Ricoh USA, Inc. has announced that it has received the 2020 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Sustained Excellence Award for continued leadership and contributions to ENERGY STAR. This year marks the fifth consecutive year Ricoh has been named an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year, and the third year in a row with the Sustained Excellence distinction, which is presented to a partner at the EPA’s discretion. This latest accolade acknowledges Ricoh’s work to foster environmental sustainability in its own operations and evangelize sustainability to customers, employees and the larger business community.
“Good corporate citizenship is incredibly important at this historic moment,“ said Donna Venable, executive vice president, Human Resources and Deputy General Manager, Shared Services, Ricoh Americas. “As a large, multinational corporation, Ricoh understands its unique position to contribute to the fight for the future of our planet. This is a duty we are glad to take up, and one we have carried out for decades. Sustainability requires proactive, sustained effort, and Ricoh is making sure to put in the work.”
Ricoh, an ENERGY STAR partner for imaging equipment since its inception, will be honored for:
- Technology services in support of ENERGY STAR – In its work to empower digital workplaces, Ricoh designs and develops products with ENERGY STAR specifications in mind, creating energy efficiency without sacrificing business productivity. As a result, 100% of all eligible new Ricoh products in 2019 were ENERGY STAR certified. Taking an innovative approach to sustainability, the company also rolled out RICOH Always Current Technology (ACT) in 2019. ACT remotely updates firmware and other features to help “future proof” devices, allowing remote support to help customers without the added carbon footprint of technician travel.
- Establishing, educating and training for ENERGY STAR Version 3.0 – Ricoh worked closely with the EPA to establish Version 3.0 of the ENERGY STAR imaging equipment specification, offering insights from manufacturers’ and customers’ points of view. As a result, the company understands it quite well. Ricoh leveraged its deep knowledge of the standards to help customers, partners and dealers better understand how they can meet their requirements and contribute to energy conservation. As part of this effort, Ricoh produced a video about the importance of ENERGY STAR, which was played on a loop at customer and dealer events, alongside collateral provided to Ricoh employees to better educate them on the specifications and benefits of the standard. Additionally, Ricoh’s global sustainability lead executive presented on the importance of sustainability to Ricoh both as a closely held value and a business advantage at ConvergX, the company’s major meeting of its entire dealer network.
- Increasing MIF’s ENERGY STAR engagement by 30 points – Ricoh launched the EcoMode program, which challenges customers to take advantage of the most sustainable features of their ENERGY STAR-certified products. As technology’s ability to conserve energy begins to plateau, Ricoh has turned its attention to customer and consumer behavior. This initiative aimed to increase enablement of the EcoMode to 90% of its machines in the field (MIF). Over the course of the program, EcoMode enablement jumped 50% to 80%, and the program continues to push for improvement.
- External outreach: customers and beyond – To further help spread ENERGY STAR’s message, Ricoh launched a program to promote greater customer engagement in ENERGY STAR activities, further expanded its promotion of ENERGY STAR to its dealer network, launched a multi-constituency ENERGY STAR education program, and exceeded its previous public relations and social media reach in support of ENERGY STAR. The company also promoted ENERGY STAR-related events through Climate Week, ENERGY STAR Day and Earth Day to generate sustainability awareness.
- Commitment to continued progress – Globally Ricoh has committed to eliminating its greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 as part of the RE100 pledge to rely on 30 percent renewable energy by 2030 and 100 percent renewable energy by 2050. Further, Ricoh has joined the EPA SmartWay® Transport Partnership, an innovative collaboration between the EPA and industry to provide a framework to assess the environmental and energy efficiency of goods movement supply chain. Ricoh’s work will contribute to the Partnership’s overall savings of 280 million barrels of oil, $37.5 billion in fuel costs, and 134 million tons of air pollutants. All Ricoh manufacturing and production sites worldwide are ISO 14001 certified for their environmental management system.
“I salute the 2020 ENERGY STAR award winners,” said Anne Idsal, principal deputy assistant administrator for Air and Radiation, EPA. “These leaders demonstrate how energy efficiency drives economic competitiveness in tandem with environmental protection.”
The highest honor among ENERGY STAR awards is the ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year—Sustained Excellence Award. EPA presents the Sustained Excellence Award to partners that have already received ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year recognition for a minimum of two consecutive years and have gone above and beyond the criteria needed to qualify for recognition. Winners hail from small, family-owned businesses to Fortune 500 organizations—representing energy-efficient products, services, new homes, and buildings in the commercial, industrial, and public sectors.
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