Addressing Climate Change
Adapting to Climate Change
Adapting to Climate Change
When combating climate change, the most important and necessary actions are mitigation measures to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that are causing the crisis. Since it takes a long time for the effects of mitigation to appear, we must immediately begin efforts to significantly reduce emissions. Even if we maximize our efforts to reduce emissions over the long term however, a certain degree of climate change will be unavoidable due to the greenhouse gas emissions that have already accumulated in the atmosphere.
Extreme weather events have a huge impact on our lives, and many weather observation records have been broken in recent years. There are concerns that large-scale flooding and deadly heat waves will only become more frequent and serious going forward. For this reason, adaptation measures are essential to minimize the physical impacts that occur as the climate changes.
Konica Minolta is implementing adaptation initiatives throughout its supply chain to mitigate the physical impacts that climate change is having on natural ecosystems and on social and economic systems. Since the effects of climate change are manifested in various ways depending on geographic, economic, and social circumstances, there are no universal adaptation measures. Therefore, we are working to identify how each country and region might be affected by climate change, in order to devise the measures that need to be taken.
Upstream (Suppliers)
Securing Multiple Suppliers Based on Manufacturing that Avoids Reliance on People, Countries, Places, and Market Fluctuations
Large-scale natural disasters cause supply chain disruptions. To prevent any resulting delays in customer product delivery, we trace our upstream supply routes all the way back to the basic raw materials. For raw materials with a high stable supply risk, we are working to secure multiple suppliers while investigating alternative materials. We select suppliers to achieve manufacturing that does not rely on people, countries, places, or market fluctuations.
Carbon Neutral Partner Activities (Reducing Water Consumption by Suppliers)
Water resources represent an essential ecosystem service for both the daily activities of employees and the production activities of suppliers. As climate change intensifies, weather patterns will change, resulting in more frequent heavy rains and large-scale droughts. This will make it difficult to maintain the same level of available water resources, which could lead to shortages and impact the entire supply chain.
Accordingly, Konica Minolta is promoting Carbon Neutral Partner Activities. We are sharing the environmental technologies and expertise we have developed through Green Factory activities with our suppliers. They are investigating and implementing measures to reduce their water use in accordance with prescribed guidelines.
Operations (Production / R&D)
Green Factory Activities (Water Risk Assessment and Mitigation Measures, and Water Conservation)
Worsening climate change poses an increased risk of major storm and flood damage, landslides, and long-term sea level rise. Having sites located in geographically susceptible locations can make it difficult to continue production and R&D activities. Konica Minolta pays attention to water resource availability as a chronic physical risk posed by climate change. In fiscal 2013, we adopted a comprehensive risk assessment method called Aqueduct to look at water use and flooding at major Konica Minolta Group sites and suppliers worldwide. This enables us to identify sites with high water risk, and implement the necessary measures.
Business Continuity Management
The Konica Minolta Group has established a business continuity plan (BCP), as a concrete emergency action plan, which covers the Group and its global supply chain. The aim is to ensure that even if a site is damaged by a large-scale natural disaster, important operations will not be interrupted (and even if they are interrupted, they can be resumed in the shortest possible time). We have also created an initial response system to collect information on the situation immediately after a disaster. This covers our mainstay digital workplace business, as well as our healthcare business, which makes equipment that will be in high demand in the event of a disaster. The initial response system is also used to determine whether the BCP needs to be activated.
Downstream (Customers)
Industry Business
Wide Area Monitoring System to Detect Gas Leaks
Methane (CH4) is a widely used flammable gas, often found in shale gas and other sources. It is a greenhouse gas that is more than 25 times as potent as carbon dioxide (CO2) for trapping heat in the atmosphere. Natural disasters and aging infrastructure can cause gas pipelines to leak, allowing methane to escape invisibly into the atmosphere. Konica Minolta is developing a Disaster Prevention Diagnostic Service that makes methane leaks visible and helps prevent fires and explosions. Our handy gas leak inspection system with a built-in battery can streamline initial inspections immediately after a disaster.
SenrigaN Nondestructive Inspection Solution
After a natural disaster such as a typhoon or flood, it takes great deal of time and effort to carry out the corrective maintenance needed to restore infrastructure and essential services for residents. As a priority measure for national resilience, Japan is aiming to deploy preventive infrastructure maintenance, and is taking measures to bolster aging infrastructure.
Konica Minolta's SenrigaN nondestructive inspection solution realizes easy non-invasive inspection of pre-stressed concrete (PC) steel materials inside bridges. It detects invisible fractures and corrosion caused by road salt. The measurement results can be checked immediately using a handheld tablet, offering better maintenance efficiency. This also helps reduce any potential damage caused by a natural disaster.
Digital Workplace Business
Regionally Distributed Production and Supply of MFP Cartridges (Toner)
Climate change is expected to generate localized and extreme disasters such as floods and landslides that are large-scale, short-term, and more frequent. Whenever these disasters become severe, procurement and distribution in an affected area can be disrupted, halting the supply of products.
To minimize such disaster risks, we have established production bases in Japan, Europe, and North America. These sites produce printing toner and cartridges (and related parts) for our mainstay professional printing business and office printing business. In this way, we are striving to secure a highly resilient supply chain network that can produce products in the regions where they are consumed.
Healthcare Business
AeroDR Mobile Solution for Medical Relief in Disaster Zones
In areas where natural disasters have occurred, it is often necessary to carry out medical relief activities without electricity or fuel. Konica Minolta's AeroDR Mobile Solution is an X-ray imaging system that continues to operate after the power supply is cut. It is extremely portable and can even be used outdoors. It allows X-ray images to be viewed on the spot and can be charged during transport.
World's First Finger Pulse Oximeter and 40 Years of Expertise
As climate change accelerates deforestation, humans and wildlife are coming into contact more often, creating opportunities for unknown pathogens to spread and cause new infectious diseases. Konica Minolta's finger pulse oximeter measures blood oxygen levels (SpO2) and pulse rates non-invasively, without the need to draw blood.
Social Contribution Activities
Local Emergency Water Source Creation
In the case of a major natural disaster, Konica Minolta, Inc. has established a system at its office in Hino, Tokyo, for accessing well water using its own power generation equipment. Additionally this emergency water source is available to a nearby hospital designated for disaster relief as part of local disaster preparedness efforts.
- Click here for more on these initiatives: Providing a Water Source for Community Disaster Prevention
Participating in Recovery Zone Support Activities
After the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, Konica Minolta dispatched about 100 employees to the affected areas and participated in reconstruction support activities. Since 2013, we have participated in a project to regenerate protective coastal forests in the disaster zones. With the aim of preserving and regenerating coastal ecosystems, we have been involved in activities to restore disaster prevention and mitigation functions in the affected areas.
