aware that they are personally “most responsible”, while just over a third (36 per cent) believe that we are all responsible – with action incumbent on governments, businesses and individuals alike.

“The discovery of the Climate Reality Deficit shows that awareness coupled with action, will be critical to tackling the emergency. Epson’s goal is to bring this awareness and the technologies needed — by our company, other businesses and consumers — to action transformational change. Sustainability is central to our business plan and backed by significant resources — because while we know there is a long way to go, we believe we can build a better future," said Yasunori Ogawa, global president of Epson.

Earlier this year, in its quest to help businesses drive the transition to 100% renewable electricity, Epson announced it will be joining global RE100, a global initiative that brings together the world’s most influential businesses to achieve that aim,

The company also announced that its worldwide group sites will all meet their electricity needs from 100 per cent renewable energy sources (renewable electricity) by 2023. 

With growing global interest in societal issues such as the environment and energy, Epson established its Environmental Vision 2050 to express its commitment to environmental management, and subsequently rolled out various measures aimed at achieving this.

The Paris Agreement subsequently established decarbonisation targets, and Epson created a scenario to achieve by FY2025 science-based targets aimed at achieving these goals. This scenario included the use of renewable electricity as an important theme, and Epson made plans and implemented measures to expand its use over the long term.

The company has established its policy as it seeks to accelerate its plans to become a leading environmental company, and with the belief that climate change represents a serious corporate risk, and that Epson must play a greater role in mitigating that risk as it rolls out its business worldwide.