Environmental Protection Agency To Recognize Ricoh Electronics, Inc. for Environmental Sustainability Achievements

Ricoh Electronics, Inc. will be one of just 38 organizations and individuals recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at the ninth annual Environmental Awards Ceremony in San Francisco on April 16, 2007. This program recognizes organizations and individuals throughout several western states to protect and preserve the environment. Ricoh was selected from nearly 160 nominations.
Sustainability and environmental excellence is a way of life at Ricoh Electronics, Inc. In 2001, the company achieved zero waste to landfill, or 100 percent resource recovery. This means Ricoh’s California, Georgia and Mexico production sites no longer send waste of any type to landfills including food, paper, plastic, glass, office and production supplies, equipment, production by-products, or product. In fiscal year 2006, Ricoh Electronics, Inc. diverted over 7,000 metric tons of waste from landfills.

At Ricoh Electronics, Inc. we believe that every action, whether large or small, that reduces our environmental “footprint” is important. That is why we encourage our employees to continually improve our work processes to reduce our environmental impact. We will continue to make environmental conservation a top priority in order to make a positive difference in the world,” explains Ricoh Electronics, Inc. President Shunsuke Nakanishi.

Myriad activities are implemented at Ricoh Electronics, Inc. to sustain our commitment to being a good corporate citizen in the environmental arena. Activities include profiling and segregating waste, practicing the five “R”s (refuse, return, recycle, reuse and reduce), partnering with suppliers to reduce packaging or other environmental aspects, purchasing “green” office supplies, requiring suppliers to meet the Ricoh Group’s Green Procurement Policy for environmental management systems, and reducing the use of energy, paper and water.

Employee training and involvement are a hallmark of Ricoh Electronics, Inc’s program. Employees participate in weekly sustainability tours to showcase their environmental activities with the expectation that best practices will be deployed in other areas of the company as well. Employees also participate in Earth Connection Tours giving process owners the opportunity to show other employees their progress toward meeting environmental objectives. Employees are also recognized through the Sustainability Improvements Program for implementing waste reduction and sustainability improvement activities. These improvements resulted in almost $3 million in savings on an annualized basis in fiscal year 2006.

Tours of the facilities and speakers are available for any business or organization interested in learning how the company achieved zero waste to landfill.

Ricoh Electronics, Inc. is the U.S. manufacturing subsidiary of Ricoh Company, Ltd., the 71 year-old leading supplier of office automation equipment and electronics, with fiscal year 2005 sales in excess of $17 billion, a 5.6 percent increase over the previous year. Ricoh is one of the world’s largest manufacturers and marketers of multi-function digital office automation equipment, thermal media and imaging materials.