Business News
Epson Releases Sustainability Report 2009
Wednesday 05. August 2009 - Seiko Epson Corporation ("Epson", TSE: 6724) today released its Sustainability Report 2009 ("SR09"), which details the environmental and community activities undertaken by the Epson Group in fiscal 2008 (April 2008 - March 2009).
Epson promotes openness and publicly discloses a wide range of information relating to its corporate activities as part of efforts to build and maintain the trust of its Stakeholders. As one aspect of that, Epson began publishing an Environment Report in 1999 to provide details regarding its environmental activities. In 2003, Epson added information on social-related activities to this Environmental Report and renamed it the Sustainability Report. This report is released annually.
Main features of Sustainability Report 2009
To make the contents of the report easy to read and digest, it has been divided according to theme and detail into three sections – Special Feature, CSR Highlights, and a CSR Data Book.
The theme of the Special Feature section is “In Pursuit of Perfection”, and Epson’s new all-in-one inkjet printers are used to illustrate how the company’s core values are embodied in the products.
In the Highlights and Data Book sections, reports are given on each of the nine areas comprising Epson’s Principles of Corporate Behavior, which form the basis for its trust-based management.
The information concerning community and societal activities covers Seiko Epson and 97 of its domestic and overseas affiliates, while information about environmental activities has been collated for Seiko Epson and 74 Epson Group companies.
As a further contribution to reducing our global warming impact, this year the SR2009 will only be released in digital form on the corporate website. It is estimated that this initiative will save 16.7 tons of CO2, compared to offering a printed version as well.
Fiscal 2008 Environmental Initiatives
1. Prevention of global warming
On a per unit of sales basis, Epson’s emissions of global warming substances showed a consolidated global reduction of 51%, compared with fiscal 1990 levels, against the target 50% reduction, and a decrease in energy use within Japan of 43% (target was 35%).
2. Recycling and conservation of resources
96.6% of products in designated categories met the 75% recyclable target, and 98.9% achieved the 85% recoverable rate goal, just under the fiscal 2008 target of 100%.
Epson also succeeded in reducing its emissions by 5,600 tons, or 13%, over fiscal 2007, though actual resource efficiency was 2.4% lower compared with the benchmark 2004 level.
3. Management of chemical substances
Epson succeeded in cutting its PRTR emissions by 45% and reducing its VOC emissions by 22% compared with benchmark fiscal 2005 levels, through the introduction of alternatives and initiatives to reduce usage.
4. Environmental accounting
The environmental accounting system encompasses Seiko Epson and a total of 37 affiliates (18 in Japan and 19 overseas). In fiscal 2008, environmental conservation investment amounted to 400 million yen, of which 88% related to the prevention of global warming, as energy efficiency served as a major factor in machinery, equipment, and facilities investment decisions. Total environmental conservation spending was calculated at 6.35 billion yen, for an estimated economic benefit of 3.0 billion yen. Of this expenditure, 49% went toward research and development for environmental preservation, and within this amount, 81% was utilized specifically for the development of environmentally considerate products, demonstrating Epson’s commitment in this area.
Fiscal 2008 Community and Societal Initiatives
1. Strengthening information security management
Epson expanded the scope of its information security regulations and standards from 15 business units to 27, providing enhanced security and training.
2. Working with suppliers on socially responsible procurement
As part of its ongoing commitment to socially responsible procurement, in 2008 Epson evaluated self-assessments of approximately 290 suppliers and performed on-site audits at 70 suppliers. Auditors must undergo in-house training before they can conduct on-site audits, and to date a total of 184 employees have completed the auditor training.
Environmental Vision 2050
Building on its history of environmentally-conscious activities, Epson is now striving to achieve its challenging Environmental Vision 2050.