Kyocera Document Solutions South Africa celebrates 28 years of landmark Environmental Charter

Natalie Lombard, Environmental Management Systems Manager at Kyocera Document Solutions South Africa

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This year marks another landmark for Kyocera Document Solutions South Africa, one of the world’s leading document solutions companies, as it joins Kyocera Corporation in celebrating 28 years of its landmark Environmental Charter. The organisation continues to use the policy as a benchmark and integral factor as it moves forward into 2020.

Created in October 1991, the Environmental Charter has acted as an underlying foundation for all business activities, helping to ensure the business “contributes to the advancement of society and humankind” as dictated by the philosophy of founder Dr Kazuo Inamori.

Pioneered in conjunction with Inamori’s original conception of the company, the influence of the charter can still be felt in Kyocera’s products nearly three decades after its inception. Earlier this year, the company announced a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030, as endorsed by the Science Based Targets initiative.

As 2019 draws to a close, the coming year will also see the fruition and sustained ambition of Kyocera’s Target 2020, an initiative that sees the company committed to responsible environmental management with a focus on the following three aims:

• Contribution to the realisation of a low-carbon society;
• Contribution to the realisation of a recycling-based society; and
• Contribution to the realisation of a society that coexists with nature.

“Sustainability is at the heart of all of Kyocera’s creations and the Environmental Charter helps us maintain that. The ECOSYS range is a reputable multi-award-winning product that reduces energy consumption. Another example is the energy-saving toner produced by Kyocera, which works at 30ºC less than conventional products, requiring less energy usage,” said Nobuki Takada, General Manager Marketing Innovation Center, at Kyocera Document Solutions Europe.

Natalie Lombard, Environmental Management Systems Manager at Kyocera Document Solutions South Africa, adds: “This is complemented by the Kyocera Document Solutions South Africa’s 'Bringing Colour to Recycling' programme. This programme enables us and our clients to dispose of toner waste in an environmentally friendly manner, ensuring conformance with good corporate citizenship and responsibility.”

Since 2011, Kyocera has been a member of UN Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative. The company’s active membership has encouraged the development of several energy saving initiatives, such as the use of green curtains at corporate sites across the globe. Since its implementation at a number of Kyocera facilities in 2007, this eco-friendly cooling strategy has neutralised over 100 000kg of CO.

As Kyocera heads into a new era full of exciting opportunities and challenges, following the launch of its first production printing device with the TASKalfa Pro 15000c, the organisation will continue to lead by example. Kyocera is well positioned to demonstrate that businesses can marry success and sustainability on a global scale.