Ricoh marks finale of 13th annual Eco Action Day campaign

• Ceremony at Republic Polytechnic included a tree planting and the donation of a chengal wood arbour and an upcycled bench made from used toner cartridges
• 87 organisations and 1,200 individuals pledged to take green eco-friendly actions on the Eco Action Day website
• Ricoh also kicked off inaugural community seed distribution initiative in support of Singapore’s “30-by-30” vision

Singapore, 23 July 2019 – Ricoh Asia Pacific (Ricoh), the Japanese electric multinational imaging electronics company, concluded its 13th annual Eco Action Day campaign today with a finale ceremony at Republic Polytechnic’s Rain Garden. The campaign encouraged different stakeholders, from businesses to the public, to think seriously about positive actions via pledge movement, roadshows, a roundtable, and more.

Guest of Honour, Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources, participated in the finale ceremony which included a tree planting and the donation of a chengal wood arbour and an upcycled bench made from used toner cartridges, all of which were sponsored by Ricoh. Around 30 guests attended the event, including representatives from organisations such as Eco-Business, Mitsubishi Electric Asia, PacificLight Power, the North West Community Development Council and the South West Community Development Council.

Photos taken during finale ceremony at Republic Polytechnic

Eco Action Day is Singapore’s largest and longest-running business-led environmental campaign. This year’s edition saw 87 organisations and 1,200 individuals pledging on the Eco Action Day website to take green eco-friendly actions in their daily and work lives.

The following results were achieved through this year’s campaign:

• 166,150 kWh of energy saved, enough to power 420 four-room HDB flats for a month
• 69,650kg of carbon dioxide emissions reduced, equivalent to the amount absorbed by 38,694 trees a month

Mr Yuji Hiruma, Director and Senior General Manager of Digital Workplace Marketing at Ricoh Asia Pacific, said, “We are thankful to all who pledged during Eco Action Day and hope that they will continue this spirit of going green even as we conclude this year’s campaign. Actions as simple as practicing the 3Rs – Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle – can go a long way towards creating a circular economy. At Ricoh, we believe in driving sustainability for the future, and have more plans to support this commitment beyond 2019.”

Dr Khor said: “One of the biggest threats facing the world today is climate change. Many countries are experiencing extreme climate-related disasters such as floods and droughts. Singapore is not immune to the effects of climate change. We need to address it, more urgently than ever. I urge everyone to do your part for the environment. Through our collective efforts, we can create a sustainable Singapore for future generations.”

Inaugural Seed Distribution Initiative

Following the finale, Ricoh kicked off its inaugural community seed distribution initiative. Three types of seeds – mini tomatoes, okra, and water spinach – specifically chosen to be distributed to the community for their ease of harvest in Singapore’s tropical climate.

In support of Singapore’s “30-by-30” vision to produce 30% of Singapore’s nutritional needs locally by 2030, Ricoh hopes this initiative will cultivate sustainable production and consumption habits by encouraging the public to plant and harvest their own fruits and vegetables.

To distribute the seeds, Ricoh will be partnering with the North West Community Development Council, the South West Community Development Council, Republic Polytechnic, United World College, Singapore American School and ITE College East. The community seed distribution will conclude at the end of November.

A Fruitful 2019 Eco Action Day Campaign

Over the course of three months, this year’s Eco Action Day campaign tackled Goal 13 of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), urging individuals and organisations to take urgent climate action. Ricoh organised several initiatives to trigger positive environmental action from a wide group of stakeholders in Singapore.

These initiatives included the campaign’s annual and highly anticipated Eco Action Day Roundtable in May 2019. Held for its third consecutive year, this year’s roundtable centred on the theme “Recycling: The Road to Zero Waste?”. More than 60 government, senior business and academic leaders, including Mr Tan Meng Dui, Chief Executive Officer of the National Environment Agency, discussed about the future of recycling and ways to create a circular economy through sustainable waste management.

Other initiatives organised by Ricoh and the community in support of the Eco Action Day campaign include roadshows across schools in Singapore where students learnt about sustainable waste management, water conservation and the impact of climate change.

This year’s Eco Action Day campaign was part of the newly renamed “Ricoh Global SDGs Action 2019” initiative, which encourages Ricoh employees around the world to think about how they can contribute towards achieving the SDGs. This initiative also included a “Green Safety Month” campaign in Thailand, with activities such as a canal clean-up, a pledge outreach programme that boosted awareness of environmental management issues, and the planting and distribution of 1,150 trees to aid biodiversity conservation efforts within the community.

Eco Action Day has been supported by multiple public and private sector organisations since its inception in 2007. This year’s partners include the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, National Environment Agency, Mitsubishi Electric Asia, PacificLight Power, Singapore Pools, the Singapore Environment Council, and Sunseap Group, among others.

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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 on 5 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 1,400 organisations, including multinational corporations, government agencies, private companies, and tertiary institutions have participated in Eco Action Day.

For further information, please visit www.ecoaction.sg/.

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, communications 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

© 2019 RICOH COMPANY, LTD. All rights reserved. All referenced product names are the trademarks of their respective companies.

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 United Nations (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.