Canon seeks to consistently meet its environmental targets and, beyond that, is working toward net-zero CO2 emissions from its business activities by 2050. To that end, we quantify emissions during the whole product lifecycle—from the upstream supply of raw materials and parts through operational site activities and logistics to customer use—and use technology to reduce emissions at each stage.
Energy-efficient products supports to reduce CO2 emissions at customer use.
Canon is making efforts to design energy-efficient products, to reduce CO2 emissions at customer use.
For example, for its office multifunction devices (MFD) and laser printers, Canon uses energy-saving technologies, including on-demand fixing technology and induction heating (IH) fixing technology to reduce the amount of electricity needed during operation. Furthermore, we continue to make technological advances aimed at expanding our lineup of energy-saving products. For example, we have begun employing low-melt-point toner in new products, enabling fixing at lower temperatures than traditional toner.
Thanks to energy-saving technologies used in office equipment, Canon products achieved cumulative energy savings of 66,858 GWh between 2008 and 2022. This is expected to result in a CO2 reduction of 30,780,000 tons.
imageRUNNER ADVANCE DX 4800F series
imageCLASS MF448dw
The imageRUNNER ADVANCE DX 4800F series of multifunction office devices achieves a reduction of approximately 25% in electricity consumption, placing it among the industry’s top performers in typical energy consumption (TEC). Its weight reduction of approximately 15% per unit realizes improved efficiency during utilization and shipping, which contributes to lower CO2 emissions. Additionally, the product is fitted with a staple-free finisher that uses pressure to bind up to ten sheets of paper together, reducing waste in the form of metal staples.
These and other improvements to their essential features work to both enhance product performance in multifunction devices and reduce environmental impact throughout the product lifecycle. Meanwhile, the A4 monochrome laser multifunction device imageCLASS MF448dw achieves compact dimensions, with a height approximately 15% lower than the previous model at 392 mm, and reduced power consumption during sleep mode to approximately 0.9W. As well as contributing to space saving in the office environment and other settings, it also realizes increased energy efficiency.
Vantage Elan/NX Edition
Vantage Elan/NX Edition is Canon Medical Systems’ 1.5-T (Tesla) MRI system, equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) functions and boasting the smallest installation space requirement for a model in its class. The design of the 1.5-T MRI system is the company’s first to eliminate the need for a separate computer room. With a footprint approximately 29% smaller than the previous model, it reduces installation time and costs. The system is automatically switched to standby mode during intervals between examinations, reducing maximum power consumption by 50% compared to the previous model. These and other features not only reduce costs but also contribute to energy saving.
At the ENERGY STAR® Awards 2023, sponsored by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Canon U.S.A. was selected as a “Partner of the Year–Product Brand Owner” for the eighth consecutive year. It additionally received, for the sixth consecutive year, the highest-level distinction of “Partner of the Year–Sustained Excellence Award.”
Prize for Excellence award ceremony
In a joint project with Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. and Kioxia Corporation, Canon used nanoimprint lithography (NIL) to successfully realize pattern imprinting at the nanoscale level of current semiconductor manufacture (minimum line width 15nm*1). Whereas existing optical lithography technology uses light curing to transfer the circuit, NIL technology employs a simpler process whereby a mask etched with the pattern is pressed onto the resin-coated wafer to transfer the circuit. The use of NIL technology in the FPA-1200NZ2C system renders large-scale exposure light sources and costly and complicated vacuum and cooling equipment unnecessary, reducing electric power consumption during pattern fabrication to approximately one-tenth that of the existing cutting-edge light exposure technology for logic devices.
The energy-saving NIL technology for ultrafine semiconductor processing developed by the three partner companies was awarded a Prize for Excellence at the 49th Environmental Awards*2 in recognition of its contribution to reducing electric power consumption in semiconductor manufacture and supporting rapid development toward the future IoT society.
Inspection EYE for Infrastructure Service
Inspection of bridges, tunnels, and other structures using conventional visual inspection methods is time-consuming and labor-intensive as well as problematic in terms of the environment, as vehicle and personnel movements generate CO2. Canon developed an infrastructural inspection service (Inspection EYE for Infrastructure) that combines high-definition imaging with our unique image processing technology and an AI technology that can detect cracks and other flaws from infrastructure images. We then calculated the CO2 reduction effect achieved by switching from conventional visual inspection to image-based inspection. This initiative received the Encouragement Award at the 19th Life Cycle Assessment Society of Japan Forum Awards in recognition of its benefit as an advanced measure to facilitate the calculation of CO2 emissions reduction and its potential to realize benefits extending to many other fields going forward.
SACLA is an X-ray free electron laser facility operated by the Japanese government research institute Riken. It enables real-time observation and analysis of molecular structure, making it highly useful in the development of pharmaceuticals and other materials. The power source for SACLA’s electron beam accelerator is provided by klystrons manufactured by Canon Electron Tubes & Devices Ltd. Their product achieves energy savings of approximately 14% compared to the previous klystron product through improved microwave conversion efficiency, which has enabled a yearly saving of approximately 730 tons of CO2 for the facility as a whole.
