Sustainability at Canon
Approach to Sustainability
Since 1988, Canon has been striving to uphold our corporate philosophy of kyosei (living and working together for the common good) in order to contribute to worldwide prosperity and happiness.
A society in which all people live and work together, respecting one another and coexisting happily, regardless of culture, customs, language, ethnicity, or region.
And a society in harmony with nature, able to preserve Earth’s abundant resources for future generations.
To realize such a society, Canon will create new value through the power of innovation and technology, providing world-first technologies and world-leading products and services while also contributing to solutions for the problems our society faces.
By providing greater value while using fewer resources throughout all product lifecycles, we aim to enable affluent lifestyles while protecting the environment.
Through our corporate activities, Canon proactively works toward realizing a sustainable society.
- Approach to Sustainability (formulated in October 2021)
Sustainability Promotion System
-
The Canon Sustainability Headquarters was established to promote sustainability across Canon, headed by the director with responsibility for sustainability. Besides promoting sustainability activities across the entire Canon Group, for specialized issues, departments such as Legal Affairs, Human Resources, Quality Assurance and Procurement undertake initiatives leveraging their expertise.
In 2024, we established the Sustainability Committee as an advisory body to the CEO to boost information-sharing and deliberative capabilities to support the CEO and Board of Directors in appropriate and effective decision-making relating to the sustainability measures and initiatives being undertaken within Canon at the parent and consolidated levels. The committee meetings are held twice a year respectively, and extraordinary meetings are held when the chairperson of the committee deems it necessary. The members of the Committee are appointed by the CEO from among the heads of the departments under the direct control of the President in Canon headquarters, operational headquarters, etc., and the CFO serves as the chairperson. We have also set up various working groups under the aegis of the committee to study and make proposals on sustainability-related issues. Comprising the general managers of the sustainability-related departments, these working groups can consult with outside experts where appropriate.
In 2024, the committee shared information on the disclosure standards stipulated in the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) and the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) and other bodies, as well as sustainability issues of Canon and its responses. In addition to that, sustainability study sessions* by outside experts were also organized to help enhance the knowledge of committee members.
- * #1: “Sustainability and Corporate Value”
- #2: “The Importance of Sustainability in Creating Corporate Value”
Information on specific sustainability-related activities can be found elsewhere in this report.
Key Sustainability-related Guidelines
Developing Company-wide Initiatives
-
To revitalize activities and help develop a sustainability mindset across the Canon Group, we share the direction of sustainability activities and related details at meetings such as our global management conferences for the senior managers of major Group companies. Moreover, we assess the results achieved under the business policies of each operating division and manufacturing and marketing company under a consolidated performance evaluation system, as well as the results of their various environmental and social contribution activities, to raise awareness among executives.
We conduct regular surveys of Canon Inc. employees, using questionnaires to gauge the awareness of day-to-day sustainability issues and related activities. The survey in 2024 received 22,685 replies. We analyze and utilize the collated survey findings to propose ways of further boosting employee awareness of sustainability issues.
Other initiatives aimed at developing our sustainability activity programs across the Canon Group include training courses for employees and executives; information sessions at Group companies organized by sustainability representatives; and awards for sustainability, among other promotional activities.
Examples of Activities Conducted in 2024
- Sustainability lectures by outside experts
- Diversity program featuring visually impaired employees as guest speakers
- Sustainability Photo Competition
- Food Waste Reduction event (canteen)
- Reports and online channel distributing varied range of sustainability-related information
Awards System to Motivate Group-wide Enthusiasm
The annual Environmental Awards have showcased outstanding examples of environmental impact-reduction activities since 2009 with the aim of stimulating more intra-Group environmental activities and building motivation. Besides products and services, the awards highlight programs at Group sites worldwide to save energy and resources and protect biodiversity; entries from any division are permitted. Activities selected for awards are publicized on the intranet and via internal communications to foster environmental awareness within the Canon Group and improve performance by sharing examples of the best practices.
Among the entries from Group companies worldwide, one Grand Prize and four Merit Prizes were awarded in 2024. The winning entries represented a wide range of activities from product development to individual Group site initiatives, including newly developed products featuring significantly lower CO2 emissions, elimination of plastic packaging, use of recycled materials, and major reductions in energy usage at datacenters.
Comment by Award Recipient
Our entire team focused on contributing to the environment by trying to develop ways of conserving resources and power. Being recognized with an award makes us proud to know that our efforts have had a positive impact on all Group employees, and it has encouraged us to redouble our efforts to address environmental issues.
Canon Inc.
Peripheral Products Operations
Engagement in Initiatives
- Responsible Business Alliance (RBA)
- Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI)
- Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD)
- Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)
- Japan Climate Initiative (JCI)
- WIPO GREEN
- 30by30 Alliance for Biodiversity
- Joint Article Management Promotion-consortium (JAMP)
Canon Sustainability Channel
With the aim of spurring innovation, Canon holds monthly interactive online events since July 2021, in which anyone can participate to enhance the understanding of individual employees about sustainability issues in a social context.
Guest speakers at events have included people working with the UNHCR or on LGBTQ-related initiatives. These events also introduce Canon’s in-house sustainability activities to help provide information on a range of topics.
Topics addressed in 2025
2025
| Date | Theme | Guest speakers |
|---|---|---|
| March 26 | Live Broadcast from the Canon Bird Branch Project Exhibition | Employees in related departments |
| February 25 | Canon China's Sustainability Initiatives | An employee of Canon (China) Co., Ltd. |
| January 28 | Live Stream of the Nest Box Opening Ceremony | Employees in related departments |