Contributing to a Circular Economy

Canon’s Resource Circulation

Canon pursues product-to-product recycling—in other words, recycling used products into new ones. In particular, we have emphasized such initiatives as closed-loop recycling of toner cartridges and the remanufacturing of office multifunction devices—collecting them post-use and making them into products with good-as-new quality.

Product-to-Product Recycling Amounts (Cumulative)

Since 2008, we have taken 37,917 tons of plastics from used products for recycling as raw materials, and another 30,690 tons of products and parts were reused directly.

Five Recycling Sites in Four Regions around the World

Currently, Canon has five sites conducting recycling, in Japan, Europe (two sites), the United States, and China. We are continuing initiatives aimed at circulating resources within the same regions where they are consumed.

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Product Development Aimed at Efficient Use of Resources

Recycling-Conscious Design

Canon gives careful consideration to collection and recycling of end-of-life products from the design and development stage, through the use of Lifecycle Assessments (LCA) and the Product Assessment System. To assist these efforts in the design stage we formulated the Environmentally Conscious Design Guidance, which covers an array of considerations, including product-related environmental laws and regulations, Green Public Procurement standards, and environmental label standards in the countries where we sell our products. The Environmentally Conscious Design Guidance contains design guidelines relating to such matters as reduced use of materials by making products lighter, smaller, longer-lived, and easier to maintain, ease of disassembly, ease of sorting materials following disassembly, and information disclosure.

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Since 1992, Canon has undertaken remanufacturing of used multifunction devices. We collect used devices and break them down into parts, which are washed and cleaned using optimal techniques. Following strict reuse standards, we replace any parts that show wear or deterioration. The production line and inspection processes used are on a par with those for devices made only with new parts. When a remanufactured device is shipped, it is guaranteed to offer the same level of quality as a new product.
We market remanufactured devices from the imageRUNNER ADVANCE series under the Refreshed series brand in Japan and under the EQ80 series brand in Europe.

Remanufacturing Flowchart (Canon Ecology industry, in japan)

Toner Cartridge Recycling

In 1990, Canon launched its Toner Cartridge Collection and Recycling Program, the first such program in the industry. The program is continuing operating today. Returned used toner cartridges are brought to Canon recycling sites, where they are sorted by model and the reusable parts are picked out. Washing and maintenance are performed as needed, and the parts are then reused in new products. Parts that cannot be reused are crushed and separated by material using physical characteristics such as electrostatic properties and specific gravity.

Closed-Loop Recycling

The primary material of toner cartridges is the high-impact polystyrene (HIPS) used primarily for the housing. HIPS can be used repeatedly to make new toner cartridges a unique feature of Canon’s closed-loop recycling process.

Used Toner Cartridge Collection Volume (Cumulative)

We conduct used toner cartridge collection in 23 countries and regions (with a cumulative collection volume of about 424,000 tons as of the end of 2019) for recycling at four sites^*, in Japan, the United States, France, and China (recycling in the same region where the product is used).
Thanks to our recycling initiatives, as of 2019 we have achieved a cumulative reduction in the use of new resources of approximately 296,000 tons.

• Toner cartridge recycling sites
  Japan: Canon Ecology Industry
  United States: Canon Virginia
  France: Canon Bretagne
  China: Canon Dalian Business Machines

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Recycling of Ink Cartridges

Canon has been collecting and recycling used ink cartridges since 1996.
In Japan, Canon is part of the Ink Cartridge Satogaeri (Homecoming) Project, a joint program by printer manufacturers to collect cartridges via boxes placed in post offices, libraries, and other local government facilities. Schools also collect cartridges through activities related to the Bellmark Campaign. Outside Japan, we place cartridge collection boxes in large retail stores, affiliate sales outlets, shopping malls, companies, schools, libraries, train stations, Canon service stores, Canon showrooms, and other locations, depending on the circumstances in each country or region.

Used Ink Cartridge Collection Volume (Cumulative)

As of the end of 2019, Canon’s collecting program was operational in 35 countries and regions worldwide, and the total volume of cartridges that had been collected up to the end of 2019 reached 2,395 tons.

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Reducing Waste

Canon is working hard to reduce the amount of waste it generates. Efforts include increasing recycling through sorting and collection and minimizing initial waste generation. In particular, we have sought to determine which factors most significantly affect waste generation for each division and each production process. Based on these findings, by an actual versus forcast comparison, we have implemented a number of ongoing initiatives to curb waste generation.

Initiatives Related to In-House Waste Recycling and Outside Resource Recovery

Our various operational sites employ a range of in-house recycling schemes, including reprocessing waste plastic from injection molding or recycling it for other items. Even in the case of waste that must be sent outside the company, we make sure it does not enter landfills^*. Rather, we contract with companies that reprocess waste into materials. In 2019, contracted companies processed 110,955 tons of waste from Canon back into materials.

* Except for some general waste generated by business activities that is disposed of under government oversight.

Total Waste Generated

In 2019, we worked at all operational sites to reduce waste generation and promote internal recycling. As a result, total waste generation was reduced by 3,246 tons year on year to 114,541 tons.

Water Risk in Regions Where Canon Production Sites Are Located

Canon assesses locations to confirm available water intake volume before establishing operational sites and facilities. We use the AQUEDUCT water-risk mapping tool provided by the World Resources Institute^* for quantitative evaluation and reconfirmation of water risk in regions where production sites are located, and work to reduce water consumption in response to local conditions. Meanwhile, in some regions, an increase in abnormal weather patterns has increased the risk of flood damage. We have already begun implementing appropriate responses to climate change, for instance by building Plant No. 2 at our Thai production base on raised ground. Going forward, we will continue our progress with the formulation and updating of risk response plans.

* World Resources Institute: WRI is an independent institute based in the United States that conducts policy research and provides technical assistance concerning environmental and development issues around the world.

Water Risk (Quantitative) in Regions Containing Major Production Sites

Reducing Water Usage

Canon collects water data by intake source (public water system, industrial water system, or groundwater) and manages water resources carefully so as not to exceed intake limits for the different regions in which it operates. We also set and manage targets for the volume of water used in production, and constantly strive to reduce water usage by improving production processes and raising water-usage efficiency.

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Use of Water Resources

In 2019, we worked at all operational sites to reduce water consumption and promote recycling. As a result, total water consumption decreased by 513 TCM year on year to 9,212 TCM.