In 2008, we formulated “Action for Green” as our environmental vision, positioning “environmental value” as the main concept in initiatives to realize a society that achieves a beneficial balance between lifestyle enrichment and the environment. To create this value, Canon seeks to supply products and services that enrich people’s lives while also reducing environmental impact, based on initiatives across the entire product lifecycle.
Canon is working to reduce environmental impact by focusing on four material areas: (1) contributing to a carbon-free future; (2) contributing to a circular economy; (3) eliminating hazardous substances and preventing pollution; and (4) contributing to a society in harmony with nature.
We analyze how our business activities relate to environmental issues and needs. We then assign them a level of priority based on the relative level of interest among stakeholders, ascertained with the help of surveys, and the relative impact on our business activities. (See Materiality Matrix diagram below.)
In a survey conducted in 2020, the most important issue identified by Canon stakeholders was “promotion of energy conservation and utilization of renewable energy.” This response reflects recent upgrading of government policies in each country and region aimed at realizing net-zero CO2 emissions goals alongside corporate initiatives in response to greater social demand.
Another issue generating stakeholder interest was “reuse and recycling of used products,” reflecting increased awareness of the circular economy. These issues have a substantial impact on activities at Canon sites and on the cost and competitiveness of our products. They also have a relatively high impact on Canon business activities, and are positioned as highpriority areas in the materiality matrix.
Toward the realization of a sustainable society, Canon believes that it is important to drive forward and develop initiatives of this kind throughout the product lifecycle, taking careful note of social issues and needs, the level of stakeholder concern, and the other wideranging changes in the world around us.
Even as consumer lifestyles grow more affluent, various environmental problems are emerging, including climate change, resource depletion, pollution, and loss of biodiversity. In response to the issue, debate within the global community is increasing on how to achieve carbon neutrality and how to realize a circular economy. Recognizing the business impact of environmental issues, many companies see the importance of helping address these issues in partnership with national and local governments, experts and other stakeholders. Canon identifies business risks and opportunities by envisioning different ways in which society will change based on information received from specialized institutions and government agencies.
| Risks and opportunities | Financial impact |
Action | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Risks | Transition risks: | Stricter energy-efficiency regulation and associated compliance costs (products/sites) | High |
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| Increased business costs from economic measures to reduce emissions (e.g., carbon tax) | Medium |
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| Physical risks | Negative impacts on operations caused by increasingly severe extreme weather events such as typhoons and floods | Medium |
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| Reputational risks | Negative external evaluation due to insufficient information disclosure | Low |
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| Opportunities |
Products and services |
Expanded opportunities for sales of energyefficient products with low lifecycle CO2 emissions | High |
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Contribution to CO2 emissions reduction at societal
level through sales of various innovative products
and solutions (hardware/ software) |
High |
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| Energy efficiency | Reduction of energy costs by improving production and transportation efficiency | Medium |
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| Energy sources | Expanded opportunities for use of renewable energy through lower associated costs | Medium |
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| Others | Enhanced corporate image due to proactive climate-related disclosures | Low |
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| Risks | Opportunities | |
|---|---|---|
| Circular economy |
Transition risks
Physical risks
Reputational risks
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| Hazardous substances |
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Biodiversity |
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Based on our environmental vision of “Action for Green,” Canon is working to reduce environmental impact by focusing on four material areas: (1) contributing to a carbon-free future ; (2) contributing to a circular economy ; (3) eliminating hazardous substances and preventing pollution ; and (4) contributing to a society in harmony with nature.
Protecting and Conserving the Environment
We aim to achieve net-zero CO2 emissions for entire product lifecycles* by 2050.
By consistently achieving our target of an average annual improvement of 3% for the index of lifecycle CO2 emissions per product unit, including Scope 3 as well as Scope 1 and 2 emissions, we aim to realize a 50% emissions reduction in 2030 compared to 2008 levels.
To reach net zero CO2 emissions, we will rigorously improve efficiency throughout product lifecycles, further promoting energy efficiency in design, production, and distribution. Since 2008, Canon has consistently met its target of an average annual improvement of 3% for the index of lifecycle CO2 emissions per product unit. We will continue to build on this record of achievement going forward. We have moved ahead with the introduction of renewable energy mainly in Europe and Asia, and will continue to promote the strategic utilization of renewable energy in consideration of its availability and economic viability in each region. We will also seek to reduce CO2 emissions through advances in the recycling of resources. In addition to our own efforts, we will collaborate on initiatives with stakeholders throughout the value chain. We will take every possible measure to achieve net-zero CO2 emissions over the longer term, incorporating innovation wherever it occurs in society. At the same time, by making a wide range of technologies and IT solutions available, Canon will not only reduce CO2 emissions in our own operations but also help lower CO2 emissions across the society.
With a view to what we aim for in 2050 and 2030, we set Medium-term Environmental Targets in line with our three-year management plan, and we review the targets each year.
Canon sought a single integrated indicator to measure the progress achieved across all environmentrelated activities, from energy and resource conservation to recycling, and to also highlight the efficiency of these activities in terms of achieving a beneficial balance with business activities. We therefore established the index of lifecycle CO2 emissions per product unit, and set an overall target of achieving a 3% average annual improvement in the index as part of the Canon Group Medium-term Environmental Targets.
This overall target is subdivided into a product target and an operational site target. The product target is set at a 3% average annual improvement in the index of CO2 emissions per product unit associated with raw materials and product utilization. The operational site target includes target figures for reduction per basic unit in energy consumption, total waste emissions, water consumption and controlled chemical substance emissions. In this way, we will make continuous progress toward meeting our overall target.
Against the target of a 3% average annual improvement in the index of lifecycle CO2 emissions per product unit, we realized an average annual improvement of 4.3% between 2008 and 2021 for a cumulative total improvement of 42%. In 2021, we progressed with related activities, including initiatives in both operations and product design to improve energy efficiency based on the whole product lifecycle. Unfortunately, disruption of logistics operations owing to COVID-19 and other factors limited the rate of achievable improvement. However, this disruption is temporary and we expect to return to a path of continuous improvement.
