Global technology giant Ricoh has named June “Eco Action Month” – during which time the entire group of companies around the world encourages employees to consider the environment and take action to protect the environment.

Ricoh’s South African branch kick-started its activities with 13 employees attending the planting of 25 donated trees at Denver Primary on June 3.

Comet circle

“It is part of our corporate culture at Ricoh to realise a sustainable society,” says Esti Kilian, GM of Marketing Services at Ricoh SA. “Ricoh has always incorporated profit, people, and planet into the business philosophy, right from our founding in 1936. But in 1994 we developed the Comet Circle that embraces the idea of reducing environmental impact over the entire lifecycle of our products, including associated upstream and downstream processes.”

One of the keys to unlocking the Comet Circle’s potential, says Kilian is to recirculate resources back into product manufacturing.

World Environment Day 

The Ricoh Group held its Common Action Day on June 3, since the United Nations’ World Environment Day fell on June 5, this year.

Ricoh Global Eco Action began in 2006 and is organised annually with the aim of enhancing eco-awareness and improving the quality of environmental management. Each organisation in the Ricoh Group creates its own programme for Eco Action Month to reflect regional nuance.

An overall theme binds the various organisations and this year is: “Sharing the eco-mind together”. The overall event will include around 110000 worldwide employees.

Major 2016 activities included:

• Switching off all Ricoh electric signage and billboards around the world on June 3;
• Only using natural energy electricity via Renewable Energy Certificates for June 3, and
• Having employees wear green clothing on June 3 to create awareness of Eco Action Month.

Ricoh Europe, under which Ricoh SA indirectly falls, will have volunteer employees participate in a biodiversity conservation activity with NPO Royal Parks Foundation.