Ricoh launches 14th annual Eco Action Day, pledging to tackle key sustainability issues in the areas of energy use, climate action, and responsible consumption

Singapore, April 1 2020 – Ricoh Asia Pacific (Ricoh), the Japanese multinational imaging electronics company, today launched its 14th annual Eco Action Day campaign. Scheduled to run from April 1 to June 5, 2020, this year’s campaign tackles Goals 7, 12 and 13 of the United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – namely Affordable and Clean Energy, Responsible Consumption and Production, and Climate Action.

Key activities of this year’s campaign include a dialogue session, pledge campaign, and a seed distribution drive to encourage Singaporeans to think and act in support of our environment. To mark its commitment to the campaign, Ricoh will also equip its new Singapore headquarters, set to launch in May, with several energy efficient features that will better contribute to the circular economy.

“Every year, Ricoh identifies different SDGs that we think are key to a greener and brighter future”, said Mr Yuji Hiruma, Director and Senior General Manager, Digital Workplace Marketing Division, Ricoh Asia Pacific. “This year, we’re excited to bring the issues of energy, climate, and consumption to the forefront together with partners such as Mitsubishi Electric Asia and Singapore Pools and contribute more strongly to peace and prosperity for people and the planet now and beyond.”

“With climate change, it is imperative that we put sustainability at the centre of everything we do. All of us can and should play a part. Ricoh’s initiatives to encourage corporates, schools and individuals to take action are heartening. I hope these efforts will inspire others to step forward to be climate game changers,” said Ms Selina Lim, Director, Communications and 3P Partnership Division, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR).

Clean energy is a growing topic of interest in Singapore and Asia Pacific. Just last year, the Singapore government announced plans to produce enough solar energy to meet at least 10% of peak daily electricity demand by 2030. This year during the Budget 2020, Singapore also announced plans to halve 2030 peak greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and phase out all fossil fuel vehicles within the next two decades.

Pledge Campaign to address SDG 13: Climate Action

The Ricoh Eco Action Day 2020 pledge campaign has also been launched, inviting organisations, schools and individuals to pledge a long-term commitment to combat climate change over these two months. Besides spurring urgent actions to combat climate change set forth in SDG 13, this pledge campaign is also strongly aligned to the MEWR’s “Let’s Game Change Climate Change” campaign.

Based on the MEWR’s recommendations, individuals are encouraged to take simple actions such as reducing shower times and increasing air-conditioner temperatures, to help lessen energy usage and carbon emissions. Beyond that, the pledge campaign seeks to inspire long-term behavioural change for the environment.

Ricoh will match carbon savings from pledges made by each organisation and school with the same amount of natural gas carbon units generated from an electricity plant on Jurong Island. 

Last year’s campaign was highly successful with pledges resulting in a total of 166,150 kWh of energy savings, enough to power 420 four-room HDB flats for a month. A combined 69,650 kg of carbon dioxide emissions was also reduced, equivalent to the amount absorbed by 38,694 trees a month.

Eco Action Day Dialogue Session to address SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

On June 2, Ricoh will gather industry players, government representatives, energy providers and sustainability experts virtually to discuss topics on SDG 7 as well as the opportunities and challenges in corporate decarbonisation. Participants will also discuss how businesses can shrink their carbon footprint besides using renewables, the current regulatory barriers that prevent the greater adoption of green technologies as well as the policies that would accelerate it.

Net-zero and carbon-negative are big focuses in corporate sustainability this year, and more than 200 firms have joined RE100, a global club of companies committed to powering their entire operations with renewables.

Community Seed Distribution to address SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

Addressing the need to produce and consume resources responsibly (SDG 12), and in support of MEWR’s “Singapore Food Story” campaign, Ricoh will distribute gardening seeds to the wider community, encouraging the public to plant and harvest their own fruits and vegetables.

A partnership with the South West Community Development Council (SWCDC), North West Community Development Council (NWCDC), Sustainable Singapore Gallery and various schools, this initiative seeks to inspire Singaporeans to grow local, and to shift towards more sustainable production and consumption. This reduces the reliance on agricultural imports and minimises carbon emissions.

This ties back to Singapore’s vision to meet 30% of Singapore’s nutritional needs through locally produced food by 2030. Singapore currently imports over 90% of food supplies, rendering our city-state vulnerable to volatilities and disruptions in the global food market and supplies.

Ricoh’s new Asia Pacific Headquarters now equipped with several green features

In May, Ricoh is shifting its Asia Pacific headquarters to Prudential Towers Singapore. The new headquarters will focus even more strongly on sustainability, including features that contribute to a circular economy and innovation infrastructure.

Compared to its previous office, its new premises achieve space savings of about 20%, while increasing co-working spaces at the same time. It also includes environmentally-friendly features such as LED lighting, motion and human sensors for energy conservation. The new office will also include stronger SDG messaging, a Comet Circle exhibition demonstrating Ricoh’s environmental impact reduction scheme, and a refurbished machine display for educational purposes. Ricoh Asia Pacific’s office has been Eco-Office Certified since 2004 in recognition of its environmentally-friendly practices. It is also the first office in Singapore to have received such an award.

Mr Hiruma concluded, “These are just some of the activities Ricoh has embarked on to tackle climate change, and our commitment does not end here. We have a lot more planned for the campaign that we are excited to share in the near future. Sustainability is at the core of our business and we call on other corporates to join us in this journey towards solving social issues.”

For media inquiries, please contact:

• Eugene Chuang | Ruder Finn Asia | HP: (+65) 8222 1741
• Crystal Tan | Ruder Finn Asia | HP: (+65) 8128 8268

About Eco Action Day

Eco Action Day is a national public awareness campaign organised by Ricoh since 2007, in partnership with key NGO, government, and private sector partners in Singapore. It is held in June every year to commemorate the United Nations Environment Programme’s World Environment Day, which seeks to raise global awareness on the need to take positive action for the environment. Every year, Ricoh, along with various supporting partners, engages its employees, customers, corporate neighbours and government organizations and the wider public to take steps to reduce their impact on the environment.

To date, more than 1,500 organisations, including multinational corporations, government agencies, private companies, and tertiary institutions have participated in Eco Action Day.

About Ricoh

Ricoh is empowering digital workplaces using innovative technologies and services enabling individuals to work smarter. For more than 80 years, Ricoh has been driving innovation and is a leading provider of document management solutions, IT services, commercial and industrial printing, digital cameras, and industrial systems.

Headquartered in Tokyo, Ricoh Group operates in approximately 200 countries and regions. In the financial year ended March 2019, Ricoh Group had worldwide sales of 2,013 billion yen (approx.18.1 billion USD).

For further information, please visit www.ricoh.com/

About World Environment Day

World Environment Day (WED) is the biggest annual event for positive environmental action and takes place every 5 June. Since it began in 1972, global citizens have organised many events as they celebrate, engaging millions across the globe through events on the ground in over 70 countries. Every year, participants, young and old, organise many events. These include neighbourhood clean-ups, action against wildlife crime, replanting forests, art exhibits, concerts, dance recitals, recycling drives, social media campaigns, all themed around caring for the planet.

WED has grown to become one of the main vehicles through which the UN encourages positive action for the environment. Through WED, the UN Environment Programme enables everyone to realise not only the responsibility to care for the Earth, but also reminds one and all of their individual power to become agents of change. Every action counts, and when multiplied by a global chorus, becomes exponential in its impact.