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RICOH has reached a new milestone in its sustainability journey: The company has earned the EPEAT Climate+ designation for five of its products, an achievement that highlights its commitment to environmental leadership and positions it as one of five OEMs with products that meet the criteria for this ecolabel.
EPEAT Climate+: What It Takes to Earn It
The EPEAT Climate+ designation is a new enhancement to the well-known EPEAT ecolabel managed by the Global Electronics Council (GEC). While traditional EPEAT certifications focus on criteria like product longevity and hazardous substance management, the Climate+ designation is squarely aimed at addressing climate change. It evaluates products based on their entire lifecycle, making it one of the more comprehensive certifications available for companies striving to better the environment.
To qualify for the EPEAT Climate+ designation, manufacturers must demonstrate significant progress in several critical areas. This includes not only verifying the carbon intensity of their supply chains but also setting aggressive GHG reduction targets and utilizing energy-efficient practices throughout the product’s lifecycle—from material extraction and assembly to eventual disposal. RICOH achieved this distinction by integrating these practices into its manufacturing processes and ensuring compliance across several if its printers and multifunction devices.
| RICOH devices which have been granted the EPEAT Climate+ designation (Source: EPEAT Registry). |
A Strong Collection of Qualifications
RICOH’s achievement is grounded in a few sustainability initiatives which likely contributed to securing the EPEAT Climate+ designation. The company has a “RICOH Sustainable Products Program” that outlines strict standards for designing products with low environmental impact. This includes selecting materials with a lower carbon footprint, increasing the use of recycled and bio-based plastics, and incorporating modular designs that simplify maintenance and repairs. Given the Climate+ certification criteria emphasizes greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction, the company has committed to RE100, which means using 100% renewable energy for electricity consumption across its global operations by 2050. Lastly, RICOH is addressing its Scope 3 emissions, which include all indirect emissions that occur in the supply chain such as transportation and procurement. As part of its decarbonization strategy, the company has set a target to reduce Scope 3 emissions by 65% by 2040, expanding its initial 2030 target of reducing emissions in key categories (procurement, transportation, and product use).
Moving the Needle: How EPEAT Climate+ Is Changing the Game
RICOH’s accomplishment follows along the trend of a redefined benchmark for ecolabels amongst competitors in the imaging industry. Ecolabels in general are becoming increasingly important as businesses and consumers demand greater transparency and accountability around sustainability, but Climate+ takes it a step further in the rigorousness of its criteria. Climate+ isn’t just about meeting minimum standards—it’s about raising the bar. As manufacturers look to differentiate their products through ecolabel certifications—and coupled with the influx of regulation (especially in Europe)—the competitive influence of ecolabels will surely be well worth its weight in gold as they continue to gain importance and as criteria continue to become more stringent. And the real value of the EPEAT Climate+ designation isn’t just in recognizing individual companies, but in how it fosters healthy competition and collaboration. By setting the bar higher, the GEC is nudging the entire industry and the greater electronics sector toward more sustainable practices. The hope is that, over time, what’s now considered “exemplary” will become the baseline.
Of course, RICOH is not alone in this race. Canon, HP, Lexmark and Xerox have also secured EPEAT Climate+ designations for their products, making the imaging industry one of the frontrunners in adopting this new standard. This shows how the industry is starting to embrace more stringent sustainability standards, pushing each other to do better.
Keypoint Intelligence Opinion
Earning the EPEAT Climate+ designation is a big win for RICOH, for the industry, for consumers, and the planet. As more companies adopt these rigorous standards, it sets a new precedent for what’s possible when environmental responsibility and business goals align. With players like Canon, Lexmark, HP, Xerox, and now RICOH leading the charge, the growing adoption of Climate+ certifications is a sign that sustainability in our industry continues to garner the attention it deserves.
And that’s something we can all celebrate.
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