Ricoh has announced the launch of the ‘Ricoh Sustainable Products Program’ from April 2016, that will certify products that are both environmentally-friendly and user-friendly.

The program, which assesses and evaluates the environmental performance and usability of its products against a set of standards, allows Ricoh to self-certifies products as ‘Sustainable Products’. Products that demonstrate the industry’s top performance will be further certified as ‘Sustainable Products Premium’. 

Ricoh will initially implement the program for any future releases of office imaging products and production printers and will gradually announce the assessment results for existing products that have already been released. 

Ricoh will use this program in the product development process to enhance the sustainability of all its future products. The certified products to come out of the new program will take into consideration not only the environmental impact but the mixed ability of the workforce including multi-generations and disabilities.  

Alongside this latest venture, Ricoh has set mid-and long-term environmental impact reduction goals with key target dates being 2020 and 2050. The company also promotes energy conservation, resource conservation, and pollution prevention.