Sustainable business activities are aimed at protecting the environment.
Left to right: Epson President Ogawa and WWF Japan Executive Director Toubai.
Seiko Epson (Epson) and WWF (World Wildlife Fund for Nature) held a press conference on March 2, 2023, to announce the start of a three-year partnership. As a company, Epson is actively tackling global environmental problems with the initiative of “creating value from ‘Efficient, Small, and Precise’ to enrich people and the earth.”
Based on the recognition of common environmental issues and the initiatives to resolve them, partnerships between WWF and partner companies are conducted on an international scale to collaborate in three areas:
- Realization of sustainable business activities.
- Environmental communication with society.
- Financial support for WWF nature conservation projects. Epson will also become the first Japanese company to participate in Forest Forward. WWF’s Forest Forward program aims to work with stakeholders, including businesses, communities, and other key forest organizations, to transform how forests are valued, managed, protected, and restored for nature, people, and climate.
Epson will begin supporting World Wildlife Fund’s forest conservation and nature restoration activities at several “frontlines of deforestation” sites, including Indonesia. In January 2021, WWF announced that forests are disappearing at an alarming rate, and the remaining forest is in danger of further depletion.
According to the report, between 2004 and 2017, more than 43 million hectares of forest were lost because of deforestation in 24 countries. In addition to the forest conservation and nature restoration initiatives, Epson will promote the responsible use of forest resources (paper) in their business to aim for the realization of a sustainable society jointly.
Epson and World Wildlife Fund Joint Activities
In the future, Epson and WWF plan to jointly consider activities that contribute to preserving freshwater ecosystems and the circular economy. In contrast to the conventional one-way business based on mass production and mass disposal, it is the recycling-oriented social-economic system that continues to use limited resources as long as possible while circulating and eliminating waste based upon designing products and services at the design stage so that input of new resources and disposal are as close to zero as possible.
Epson agreed with WWF’s idea of “aiming to realize a sustainable future where people and nature can live in harmony” and plans to donate 240 million yen over three years starting March 2023 for WWF’s forest conservation activities worldwide, including Southeast Asia and South America.
Epson President Yasunori Ogawa stated about the partnership: “We are very pleased to sign this agreement. The world is facing critical environmental challenges and we must act now to preserve the planet’s biodiversity before it gets too late. This partnership reflects Epson’s commitment to protecting the environment, reducing waste, and safeguarding the sustainable use of natural resources. WWF’s vision for a future where people and nature live in harmony aligns with Epson’s goal so we have come to this agreement.”
Sadoyoshi Toubai, executive director of World Wildlife Fund Japan, added: “All donations from Epson will be used to protect and restore forests. It is mainly used to stop the loss of forests in Indonesia and also to help local people understand the importance of forests and continue to use them, as they are living in important forests where living things live. Furthermore, I would like not only World Wildlife Fund but also Epson to work together to think about how to use paper from forest resources in Japan and seek cooperation from various people.”
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