Konica Minolta presents carbon neutral stand at drupa

Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe (Konica Minolta) is showcasing a carbon neutral stand (hall 8B, stand A65) in Düsseldorf at the drupa show, the world’s leading professional print fair that is taking place between 31 May and 10 June 2016. With this new concept for the stand, Konica Minolta is reinforcing its approach towards sustainability in an economic context. The company’s long-term plan for a sustainable future, EcoVision 2050, was developed back in 2009 – Konica Minolta’s strategy and vision have been shaped by this plan ever since.

“As one of the leading global services providers in the field of production printing, Konica Minolta recognises the impact corporations have on the environment and is committed to contributing to a more sustainable earth and society”, explains Olaf Lorenz, General Manager International Marketing Division, Konica Minolta. “Konica Minolta set itself the goal of reducing CO2 emissions by 80% throughout the product life cycle by 2050, compared with 2005 levels – a concept based on the company’s management philosophy. The new concept for the stand presented at drupa is carbon neutral and makes the company’s efforts even more visible and unique.”

The carbon neutral stand
Leading up to the show all the factors contributing to carbon emissions were calculated, such as travel and hotel stays for the demo team, catering and drinks at the stand and material production and printing. Around 190,000 kg CO2 is expected to be emitted at drupa – this is comparable with a mid-range car driving around the world thirty times. Based on these data, Konica Minolta is compensating for these emissions by investing in certified carbon offset projects, such as wind energy in Turkey and hydropower in Indonesia. In cooperation with experts from ClimatePartner, Konica Minolta has established a transparent concept that can easily be traced and validated. There are plans to implement the carbon neutral stand concept at future shows as well, thereby reducing the company’s carbon footprint.

Holistic sustainability approach
As one of the pioneers of sustainable engagement in the printing industry, Konica Minolta encourages others to commit themselves to reducing their emissions of greenhouse gases. As part of this commitment, Konica Minolta has been powered by regenerative energy sources at nearly all of its locations in Germany since January this year. In tandem with their carbon neutral printing programme, Konica Minolta is currently working on expanding its paper recycling strategy. Konica Minolta in Langenhagen orders only recycled paper for office printing, without exception, and there are plans to implement this approach at all locations in Germany.

Social sustainability at Konica Minolta
For Konica Minolta social sustainability is as important a task as commitments made towards environmental improvement. One step in this direction is the collaboration between Konica Minolta Europe, CzechITas and Impact Hub. Impact Hub provides inspiring workspaces, including technical equipment, especially for social entrepreneurs by connecting people, ideas and financial support. Under the motto ‘Let´s target the balance. We can do IT together’ the CSR project CzechITas pushes for more gender diversity in the IT sector. The pilot project consisting of 15 workshops took place between 1 July 2015 and 31 March 2016. The support given by Konica Minolta to CzechITas and Impact Hub was not limited to financial contributions, as Konica Minolta also enabled knowledge transfer by providing staff members onsite and by getting in touch with future IT experts.