Sustainability is the future, which is why Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, finds it a privilege to announce and celebrate that the Company’s enterprise division has now lent a decade of support to the Arbor Day Foundation’s reforestation program. Since 2009, the company’s enterprise division helped contribute to the planting of more than 500,000 trees in the U.S., with this year’s efforts counting toward the Arbor Day Foundation’s Time for Trees initiative, under which the Arbor Day Foundation seeks to plant 100 million trees worldwide by 2022.
“We understand the vital importance of replenishing and maintaining our forests and are committed through our philosophy of Kyosei to promoting environmental responsibility to our employees, partners, and customers,” says Shinichi Yoshida, executive vice president and general manager, Canon U.S.A. Inc. “It’s an honor to continue into our 10th year of supporting the Arbor Day Foundation, which we believe can help drive positive environmental impact in 2019 and beyond.”
The Arbor Day Foundation implements reforestation initiatives across the country to rebuild forests that are in desperate need of regrowth. Through this program, Canon contributes to the planting of one tree for every eligible imageRUNNER ADVANCE solution sold between April 1, 2019 and December 31, 2019, up to a maximum of 50,000 trees. These solutions can help users work conscientiously and allow administrators to enable settings that can help users save energy and paper.
This year, active replanting efforts are taking place all over the nation. Canon’s aid for 2019 is planned to help support reforestation efforts for the Superior National Forest (MN), habitat restoration for rare species in the Upper Altamaha Watershed (GA), and restoration of the longleaf pine ecosystem in the Big Thicket National Preserve (TX).
“Canon’s longstanding support has been invaluable to our forest revitalization efforts across the nation,” says Dan Lambe, president, Arbor Day Foundation. “The Foundation appreciates Canon’s continued corporate support to address one of the world’s most challenging environmental issues.”
Trees and wood fiber are more than just the renewable natural resources from which we make our everyday products. They serve as an important source of renewable energy. In 2020, 73 percent of the energy for our pulp and paper mills came from renewable sources. This is better than the industry average of about 65 percent, according to the American Forest and Paper Association. Our mills also generated the equivalent of 71 percent of their electricity needs, reducing their dependence on the grid. This renewable energy comes from biomass — byproducts from our manufacturing process, such as black liquor, bark and wood residues. Unlike coal or other fossil fuels, energy captured from biomass results in net zero emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere over the long term. Biomass (wood, wood waste and biofuels) is the United States’ largest source of domestic renewable energy, supplying more energy than wind and solar combined.
WestRock received a Leadership in Sustainability Award for Water for its Covington Mill Power Boiler Ash Handling Systems project and the Innovation in Sustainability Award for its Moving Products the Green Way project. “By converting and updating an existing system at its Covington, Virginia mill, WestRock reduced the facility’s water use and is now able to provide a biomass byproduct for beneficial reuse,” said AF&PA President and CEO Donna Harman. To optimize its management of fly ash – a byproduct of burning coal in boilers for energy in the paper mill's manufacturing process – WestRock’s Covington, Virginia mill converted its boiler ash handling system from a water-managed to a dry ash system. Benefits include an 8 percent reduction in daily water usage at the mill, improved water effluent quality, and increased opportunities for reuse of the fly ash. “Developing innovative software allowed WestRock to reduce the environmental impact of its transportation systems and save costs without sacrificing the company’s high standards for customer service,” said Harman. Click Read More below for additional information.
Over the past two decades, the company’s approach to sustainability reporting has evolved significantly: from focusing solely on environmental commitments and actions to evaluating every part of the business and its impact, including societal and supplier governance. The 2018 Sustainability Report provides an updated overview of how the company is striving to drive its sustainability agenda across all areas of business, and the progress towards its goals in protecting food, people and futures.