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Production (Zero-Waste-to-Landfill)
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The Ricoh Group achieved the goal of Zero-Waste-to-Landfill at all production sites all around the world.
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The
Ricoh Group promotes Zero-Waste-to-Landfill activities
as a part of its environmental management system by
efficiently using resources, improving the efficiency
of production lines, reducing waste disposal costs,
and improving corporate quality by promoting employee
awareness of environmental conservation. Ricoh UK Products
Ltd. in the U.K. achieved Zero-Waste-to-Landfill in
September 2001, and Ricoh Asia Industry Ltd. (RAI) in
China and Taiwan Ricoh Co., Ltd.*1, achieved
it in March 2002. With this, the Ricoh Group has achieved
Zero-Waste-to-Landfill at all production sites*2
in Japan, the Americas, Europe, and China and Taiwan.
In Ricoh in Japan, after the Aoyama Office in Tokyo
achieved Zero-Waste-to-Landfill in fiscal 2000, Ricoh
Shinagawa System Center, Ginza Office, Toda Technical
Center, and the Shin-Yokohama Office did the same in
fiscal 2001, as did 46 sites of Ricoh Group service
companies and two sites of sales companies. In fiscal
2002, the Ricoh Group will continue its efforts to reduce
the environmental impact of society as a whole and will
further promote sustainable management by applying its
Zero-Waste-to-Landfill know-how.
*1.There is no infrastructure in Taiwan for the recovery of coating sludge, which is excluded from the Zero-Waste- to-Landfill efforts. (Coating sludge is subject to isolated landfill by disposal companies officially designated.)
*2.Ricoh's production sites in Japan and manufacturing subsidiaries in Japan, the Americas, Europe, and China and Taiwan in which Ricoh owns more than 50% voting rights are included. There are no manufacturing subsidiaries in the Asia-Pacific region.
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| Zero-Waste-to-Landfill by the Ricoh Group |
The Ricoh Group classifies zero waste (100% resource recovery rate and no waste used as landfill) into three levels. Although zero waste is roughly defined as no industrial waste being generated (level 1), the Ricoh Group aims at also eliminating general waste (level 2) and household solid waste, such as sludge (e.g., raw sewage), from private sewage systems (level 3). We regard cases in which waste is not utilized as an energy resource and simply incinerated as just a disposal of waste. The Ricoh Group aims at achieving perfect resource recycling by reducing, reusing, and recycling resources as well as the thermal recovery of waste.
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Staff assigned to the Zero-Waste-to-Landfill campaign at REI, Georgia Plant, in the United States and the campaign mascot, Zero Hero; REI achieved Zero-Waste-to-Landfill in March 2001.
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Staff assigned to the Zero-Waste-to-Landfill campaign at Ricoh Industrial de Mexico (RIM) in Mexico; RIM achieved Zero-Waste-to-Landfill in March 2001.
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Environmental Accounting of the Semiconductor-Manufacturing Yashiro Plant  [Japan]
In fiscal 2001, the Yashiro Plant introduced an inverter control system and a system that recycles the hydrofluoric acid used in the etching process of semiconductors. The segment environmental accounting shown below reveals that these systems significantly contributed to environmental conservation and cost reduction.
 Click here for Segment Environmental Accounting.
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| Europe |
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| Staff assigned to the zero-waste-to-landfill campaign at Ricoh UK Products |
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| Staff assigned to community environmental conservation activities |
Ricoh UK Products  [The united kingdom]
To promote employee awareness of envi-ronmental conservation, Ricoh UK Products, Ltd., added "environmental conservation" to the list of items in the individual and divisional performance evaluation andd an on-site recycling center, through which the company strives to eliminate the production of waste by disassembling products in order to reuse their parts. Other efforts include leading in community activities by teaching companies and schools in the neighborhood about waste management and how to establish a recycling system.
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Environmental Accounting of the Cleaning Process  [France]
In fiscal 2000, Ricoh Industrie France S.A. switched from water to air pressure to clean its thermal paper production line. Along with water recycling by steam collection, change in process reduced the company's annual water consumption 43.4%, down from 25,353 m3 per year. Ricoh Industrie France saved on the cost of wastewater disposal using this system.
Click here for Segment Environmental Accounting.
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| China and Taiwan |
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| Staff assigned to the zero-waste-to-landfill campaign at RAI |
Zero-Waste-to-Landfill at RAI  [China]
Ricoh Asia Industry Ltd. (RAI) strives to achieve Zero-Waste-to-Landfill as one means of promoting employee awareness of environmental conservation and improving labor productivity. It contributed to boosting the spirit of the employees and created a better atmosphere at the workplace. RAId an in-house recycling shop for copier and printer toner bottles and installed wastewater purification equipment to reduce biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)*. When RAI discovered that water pollution was being caused largely in part by leftovers from the cafeteria, it reviewed its menu.
* BOD is the quantity of oxygen used by microorganisms in the biodegradation of organic matter and is used to measure the amount of pollution in rivers and lakes.
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| Staff assigned to the zero-waste-to-landfill campaign at Taiwan Ricoh |
Zero-Waste-to-Landfill at Taiwan Ricoh  [Taiwan]
In January 2001, Taiwan Ricoh Co., Ltd., started a waste reduction campaign and began detailed sorting simultaneously. Employees determined the recycling routes by themselves to increase the number of types of sorting from 17 to 35. Thus, Taiwan Ricoh achieved advanced recycling.
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