Konica Minolta Tops the 22nd Nikkei Environmental Management Survey

1. Accelerate climate change initiatives based on Paris Agreement

In 2017, Konica Minolta added a more ambitious goal, the “Carbon Minus” concept, to its long-term “Eco Vision 2050.” With Eco Vision 2050, Konica Minolta aims to reduce the CO₂ emissions from its products throughout their entire life cycle by 80% compared to fiscal 2005 levels by 2050. The addition of “Carbon Minus” is a new commitment to achieve a CO₂ emissions reduction effect that exceeds the CO₂ emissions produced by Konica Minolta’s business activities through cooperation with stakeholders such as business partners, customers and local communities. In fiscal 2018 the company started to see the effects of Carbon Minus initiatives gradually take shape.

Not only Konica Minolta’s goal was approved by the SBT Initiative, the company also joined RE100 and supports the final recommendations of the TCFD. On top of that, Konica Minolta analyzes risk of increasing global warming and opportunities of creating new businesses based on the in-house technologies and know-how. Furthermore, the company has been considering information disclosure in its integrated report, among others, aligned with the TCFD.

2. Recognize environmental management as business strategy

Konica Minolta has been transforming itself to a digital company with insight into implicit challenges, by aggressively integrating cutting-edge technologies with its strengths of input-and-output technologies and creating solutions that contribute to resolving social challenges. For the environment, the company has made progress in integrating environmental activities, in terms of climate change, resource exhaustion and waste, with its mid- and long-term business strategies.

For instance, extreme minimization in production, transportation, inventory and waste in the manufacturing sector could reduce environmental impact. Konica Minolta has been making contribution in that direction by providing on-demand printing machines to the industrial printing field such as package, label and textile printing. Paper consumption is a challenge in offices around the world. Konica Minolta’s digital workplace will help customers improve efficiency and productivity in their workflow, while accelerating paper-less work. Big data analysis today consumes a lot of energy. Konica Minolta has been working on solutions where data analysis is done on site, as much as possible, as edge computing so that energy consumption will be reduced.

For Konica Minolta, business expansion and environmental improvement go in tandem, as the environmental management must work as business strategy.

3. Address environmental challenges in broader society and share gratification with stakeholders

The environment is a global challenge and the clock is ticking. One single company, however, is not able to address those problems alone. Through the long years of environmental management, Konica Minolta has built on its know-how which assists cost reduction and makes significant contribution to its businesses. The company has been so active in digitizing such know-how and kept an open mind in offering it to many companies outside the Konica Minolta Group.

Based on the strong relationship with more than 1,000 companies through the environmental activities, Konica Minolta will not only continue sharing its environmental know-how through digitization but also work on creating new places and opportunities for various companies, including Konica Minolta, to mutually share their environmental knowledge and jointly deliver new value. The new opportunities could turn into dramatic increase in advanced contribution in resolving environmental challenges. Konica Minolta has a vision toward “Environmental Digital Platform” where Japanese companies’ advanced and innovative environmental technology and know-how will be mutually utilized so that the across-the-board environmental impact will go down throughout the industries and society at large.

The more stakeholders participate in the platform, the faster it will expand and the more helpful solutions will be delivered. The platform will not only offer additional opportunities for companies to grow their businesses by addressing environmental and social challenges in their SDGs efforts but also help them create new business opportunities because accumulation of advanced technologies and know-how will increase their value proposition.