The Konica Minolta Group aims to promote sustainable development. By integrating environmental, economic and social perspectives into its business strategies, business activities are implemented in harmony with human lives and with the Earth in all aspects.

The commitment has been fulfilled throughout the practices of a strategic concept – to make continuous progress toward resolution of environmental challenges based on quantitative measurement and analysis of reliable data in regard to environmental performance and impact. Under this system, all Konica Minolta Group employees are committed to continuous environmental improvement activities complying with the Environmental Policy.

Konica Minolta’s dedication to the environment receives credits. Numerous awards and certifications have been presented to the Group over the years. Furthermore, Konica Minolta is selected among the 2011 Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World, a global list of corporations that excel in sustainability, at the Annual General Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. It is an honorable recognition to Konica Minolta’s accumulated effort to achieve sustainable development along with the business sectors and the community.



           

To address environmental issues, including the prevention of global warming and working toward a recycling-based society, the Konica Minolta Group implements measures in consideration of the entire product lifecycle.

We operate an ISO 14001-based environmental management system as part of our efforts regarding group-wide environmental activities. The Group has acquired multi-site ISO 14001 certification, so that the entire Group can be managed under a single ISO certification. This has enabled prompt and efficient environmental activities throughout all product lifecycle stages.

We are also promoting the sales of energy-saving products that help reduce CO2 emissions when our products are in use, and are encouraging the collection of used products.

Environmental Soundness Check
Konica Minolta manufactures products under its Design for Environment approach. We assess the environmental impact at each stage in a product's lifecycle, from raw material/part procurement to manufacture, transportation/sale, use, reuse/recycling and disposal. We have established assessment criteria that enable us to take appropriate measures from a comprehensive viewpoint.
Green Procurement
To ensure that products are environmentally sound, the Konica Minolta Group promotes its Green Procurement Policy globally. To our raw materials and parts procurement assessment criteria (quality, cost and delivery), we have added environmental factors to ensure emphasis on materials and parts with less environmental impact. We also use corporate assessment surveys to evaluate our suppliers in terms of their environmental management systems.
Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS)
Konica Minolta has already discontinued the use of hazardous substances in both RoHS-designed and non-RoHS designed products since 2006. By the end of fiscal year 2007, we have planned to phase out all specified hazardous substances in all products.
Action to Control Chemical Substance Emissions from Products
To minimize the impact of our products on the office environment, Konica Minolta has been striving to develop products that satisfy the strict criteria of Blue Angel, a standard that rigorously restricts operational noise, vibrations, and emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), in addition to environmental impact in the broader sense.

Since fiscal year 2006, we can gain the data necessary for obtaining the Blue Angel certification for our MFPs within the country where they are designed and developed. Moreover, we now can feed back the measurement results, thus improving our products more quickly, which in turn help us market safe products with greater speed and efficiency.
Energy Efficiency Improvement in MFPs
As part of its effort toward energy-saving for digital MFPs, Konica Minolta is committed to reducing power consumption during the fusing process, by employing induction heating (IH) fusing technology.

By applying IH fusing technology to color digital MFPs, in fiscal year 2006, we introduced the bizhub C550 into the market, as the industry's best energy-saving model in the category of color MFPs.

The bizhub C650 and bizhub C550 digital colour MFPs won a prestigious energy conservation award in Japan. Officially called the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy Director-General’s Award, this is one of the 18th Energy Conservation Grand Prizes in the energy-saving machines and systems category for 2007.
Reduction of CO2 Emissions through the Use of Simitri Polymerized Toner
Konica Minolta has developed and manufactured a Simitri Polymerized Toner, produced by using a polymerization process to achieve an approximately 40% reduction in CO2 emissions during production, as compared with toners produced by pulverization methods. In addition, the Simitri Polymerized Toner can be fused at a lower temperature. It is also effective in cutting power consumption in the fusing process.
Resource Conservation through Design
In keeping with our efforts to design environmentally sound products, Konica Minolta is committed to achieving ever more resource-saving designs such as the following productions:
  • Compact, Lightweight Color Printer magicolor 2500 Series
  • Reducing Thickness of TAC Film for Liquid Crystal Displays
  • Saving Resources in Lenses and Lens Units

Konica Minolta is committed to helping prevent global warming from an overall product lifecycle perspective. Our measures for reducing CO2 emissions cover not only emissions from our business sites during product manufacture, but also during product distribution and use at the customer's site.

We have introduced the Lifecycle Assessment (LCA) method, and collects and check data on CO2 emissions throughout the lifecycle of a wide range of products. To effectively reduce CO2 emissions, on the basis of our assessment results, we take measures tailored to each product's characteristics, e.g., products with higher emission rates during the production stage, or with higher rates when in use.

On the basis of this concept, Konica Minolta has established a challenging target: a 20% reduction in CO2 emissions by fiscal year 2010 as compared to the 2000 level throughout the product lifecycle, from production and distribution to use.

Induction Heating Fusing Technology
Induction Heating (IH) Fusing technology, which has greatly helped reduce power consumption of MFPs and copiers, is just one of Konica Minolta's many environmentally sound technologies.

IH Fusing technology minimizes energy losses, since the coils heat the roller directly. In addition, the temperature can be easily controlled by regulating the amount of electric current applied to the coils, making it possible to use the exact amount of energy required without consuming excessive power.

 

Simitri Toner
Konica Minolta's polymerized toner is called "Simitri toner". It is a next-generation toner with less environmental impact during both the production process and use by the consumer. Compared to a conventional pulverized toner, Simitri toner has higher environmental performance as the polymerization method has achieved an approximate 40% reduction in CO2, which contributes to global warming.

 

Konica Minolta has expanded the scope of applications of the more environmentally sound Simitri toner (polymerized toner), from black-and-white toners to color toners, adopting the Simitri toner in a range of MFPs and printers. We have also increased the use of the Simitri HD toner, a further upgraded polymerized toner.

 

 

 

As set out in our management vision, Konica Minolta strives not only to "lead the market in technical reliability", but also to "respond to our environment and contribute to society through cultural development and similar endeavours" as a corporate citizen, and to create a society enjoying greater abundance and health. With such believes, Konica Minolta actively supports green activities including a green charity concert and eco education tours.

"Konica Minolta ‧ Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Green Concert"

In order to promote the green concept to the public, Konica Minolta is pleased to be the Title Sponsor of the first Hong Kong‘ s zero-carbon emission Green Concert, co-organized with The Tung Wah Group of Hospitals and organized by Metro Radio in 2011. The goal of the concert is to combine the concept of Sport, Music and Charity elements, as well as put environmental protection and a greener life as our concern.

Prior to the Green Concert, The Power Generating Challenge is held. Konica Minolta, with other enterprises and schools from the cycling teams targeting at fundraising donation and collecting electricity for the concept.

Overall awards of Konica Minolta include "The Golden Corporation" awarding the highest amount of donations, "The Most Powerful Team" and "The Strongest Rider" for the greatest amount of power generated.