Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. (Konica Minolta), today announced a new alliance with the Arbor Day Foundation in an effort to revitalize U.S. national forests. In partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and other local planting partners, 10,000 trees will be planted in forests affected by wildfires or other natural disasters. The initiative will have significant impact over the next 40 years, sequestering 1,617 metric tons of net carbon dioxide, intercepting 11,100,000 gallons of rainfall and removing 207 tons of air pollution.
“As a global corporation committed to our planet, we are honored to participate in a program that will have such an important environmental impact on our world,” said Kay Fernandez, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Konica Minolta. “The Arbor Day Foundation’s commitment to embracing sustainable practices and solutions aligns with Konica Minolta’s global 2050 vision, further fulfilling our mission to create value for society while contributing to a sustainable future.”
“We are excited to work with Konica Minolta to plant trees in forests desperately needing replanting. Forests clean our air and water, mitigate climate change, and house critical wildlife, but these resources are at risk due to wildfires and other natural disasters,” said Dan Lambe, President of the Arbor Day Foundation. “Thanks to the support of partners like Konica Minolta, we can begin to regenerate life back to these areas.”
For decades, Konica Minolta has been committed to sustainability across its global operations. Its environmental action plan, Eco Vision 2050, sets ambitious goals, including reducing co2 emissions by 80 percent (compared to 2005 levels), promoting recycling and biodiversity and shifting to 100 percent renewable energy sources globally by 2050.
The company’s commitment to sustainability is reflected in local efforts at Konica Minolta’s U.S. headquarters in Ramsey, New Jersey. Employees volunteer hundreds of hours each year to environmental initiatives, supporting sustainability in its communities. The site has been partially powered by solar energy for more than six years. The solar energy system consists of carport canopies supporting solar panels that produce about 10 – 15 percent of the campus’ energy needs. The system represents the first and largest corporate solar installation in Ramsey.
Konica Minolta is committed to helping its customers achieve their environmental goals as well. Its Clean Planet Program has been providing customers the opportunity to easily recycle consumables from its products at no cost for many years. Recyclables are then recovered and reused to create new items such as park benches and sidewalks. Since launch, 59,000 customers have helped to recycle more than 1,079,000 items, equating to nearly 748 tons of materials kept out of landfills.
Konica Minolta also designs its products with the environment in mind, reusing plastic from recycled PET and PC beverage bottles and jugs to create the exterior of its MFPs, and using waste toner bottles made of recycled milk containers. Its printers, copiers and MFPs have a significant environmental advantage with Simitri HD, an exclusive, polymerized toner formulation which contributes to a reduction in environmental impact. It has smaller, more uniform particles than ordinary toners, thus requiring almost one-third less toner to create an image.
Konica Minolta works hard year round to reduce its environmental impact wherever it can, following the United Nations Global Compact to guide global and community initiatives. Learn more about Konica Minolta’s environmental efforts online.