Canon Toner Cartridge Recycling Program Celebrates 20 Year Milestone

Industry-first program now conducts collection operations in 23 countries

Lake Success, N.Y., Canon U.S.A., Inc., today announced that, in 2010, Canon Inc. will mark the 20th anniversary of the Canon Toner Cartridge Recycling Program, a zero-landfill program in which every component of the used all-in-one toner cartridges* that the Company collects is reused, recycled or recovered.

Canon Toner Cartridge Recycling Program: First-of-its-Kind
In 1982, Canon created the world’s first personal copying machines incorporating replaceable all-in-one toner cartridges. These toner cartridges were then adapted for use in laser beam printers and rapidly gained in popularity. However, with this increase in popularity came an increase in the number of used cartridges. Canon’s corporate philosophy of Kyosei – living and working for the common good – has constantly provided the company with a keen awareness of environmental issues such as a commitment to waste reduction and resource conservation.

In accordance with this commitment, Canon introduced the Toner Cartridge Recycling Program. First launched in 1990, the program has collected approximately 220,000 metric tons of used toner cartridges. The initiative, launched on a global scale by a single business group at no cost to customers, marked a watershed moment within the industry. The cartridge return program now operates in 23 countries worldwide, supported by four global recycling bases: Canon Ecology Industry Inc. in Japan; Canon Dalian Business Machines, Inc. in China; Canon Virginia, Inc. (CVI) in the U.S.; and Canon Bretagne S.A.S. in France.

Toner Cartridge Recycling in the U.S.
As part of Canon’s Clean Earth Campaign and the Toner Cartridge Recycling Program, CVI opened Industrial Resource Technologies, Inc. (IRT), a toner cartridge recycling facility in Gloucester, Virginia, in 1996 to begin to reclaim all-in-one cartridges in the U.S. IRT has the distinction of being one of the few automated recycling operations for Canon worldwide and the only cartridge recycling facility within Canon Americas.

Continuing to improve and enhance its recycling capabilities in the region, CVI and IRT completed an expansion of its facilities in 2009, adding 770,000 square feet of space to accommodate both toner cartridge manufacturing and recycling. The expansion strengthens Canon’s ability to utilize more recycled materials and reclaimed parts for manufacturing new toner cartridges.

Achieving 100 Percent Recycling and Energy Recovery for Zero Landfill Waste
Canon utilizes closed-loop recycling for its toner cartridges which includes the reuse of parts as well as the recycling of the toner cartridge plastic container shell to create new toner cartridges. As a result, since 2003, all four of Canon’s recycling bases, located in Japan, America, Europe and Asia, have achieved a 100 percent recycling and recovery rate (i.e. generated zero landfill waste); by the end of June 2009, the company had reduced the use of new resources by approximately 140,000 metric tons and prevented 370,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions. Canon’s recycling activities have earned it recognition in the form of a number of prestigious industry awards, beginning with the Grand Prize at Japan’s First Global Environmental Awards in 1992.

About Canon Virginia, Inc.
Located in Newport News, Virginia, Canon Virginia, Inc. (CVI), serves as the lead manufacturing support center for Canon U.S.A. CVI uses world-renowned production systems and extensive technical and manufacturing expertise to offer manufacturing solutions, including injection mold tools, metal and plastic parts, product manufacturing and reverse manufacturing. From concept to completion, from innovation to delivery, CVI ensures the reliability of world-class quality and efficiency representative of the Canon name. For more information, please visit www.cvi.canon.com.

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc. is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions. Its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), a top patent holder of technology, ranked third overall in the U.S. in 2008†, with global revenues of US $45 billion, is listed as number four in the computer industry on Fortune Magazine’s World’s Most Admired Companies 2009 list, and is on the 2009 BusinessWeek list of “100 Best Global Brands.” Canon is committed to the highest levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 percent U.S.-based consumer service and support for all products. At Canon, we care because caring is essential to living together in harmony. Founded upon a corporate philosophy of Kyosei – “all people, regardless of race, religion or culture, harmoniously living and working together into the future” – Canon U.S.A. supports a number of social, youth, educational and other programs, including environmental and recycling initiatives. Additional information about these programs can be found at www.usa.canon.com/kyosei. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company’s RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/rss.

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*All-in-one toner cartridges for Canon imageCLASS Series, FaxPHONE Series, LaserCLASS Series and imageRUNNER LBP Series.
† Based on weekly patent counts issued by United States Patent and Trademark Office