Ricoh Australia has slashed its carbon emissions per employee by 20 per cent as part of a global effort to reduce them to 12.5 per cent of 2000 levels by 2050.

The manufacturer says despite its integration of Lanier last year total emissions only went up six per cent because of its wide range of sustainability measures.

Managing director John Hall says the integration increased staff numbers by 25 per cent and created duplicate offices in most states.

“This naturally led to increased electricity usage, air travel, waste to landfill and so on. This resulted in an overall increase in organisational emissions by just six per cent: an outstanding result considering the much larger increase in resources,” he says.

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Ricoh was also able to renew its carboNZero certification, which is says is one of many ways it ensures it is reducing its carbon footprint and environmental impact.

The company has developed a waste management program to recycle end-of-life machines and service parts, which results in a resource recovery rate of up to 98 per cent.

“Our sustainability strategy is directly linked to our company strategy. Our goal is to consistently maintain a leadership position in sustainability, lead by example, and inspire our customers to do the same,” Hall says.

There are five key steps to achieving carboNZeroCertTM certification: measuring the company’s carbon footprint; managing the company’s greenhouse gas emissions; mitigating or offsetting unavoidable emissions; verifying measurements independently; and communicating with the marketplace.

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