Environment
About
Information Disclosure
Our Views on Information Disclosure
Establishing a Relationship of Trust, Based on Information Disclosure and Communication
Konica Minolta promotes information disclosure and communication with stakeholders, based on the concepts of transparency and continuity. We disclose information about the environmental activities of the entire Group, through the issuance of reports such as this online version of the Environmental Report, other media, such as an environmental website, and various other measures.
Environmental Information Disclosure
Promoting Information Disclosure via Reports and Website Updates
We publish annual reports introducing the activities of the Group as a whole, as well as of individual sites. In fiscal year 2006, we began to post an online version of our Environmental Report, to explain the measures being adopted across the entire Group towards reducing environmental impact, and to convey our respect for the environment. We also publish Site Reports that detail environmental information about our business sites in Japan.
Information Disclosure about Our Products
Actively Disclosing Relevant Information Using Environmental Labels
Konica Minolta has been active in acquiring Type I environmental labels as proof that our products are having less environmental impact. Concerning Germany's Blue Angel certification, the world's first Type I environmental label, each time its criteria are revised to become more stringent, Konica Minolta has acquired certification ahead of any other manufacturer in the category of digital multifunctional peripherals (MFPs), one of our primary product categories. In the category of office printing devices (office output devices), newly established in January 2007, the bizhub 420 was awarded Blue Angel certification, a global first. By the end of March 2008, we obtained certification for a total of 26 models.
In regard to the Eco-Mark, Japan's leading Type I environmental label, we are striving to obtain certification in principle for our office information technology equipment.
Under the EcoLeaf system, a Type Ⅲ environmental label stipulated in Japan, we quantitatively identify and disclose the environmental impact of designated products throughout their lifecycle, ranging from procurement of raw materials to assembly, sales, use, disposal and recycling. Konica Minolta has also acquired "system certification," affirming that we have a mechanism for appropriately and efficiently identifying such environmental impact data for our copying and printing businesses.
We have also registered the following categories of products with the Green Purchasing Network of Japan: copiers/MFPs printers/fax machines, copy paper, and digital printing presses. Environmental information on these products is published regularly.
Examples of Environmental Labels
- Eco-Mark
- Certification is provided for products recognized by the Japan Environmental Association as having low environmental impact.
- Blue Angel
- The world's first environmental label, introduced in Germany in 1978. Products and services certified as having low environmental impact are permitted to bear this label.
- International ENERGY STAR Program®
- This Program, implemented since 1995 under a Japanese-US agreement, uses the ENERGY STAR mark to label energy-saving OA equipment that meets its guidelines.
- EcoLeaf
- The EcoLeaf is intended to quantitatively identify and disclose the environmental impact of labeled products throughout their lifecycle.
Information Disclosure at Exhibitions
Participation in Eco Products 2007 Trade Fair and Osaka Green Eco Plaza
In December 2007, Konica Minolta exhibited at Eco Products 2007, Japan's largest environmental trade show, which was held at Tokyo Big Sight. Visitors to the Konica Minolta booth included people of every generation, from kindergarten students to senior citizens. This year we exhibited color MFPs based on the theme of reducing CO2 emissions in the office. Visitors were able to experience the environmental features of our products, while learning about ways to cut CO2 emissions through activities in their own homes and offices. We also introduced haiku works (short poems) submitted by applicants for the Konica Minolta Eco Haiku Award, which annually invites public participation, and showed the environmental awareness-raising program One Planet, The Earth using Konica Minolta's digital planetarium, Media Globe.
In the Kansai region, Konica Minolta has set up a permanent booth at Osaka ATC Green Eco Plaza in Osaka Nanko to introduce, in an easy-to-understand manner, our environmental activities in copier. The exhibition was updated on April 1, 2008 to provide new information to visitors.
