NEW YORK, Jan. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- The World Environment Center's
Nineteenth Annual WEC Gold Medal for International Corporate Achievement in
Sustainable Development has been awarded to the Ricoh Group ("Ricoh"), a
leader in enviromentally-friendly office automation products and processes.
The WEC Gold Medal is awarded by an independent Jury of distinguished
international environmental experts to a corporation that demonstrates
preeminent industry leadership and contributes to worldwide environmental
quality.
The Award will be presented at a formal gala on Thursday May 15, 2003
at
the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. in recognition of the
company's global leadership in sustainable development. Mr. Masamitsu
Sakurai, President and Chief Operating Officer of Ricoh Co., Ltd., will
accept
the award on behalf of Ricoh's more than 74,000 employees in Japan, the
Americas, Europe, China and Taiwan, and the Asia-Pacific region.
Commenting on the award, Mr. Sakurai reflected on the company's
strategy
for sustainable success, "To survive in the new century as a respected
corporation in the global community, a company needs to excel in
environment-conscious management and social responsibility and obtain the
support of society. Recognizing that fact, the Ricoh Group promotes
sustainable management from a global point of view, making efforts to
revitalize the economy of local communities and nurturing its personnel by
laying emphasis on the following three points.
"First, the active participation of the top management and all
group-wide
employees is a key to success. Next, creating economic value through
environmental management is essential to engage in environmental
conservation
activities continuously. And finally, we must establish a reputation for
social reliability by publicizing our activities. The Ricoh Group further
promotes activities that restrict the environmental impact of its business
activities so that the environment can recover. We humbly accept the WEC
award, which we see as a testament to the strength of our beliefs and
operating principles."
The Jury cited Ricoh for its integrated commitment to the environment
and
sustainable development. The Jury based its award on a complete and
comprehensive group of achievements that demonstrates superior performance
in
the areas of policy, implementation, and leadership constituting a
compelling
program of sustainable development.
"Guided by a philosophy the organization calls 'our earth, our
tomorrow,'
Ricoh believes that we all share the planet and are obligated to protect
and
preserve it," notes Dr. Joel Abrams, Professor Emeritus of the University
of
Pittsburgh and Chairman of the independent Gold Medal Jury.
The Signature Contribution on which the Jury based its award decision
is
Ricoh's outstanding performance combined with complementary programs in
world
class energy efficiency technology, reduction of global climate-warming
emissions, zero-waste production and products, green suppliers pipeline,
and a
cutting edge environmental management system globally applied.
"Collectively, these accomplishments serve as a model for corporations
to
achieve success through sustainability," according to Dr. Abrams, "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."
The World Environment Center Gold Medal for International Corporate
Achievement in Sustainable Development was established in 1985 to recognize
preeminent industry leadership initiatives and contributions to worldwide
environmental quality and sustainable development. The Jury carefully
examines
all award applications submitted by qualified multinational companies each
year. The Jury examines each nomination for a clearly articulated set of
values, a history of proven accomplishment, a global outlook and a
commitment
to sustainable development. A complete list of Jury members, the Citation
for
the 2003 WEC Gold Medal Awardee, and a list of previous recipients are
available at the WEC website: http://www.wec.org/wecgm.htm . The WEC Gold
Medal Jury is completely independent of WEC and its programs, and is
composed
of international environmental leaders from academia, government, industry,
and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
About Ricoh
Ricoh Company, Ltd., was established on February 6, 1936. The Ricoh
Group
consists of 376 subsidiaries, and 28 affiliates. The Ricoh Group engages
in
such global-scale activities as the development, production, marketing,
after-sales service, and recycling of office equipment, including copiers
and
printers, information equipment, optical devices, and other electronic
equipment, in five regions around the world. The Group has more than
74,000
employees. For more information about Ricoh, please visit
http://www.ricoh.co.jp/ .
About the WEC
The World Environment Center (WEC) is an independent, not-for-profit,
non-advocacy organization. Working with the private sector, international
organizations, non-governmental organizations and academia, the WEC
promotes
sustainable development by encouraging environmental leadership, improving
health and safety practices worldwide, and fostering the efficient use of
natural resources to protect the global environment. The WEC supports its
mission through three central programs: the International Environment Forum
(IEF); the WEC Gold Medal Award; and Capacity Building Programs. For more
information about the WEC, please visit http://www.wec.org/ .
Previous recipients of the WEC Gold Medal are: CEMEX, The Royal
Dutch/Shell Group, International Paper Company, Eastman Kodak Company;
Philips
Electronics N.V., Compaq Computer Corporation, Alcoa, Ciba-Geigy Limited,
S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc., Xerox Corporation, Procter & Gamble Company, Rohm
and Haas Company, IBM Corporation, The Dow Chemical Company, The BP Group,
E.I. Du Pont de Nemours & Company, Exxon Corporation and 3M.
SOURCE The World Environment Center
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