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Ricoh wins WEC GOLD MEDAL for International Corporate Achievement in Sustainable Development
Tokyo, January 14, 2003 - Ricoh, a global leader in digital office equipment, has been awarded the 19th annual World Environmental Center (WEC) Gold Medal for International Achievement in Sustainable Development. An independent Jury of distinguished international environmentalists awards the prestigious WEC Gold Medal to a corporation that demonstrates preeminent leadership and contributes to worldwide environmental quality.
Previous winners include CEMEX (2002), Royal Dutch Shell (2001), Eastman Kodak (1999), Philips Electronics N.V. (1998), Compaq (1997), Xerox (1993) and IBM (1990). This marks the first time that a company from Asia has been honored with the medal.
The award will be presented at a formal gala on Thursday May 15, 2003 at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. Masamitsu Sakurai, President and COO of Ricoh Company, Ltd., will accept the medal on behalf of Ricoh's more than 74,000 employees worldwide.
Commenting on the award, Mr. Sakurai said, "You cannot achieve true responsibility as a global player without assuming your responsibilities to the environment. At Ricoh environmentalism is front and center: it informs all our activities. Our environmental management has now reached the stage where profitability and sustainability have equal weight and are closely intertwined, something we impress upon the mind of every single employee. This enables us to give our customers added value through cutting edge technology as well as passing on our environmental knowledge. We humbly accept the WEC award as a testament to the strength of our beliefs and operating principles."
The jury based its award on a comprehensive group of achievements demonstrating superior performance in policy, implementation and leadership, constituting a compelling program of sustainable development.
Ricoh impressed the jury with a combination of performance and complimentary programs in world-class energy efficiency technology, reduction of global climate warming emissions, zero-waste to landfill production and products, green suppliers pipeline, and a cutting edge environmental management system globally applied.
In America, Ricoh Corporation's contribution toward the establishment and spread of the Energy Star program is proof of Ricoh's leadership in combating global warming. In recognition of its efforts, Ricoh Corporation won the Energy Star award for 5 straight years, from 1996 to 2000.
In July 2001, Ricoh was the first major Japanese company to sign "e-mission 55," a petition for companies in favor of adopting the Kyoto Protocol. This clarified Ricoh's firm resolve to prevent global warming, while at the same time encouraging other Japanese companies to support the protocol.
According to Dr. Joel Abrams, Chairman of the Gold Medal Jury "collectively, these accomplishments serve as a model for corporations to achieve success through sustainability. The Jury believes this model will provide an excellent standard for the office landscape of the future and as an example for other similar enterprises."
This is not the first time Ricoh has been so honored. The Ricoh Group was ranked No.1 for environmental performance by the Nikkei Shimbun three years running and is currently ranked No.1 by Oekom, a German corporate responsibility ranking agency.
About WEC
Founded in 1972, the World Environment Center (WEC) is an independent, non-profit, non-advocacy organization. Working with the private sector, international organizations and academia, the WEC promotes sustainable development by encouraging environmental leadership, improving health and safety practices worldwide, and fostering efficient use of natural resources.
Address: WEC, 419 Park Avenue South, Suite 500, New York, NY 10016
Website: www.wec.org
About Ricoh Corporation
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