Our Commitment to Sustainability: Building a Circular, Low-Impact Future in Print

As an organisation, we aim to consistently achieve the environmental targets of an average annual 3% improvement, in the index of lifecycle CO₂ emissions per product unit set in 2008 - and realise a cumulative total 50% improvement by 2030.

This involves consistent action across our entire business from operations, manufacturing and transportation to product design and packaging.

Over the years our commitment to sustainability has been acknowledged by a number of industry recognitions and awards. The latest of which is the EcoVadis Platinum Rating for our sustainability efforts, placing us within the top 1% of companies assessed globally, with an overall score in the 99th percentile. In 2024, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) awarded us with an A score for climate change ¹, the third time we have been included in their highest-ranking A list, placing us in the top 2% of companies assessed in this category.

We are working to expand the use of renewable energy in a variety of ways, taking into account the regional prevalence of renewable energy and the initiatives of various countries. For example, we have installed solar generation panels on the premises of Canon Vietnam’s Thang Long Factory, Canon Zhongshan Business Machines, and other sites, where the renewable energy generated is then used. In addition, at five factories of four production sites—Canon Suzhou, Canon Vietnam (Thang Long Factory and Tien Son Factory), Canon Hi-Tech Thailand (Ayutthaya Factory), and Canon Prachinburi Thailand— renewable energy certificates, which document the environmental value of renewable energy, were obtained again in 2024. This means that 100% renewable energy was being used at these locations, all of which produce products for our printing business such as office multifunctional devices, home inkjet printers, and large-format inkjet printers. ²

Becoming more energy efficient is a key sustainability concern for many businesses and we work closely with our customers and partners to help them to achieve these goals.

Print technology is fast paced and rapidly evolving and it is therefore important that PSPs explore new investments fully, from initial and long-term running costs, to how the technology can improve their environmental performance overall.

We also design and produce our products with sustainability in mind from the earliest stages of design - continually striving to improve our products and their environmental performance. For example, our imagePRESS V900 uses 7.5% less energy than its predecessor model - and, in ‘ready-mode’, our current ColorWave printers use 22% less energy compared to the 1st generation.

Through robust R&D, we also continue to improve our printers’ overall performance and reduce costs – looking carefully at all areas of our portfolio including hardware, software and consumables.

Our range of imagePROGRAF large format printers deliver a range of sustainability benefits including packaging which is free from expanded polystyrene foam (EPS), 100% empty ink tanks and zero waste ³. Models include a hot-swap ink tank and a reserve sub-ink tank, which allow continuous printing even during ink tank replacement – this helps to save energy and maintain productivity.

Our UVgel technology also uses 50% less energy compared to legacy technologies - whilst the VariaDot technology in our Arizona printers uses up to 50% less ink than fixed dot six-colour flatbed printers.

However, it’s not just our hardware and consumables that can help to support PSPs environmental goals. Our PRISMA suite of software solutions help customers to optimise their workflows, improving energy usage and reducing downtime. Media and ink/toner usage across our fleets are also reduced, thanks to fewer print job errors and real time status updates of each printer within a fleet.

We are striving to become a circular business where every single product and material is designed, created, reused, repaired, and recycled in a closed loop.

Transforming the way, we operate and manufacture our products to contribute towards the circular economy is an important part of our sustainability strategy. Through our continuous innovation, we are committed to keeping our products, parts and materials in use for as long as possible to help reduce environmental impact for both our customers and our own organisation.

Through our circular business approach, we remanufacture and refurbish parts, consumables and a number of devices within our portfolio – helping our products to be used and last for longer.

Remanufacturing a machine (re-built from individual components to a like-new state) promotes waste reduction, decreases the need for new natural resources and saves CO₂ emissions in manufacturing. Our remanufactured Arizona devices, for instance, have up to 32% lower CO₂ footprint than a newly manufactured model.

In addition, a number of our multifunction printers get a second life through our Certified Used range, where the products undergo a refurbishment process, helping parts and hardware to stay in use for longer.

Due to our circular approach, across all global operations since 2008, 47,681 tons of plastics from used products have been recycled for reuse. And the majority of our high-volume production inkjet presses have a second life with most being refurbished locally.

Printing with the climate in mind goes beyond printer technologies and when it comes to media, there has never been a greater variety of options to choose from. For over a decade, we’ve offered a broad range of sustainable media for every type of digital solution – and we work closely with media manufacturers to test new and upcoming media for compatibility before they enter the market.

We are continuously working on reducing the environmental impact of our production across the whole paper supply chain from raw materials, energy, water consumption, emissions and waste management.

Through Canon Imaging Supplies, we provide recycled and ClimatePartner certified media which uses pulp from FSC- and PEFC-certified sources. Our Zero paper range offers carbon compensated papers fit for both sheetfed and wide format print applications.

Sustainable print solutions are becoming increasingly important, and the print industry as a whole is adapting rapidly to develop more sustainable solutions to meet crucial net-zero and carbon footprint goals.

Many PSPs are aware that sustainability must be a priority as part of their wider business strategy. They also know that introducing sustainable practices into printing operations can be slow and time consuming and must be balanced against a variety of other operational realities, from high material prices to labour shortages.

We will continue to evaluate our products, services and operations with sustainability in mind - working closely with our customers, to help them achieve their sustainability goals, whilst supporting them in addressing the wider needs of their operations.