SACLA X-ray free electron laser facility
Canon has introduced lifecycle assessment (LCA) methodology to calculate CO2 emissions for the whole product lifecycle. Additionally, to enable customers to select products with lower CO2 emissions, we work to disclose relevant information based on our Carbon Footprint of Products (CFP) certification under the CFP Communication Program of the Sustainable Management Promotion Organization (SuMPO).
Additionally, by utilizing the Carbon Offset Program making use of CFP* promoted by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (Japan), we have been able to realize products with practically zero lifecycle CO2 emissions. With some of these products, such as the imageRUNNER ADVANCE series and imagePRESS production printers, customers can report to the authorities, based on the Act on Promotion of Global Warming Countermeasures (Japan), that they do not produce the CO2 emissions that would ordinarily be expected from use of the products.
Carbon offsets linked to customer demand from when we began using this system in 2014 until 2022 totaled 45,769 t-CO2.
Reference: Products registered for EcoLeaf Environmental Labeling Program (Japanese website only)
https://canon.jp/corporate/csr/environment/customer/products/cfp/
Reference: Products certified under Carbon Offset Program making use of CFP (Japanese website only)
https://canon.jp/corporate/csr/environment/customer/products/cfp-certified/
At Canon plants and offices, we are steadily reducing power consumption.
Canon thoroughly tackled the reduction of CO2 emission during operation. Through the group-wide actions including painstaking energy management and regular checks of equipment status and operating settings, we pursue the improvement of energy efficiency.
In 2022, greenhouse gas emissions at operational sites were reduced by approximately 4% year on year to 1,021,000 t-CO2. This result was achieved through on-site reduction initiatives including the setting up of the Energy Cost Reduction Working Group and comprehensive measures to boost efficiency in the production process.
Canon created the Energy Cost Reduction Working Group in 2014 as a horizontally integrated organization to take Group-wide action on reducing energy consumption. The group has worked to reduce energy consumption by undertaking a thorough-going review of operating conditions at production facilities, for instance by cutting out excess use of pressurized air and cooling water and adjusting air conditioner settings. Measures that prove effective are adopted for horizontal rollout to Japan and overseas production sites. Meanwhile, staff from a dedicated department at Head Office carry out energy-efficiency diagnosis on visits to production sites overseas all over the world. There, they check the operating status and settings of production equipment and then use their observations to make improvements to the operating efficiency of facilities and equipment and provide staff with relevant on-site training. Since the launch of this initiative, it has resulted in a Group-wide energy saving of 213,756kL (crude oil equivalent).
The 31th Grand Prize for the Global Environment Awards ceremony
Energy Conservation Grand Prize award ceremony
In a joint undertaking in Utsunomiya City, Tochigi Prefecture, with the prefectural authorities and three other companies*1, Canon launched the Kiyohara Industrial Park Smart Energy Project, realizing major energy savings. The project integrates the Kiyohara Smart Energy Center and other sites newly established within the Kiyohara Industrial Park. By sharing use of electric power and heat (steam and hot water) between multiple business sites with differing levels of demand, the project achieved reductions per base unit of approximately 20% in energy consumption and 20% in CO2 emissions volume*2—which would not be possible for a single business site alone. In recognition of this initiative, Canon jointly received the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Joint Implementation Award under the 2021 Energy Conservation Grand Prize sponsored by the Energy Conservation Center, Japan. Moreover, In 2023, in the 31th Grand Prize for the Global Environment Awards, sponsored by the Fujisankei Communications Group in Japan, the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award was jointly presented.
In 2023, a system to predict and visualize the excess steam power generated from waste heat made it possible to use excess heat more effectively by introducing steam power facilities and making other operational improvements. These are expected to bring further benefit with an increase of two percentage points or more in energy-saving and CO2 reduction
Awarding of carbonzero certificate
Canon New Zealand has received carbon zero certification for reduction of CO2 emissions and purchase of CO2 offset credits, which are part of activities to meet its long-term CO2 reduction targets. The company has reduced its CO2 emissions volume as far as possible through a range of initiatives, from cutting business travel through the use of teleconferencing to switching its corporate vehicle fleet to electric and hybrid vehicles. To offset CO2 emissions that could not be eliminated by any means, the company purchased credits from projects in New Zealand and overseas and thereby reached net-zero emissions. In recognition of this initiative, the company received the New Zealand government’s Toitū carbonzeroCertTM certification.
Canon participates in the Liaison Group of Japanese Electrical and Electronics (EE) Industries for Global Warming Prevention made up of Japanese EE Industries, including the Japan Business Machine and Information System Industries Association (JBMIA), of which Canon is a member of the Board of Directors, acting as the managing director. Japanese EE industries have participated in the Keidanren's Commitment to a Low Carbon Society (currently known as Keidanren Carbon Neutrality Action Plan) and have compiled and implemented the EE Industries’ Action Plan for Commitment to a Low-Carbon Society, which is an initiative to address climate change. Canon is contributing to the promotion of this initiative.
Specifically, Canon participates in all committees under the Liaison Group and contributes to the formulation and operation of action plans, including the establishment of industry CO2 reduction targets for 2020 and 2030 and the formulation of methodologies for “calculation of avoided CO2 emissions through products and services”.
