Climate Change
Designing Energy-Efficient Products

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.

Energy-Saving Product Design

Environmentally Conscious Designs for Office Equipment

Canon’s imageRUNNER ADVANCE DX C3900F series of MFDs use industry-leading low-temperature fixing toner that offers significantly improved fixing temperatures compared to conventional toners. As a result, they reduce power consumption by up to 15%^*1 compared to previous models—an industry-leading typical energy consumption (TEC^*2) value. This toner boosts transfer efficiency by controlling the shape of toner particles, resulting in less post-printing residue, meaning the same toner bottle can print roughly twice as many pages before it is returned. This reduces the amount of toner waste, notably in high-volume printing conditions, leading to lower environmental impact. The eco-conscious design extends to the use of replaceable parts^*3 with longer lifespans that need replacing less often.

• *1 AFigure applies only to A3 model. The previous models in this comparison are the imageRUNNER ADVANCE DX C3835F, C3830F and C3826F that launched sales in October 2021.
• *2 Typical energy consumption (TEC) is based on in-house comparison with MFDs qualifying for the International Energy Star Program (digital color copiers with copy, fax and scan capabilities printing at 25–35 pages/min); data as of August 1, 2023.
• *3 Intermediate transfer belt, secondary transfer outer roller

Calculation and Disclosure of Carbon Footprint of Products (CFP)

We utilize the LCA approach to help estimate the lifecycle CO₂ emissions of Canon products. The cycle is divided into five stages (procurement of materials; production; logistics; usage and maintenance; disposal and recycling), and we utilize LCA to calculate GHG emissions for each stage, which are converted into CO₂ equivalents. The CFP is a visualization tool, helping to identify emissions-intensive processes to help us design Canon products that are more energy-efficient.

Additionally, to enable customers to select products with lower CO₂ emissions, we work to disclose relevant information based on Carbon Footprint of Products (CFP) and EcoLeaf certification under the SuMPO environmental labeling program of the Sustainable Management Promotion Organization (SuMPO).

Additionally, by taking advantage of the Carbon Offset Program utilizing CFP promoted by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, we have put in place a system for the carbon offset^* of CO₂ emissions throughout the product lifecycle of our office multifunction devices and some production printer products to address customer demands. Offset CO₂ emissions in response to customer demands totaled 1,197 tons in 2023.

• * Carbon offset involves initiatives in which a company strives to reduce its own greenhouse gas emissions, while offsetting amounts it cannot reduce by reducing or absorbing emissions elsewhere.

Reducing Impact in Product Use

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.

Energy/CO²-Saving Effects of Office Equipment (Cumulative)

• * Covered products: Electrophotographic multifunction devices and laser printers for offices (excluding production printers).
• * Energy-saving effect using the average energy (electricity) consumed by products sold five years prior to each respective year, assuming that products sold each year are in use for five years.
• * CO₂ emissions factors are calculated by using the weighted average of sales per region based on emission factors published by the Federation of Electric Power Companies (in Japan) and the International Energy Agency (outside Japan).

Canon U.S.A. Named “Partner of the Year” at ENERGY STAR® Awards 2024

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 ninth consecutive year. It additionally received, for the seventh consecutive year, the highest-level distinction of “Partner of the Year–Sustained Excellence Award.”

Energy-Saving Technology Based on Nanoimprint Lithography Wins Prize for Excellence at 49th Environmental Awards

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.

• *1 One nanometer (nm) = one billionth of a meter
• *2 For details of the Environmental Awards:
  https://biz.nikkan.co.jp/sanken/kankyo/index.html (Japanese website only)

Contributing to Society by Reducing CO₂ Emissions

In addition to reducing lifecycle CO₂ emissions through hardware measures, we are deploying IT solutions to improve the efficiency of work operations, reduce the movements of people and objects, and realize resource and energy savings. This also promotes CO₂ reduction in society as a whole. We are combining conventional visual inspection with high-resolution image capture, proprietary image processing, and AI technologies in the inspection of bridges and tunnels. By detecting cracks or other deformities using images of the structures, the system requires fewer workers and eliminates the need for physical movement of objects, enabling greater operational efficiency, realizing high performance, and reducing CO₂ emissions.

By delivering a range of solutions to society, Canon will continue contributing to reducing CO₂ emissions not only in its own operations but also in society as a whole.

Contributing to Energy Efficiency in the SACLA X-ray Free Electron Laser

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.