Monthly Archives: January 2016

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Konica Minolta Ranked First Place for Two Consecutive Years at the 19th Nikkei Environmental Management Survey

Konica Minolta, Inc. (Konica Minolta) is pleased to announce that it was ranked first place for two consecutive years in the overall manufacturing sector at the 19th Environmental Management Survey conducted by Nikkei Inc.

The annual survey assesses environmental management of Japanese companies and recognizes initiatives toward sustainability in terms of both environment and business management. 1,737 manufacturers were invited to the survey and 413 companies responded.

In the survey Konica Minolta earned the top score in Environmental Management Promotion System, as well as high scores for the rest of the components in the assessment. The company has been developing comprehensive environmental initiatives, including environmental management policies that combine reduction of environmental impact and growth in corporate value. In addition, Konica Minolta has been willing to utilize its own environmental know-how and hands-on practices for both existing and potential customers facing challenges in their environmental management and day-to-day operations to lower environmental impact. These efforts create shared values beyond the Konica Minolta Group for the good of customers and a broader society.

At Konica Minolta, energy-saving and resource-saving initiatives are very important not only for reducing carbon emissions but also for enhancing its competitive edges such as cutting down production costs and material use.

The company has been sharing with customers and suppliers with no financial ties its environmental technologies, know-how and good practices from its offices and factories around the world. The diverse know-how from Konica Minolta helps the customers’ and supplier’s factories strengthen their energy saving activities. The collaborative work with Konica Minolta will be increasing the effect of environmental impact reduction in a broader society. In an initiative, the company’s employees with energy-saving expertise have been visiting and working with suppliers’ factories in China and Vietnam, through assessment of the energy use and assistance for their work to lay out programs to curb emissions. The assistance has also been provided to customers’ factories in Japan and abroad upon request.

Konica Minolta’s Environmental Management

Konica Minolta established its long-term environmental vision “Eco Vision 2050” in 2009, with the target of reduce CO2 emissions throughout the product lifecycle by 80% by 2050, compared to fiscal 2005 levels. The Medium-Term Environmental Plan 2016 works as an action plan toward the long-term goal and is in tandem with the business plan. At the pillar of the medium-term plan are Three Green Activities: Green Products (planning and development); Green Factories (procurement and production); and Green Marketing (distribution, sales & service, and collection & recycling). These activities cover the entire and each process of the Group’s businesses and have been running globally.

Under the brand proposition “Giving Shape to Ideas,” Konica Minolta will keep creating new value and driving innovations to assist solving societal challenges and strengthen its contribution to the reduction of environmental impact in global supply chains and worldwide community.

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Konica Minolta Awarded RobecoSAM Silver Class Leading the Sector for Environmental & Economic Dimensions

Konica Minolta, Inc. (Konica Minolta) has been awarded RobecoSAM Silver Class, a global distinction for corporate sustainability.

Outline of Konica Minolta Japan, Co., Ltd.

Konica Minolta Japan, Co., Ltd. will be established on April 1, 2016 with the aim of capturing the top position in the following businesses by offering value added solutions to customers to help them transform their digital workflow, thereby creating value and growth for customers.

In this year’s assessment, Konica Minolta has earned the highest evaluation in the Computers & Peripherals and Office Electronics sector for its economic initiatives including innovation management and risk management, as well as for environmental initiatives on climate change strategies, environmental policy and its management, and information disclosure.

RobecoSAM, based in Switzerland, is the investment specialist focused exclusively on Sustainability Investing. RobecoSAM invites over 3,000 of the world’s largest companies to participate in the Corporate Sustainability Assessment. Results are analyzed in terms of economic, environmental and social issues with a focus on long-term value creation. Recently RobecoSAM has released its annual “Sustainability Yearbook 2016” in which 77 companies are ranked as Gold Class, 74 companies including Konica Minolta as Silver Class and 97 companies as Bronze Class. Nine Japanese companies including Konica Minolta are awarded Silver Class.

Globally, institutional investors have been stressing the importance of not only financial indices but also environmental, social and governance (ESG) efforts and policies in evaluating corporations’ long-term and sustainable value creation. Socially responsible investment (SRI) assessment companies provide those institutional investors with company ratings based on ESG researches

At Konica Minolta, its businesses have to play a meaningful societal role in contributing to environmental protection and solutions for many challenges surrounding a global society. Based on this approach, the company has been vigorously working on the creation of new values through innovations. As climate change and other environmental challenges have a great social influence, Konica Minolta has started an initiative to share with its customers and suppliers the environment technology and know-how it has mastered so that they will be utilized to help reduction of environmental burden in the broader society beyond the Konica Minolta Group. The comprehensive management system and worldwide CSR activities embedded in the businesses have been highly appraised.

Besides RobecoSAM Silver Class, Konica Minolta has been included in Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for four years and Dow Jones Sustainability Asia Pacific Index for seven years by Dow Jones and RobecoSAM, FTSE4Good Global Index of the UK-based FTSE Group for twelve years, and Japan-based Morningstar Socially Responsible Investment Index since 2003. In addition, the company has been named to CDP’s Japan 500 Climate Disclosure Leadership Index for three years. Konica Minolta has also been awarded Prime Status by Germany-basd oekom research AG since 2011, among the best companies for CSR in its worldwide industry segment.

Under the brand proposition “Giving Shape to Ideas,” Konica Minolta aims to become a sustainable global company vital to society and will contribute to solving social challenges through its business activities.