Strengthening its commitment towards environment and sustainable business, Canon India announced on 2 June 2021 the successful planting of the 20,000th tree as part of its ‘Green Environment Together’ (GET) Initiative. The organization strongly advocates giving back to mother nature, for which, along with taking care of the business and the customers, it contributes to the care of the environment. In July 2019, the ‘Green Environment Together’ (GET) Initiative was launched by Canon India as a step towards nurturing the environment. As part of the initiative, Canon India plants a tree on the purchase of every laser copier/ multi-function Device (MFD) on behalf of its direct customers.
In 2019, Canon India pledged to plant over 10,000 trees annually, and in line with this vision, in less than two years, the company has successfully planted its 20,000th sapling on 2 June.
Talking about the initiative, Manabu Yamazaki, president and CEO of Canon India, said, “The spirit of giving back to the society has been an integral part of Canon India’s corporate culture. In addition to offering excellent products and services worldwide, we have always strived to protect the global environment and support the holistic development of communities. We are elated to witness the success of our ‘Green Environment Together’ (GET) initiative as we plant the 20,000th sapling today in less than two years of its commencement. This initiative has enabled us to create an ecosystem with our customers where we can build a greener and better future together.”
He further adds, “Such initiatives allow us to drive meaningful impact and help nurture a sustainable tomorrow that makes our communities future-ready. Our ‘Kyosei’ philosophy which refers to ‘living and working together for the common good’ is at the heart of these efforts and forms the basis of Canon’s commitment to act responsibly across supply chains, within the communities we operate in, as well as through the products we develop.”
The announcement comes soon after Canon India achieved the leadership position in the A3 & A4 laser copier-based MFP segment for the fifth year consecutively, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Hardcopy Peripherals Tracker, 2020 Q4. According to the tracker, Canon India ended 2020 as the market leader with a 30.7% overall market share – 30% market share in the mono segment and 35.4% in the color segment.
Commenting on BIS GET’s milestone achievement, K Bhaskhar, senior vice president – Business Imaging Solutions, Canon India, said, “As a leading player in the printing segment and a socially responsible company, we believe that our business footprint on the environment should be balanced. In the current times, becoming sensitive towards our surroundings and community has picked up even more momentum and continues to be our priority. While advanced technology and solutions can greatly benefit our customers’ lives and caring for them is our key focus area, the environment too demands our attention. Therefore, it is equally imperative to care for the environment and give back in whatever way we can.”
Our view on Canon India‘s green efforts
Climate change, the environment, and the collection of waste and recycling as much as possible is an essential concern for Indian printers. While many printers and readers are unsure when the Indian laws will demand stricter processes and behavior to avoid landfills and other problematic environmental issues, our citizens and print consumers are now demanding green practices. In addition, all major manufacturers are now acting on their 2025 and 2030 environmental goals of reducing their carbon footprint, and every business must do this.
While we too have newspapers setting up windmills and label printers installing LED UV and solar panels, these are relatively few for an industry of our size. For a country blessed with abundant sunlight, solar energy, and better-designed plants to reduce energy consumption are no-brainers. Printers are a part of the country’s knowledge infrastructure and they must contribute to maintaining a culture that is both scientific and respectful of nature.
We applaud Canon’s active participation in society and mitigation of the climate and soil erosion with tree plantation. Can this be a reason to buy Canon’s products? As a Canon customer (of its cameras), I can say that it makes me feel better and that this is a sign that Canon is committed to our market and our environment.