In the field of electrical and electronic technology, as a member of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), an international standardization body, Canon is also working on the formulation of rules for quantifying avoided CO2 emissions.
We are working to expand the use of renewable energy, especially in Europe and Asia
We are working to expand the use of renewable energy, especially in Europe and Asia, while taking regional renewable energy uptake status and economic efficiency into consideration.
We have installed solar generation panels at Canon Vietnam’s Thang Long Factory and at Canon Production Printing and Nagasaki Canon to make proactive use of renewable energy. We are also using renewable energy at the new office building of Canon Europe and Canon UK, earning an evaluation of ‘excellent’ under the BREEAM* environmental assessment standard. Additionally, the marketing company Canon China has introduced I-REC certification and switched to 100% renewable energy sources for its office electric power supply.
As a result of these initiatives adapted to local conditions, total worldwide renewable energy consumption by Canon Group companies was 99,096 MWh in 2022, an approximate 14% increase over 2021. Group companies in Europe sourced about 37% of total energy needs from electric power. Of this electric power, generation from renewable sources accounted for around 78%.
Canon Production Printing’s new headquarters building (Venlo, Netherlands) uses a heat pump system, efficient storage systems for hot and cold water, and LED lighting to reduce its energy consumption. Further measures contributing to an environment-friendly office facility include solar panels and charging points for electric vehicles.
New Headquarters Building at Canon Production Printing Netherlands
Solar panels at Canon Production Printing Netherlands
The new headquarters building of the Canon Group company Axis Communications (Lund, Sweden) is equipped with solar panels and LED lighting and provides cycle parking for cycle commuters. These and other features earned the facility the rating ‘Excellent’—the second highest of five possible rating levels—in the Swedish version (BREEAM-SE) of the British BREEAM* environmental assessment standard.
We use transport modes with a lower environmental impact and improve transport efficiency.
We are working to reduce logistics-related CO2 emissions at all stages from production through to sales. As one way to lessen environmental impact in this area, we are seeking to achieve a modal shift by switching from road to rail transport. Another initiative targets improved loading efficiency by designing products and outer cartons to best fit the container size. We are also making an active effort "container round use". In addition to these measures, we were able to reduce transport-related CO2 emissions through the progress of shifting from air to sea, as the disruption in international logistics caused by the pandemic came to an end in the second half of 2022.
To further improve transport efficiency, instead of the traditional one-way transport of containers with cargo, we have been actively pursuing Container Round Use (CRU), which includes not just containers within the Canon Group, but also containers imported by other companies for us to export. We are working with carriers and container transporters to expand the initiative. Also in our overseas sites such as Vietnam, we have been promoting the same initiative.
Our production site in Vietnam is making efforts to reduce logistics-related CO2 emissions. Canon Vietnam uses trucks to carry imported parts from the port to its site and then to take the manufactured products to the port for overseas export. As the volume of exported products is greater than that of imported parts, there was an issue with containers traveling empty from the port to the site. By teaming up with businesses who had the opposite issue of a greater import than export volume and who were therefore sending containers back empty from their site to the port, Canon Vietnam was able to share import and export containers, thus cutting the total number of truck journeys.
In recognition of Canon Vietnam’s initiatives, Vietnam’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment presented the company with the Vietnam Environmental Award 2020.
Award ceremony in Vietnam
Canon products are helping to reduce disaster-related risks linked to extreme weather events on a global scale.
Mitigation measures to lower emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases are important in minimizing the effects of climate change as much as possible, but adaptation measures are also needed at the same time to prepare for any impacts that cannot be mitigated.
Creation of crop cultivation metric database
As a way of helping agriculture to adapt to the environmental changes caused by climate change and other factors, Canon has used its many years of experience in imaging technology to develop the GM-1 crop growth monitoring system, a non destructive, non-contact tool that uses images of crops to provide automatic access to growth metrics. We are now engaged in a trial of the system in paddy rice cultivation.
GM-1 combines Canon’s unique image analysis technology, adapted to crop characteristics, with AI diagnostic technology based on deep learning. Through its capacity for data accumulation and comparison with past data, the system is expected to find applications in areas such as crop adaptation to climate change, optimal cultivation management, and development of new crop varieties.
Because Taiwan is plagued nearly every year by flooding caused by powerful typhoons and heavy rain, causing crop damage and posing a danger to people, a Hydrological Conditions Instant Video Surveillance System has been introduced. Surveillance cameras were installed along the southwestern coastal areas to monitor flood-warning levels and automatically sound alarms as the possibility of a flood increases.
AXIS 214 PTZ Network Cameras and AXIS Camera Station video management software are being used at 150 hydrological sites throughout Taiwan in order to monitor changes in water level with a 360° range, 24 hours a day.
Before relocation
After relocation
Miyazaki Canon site
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. In Japan, for instance, we have relocated the Miyazaki Canon site, replacing the former riverside structures with new buildings on higher ground. Similarly, at our Thai production base, we used an elevated site to build Plant No. 2. Going forward, we will continue our progress with the formulation and updating of risk response plans to increase resilience.
We introduce other Canon's Environmental Material Activities.
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