Ricoh Continues to Honor Innovations in Environmental Responsibility

Ricoh Americas Corporation will continue to support the ingenuity of young scientists as an important investment in building a sustainable society by honoring high school students this spring at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF). Winners are those students who have developed brilliant innovations for driving environmentally and socially responsible businesses.

Since 2005, Ricoh has recognized 23 students worldwide and from all walks of life with the Ricoh Sustainable Development Award (RSDA), and presented scholarships worth more than $325,000 with the help of a distinguished team of judges from academia and business. Resolving global concerns by creating harmony between business and the environment is one of Ricoh’s founding principles. Therefore, Ricoh established the RSDA to encourage and champion students who share those values to bring about innovations that limit society’s environmental impact.

The company will present its 10th annual RSDA as part of the Special Awards Ceremony at Intel ISEF, which takes place May 11-16 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Intel ISEF is the world’s largest international pre-college science competition, showcasing more than 1,600 of the world’s leading high school students and their independent scientific research projects. A total of $25,000 in scholarships from Ricoh is distributed among the winning projects and represents one of the top prize amounts in the Special Awards category.

Students can learn more about participating in Intel ISEF by visiting: https://student.societyforscience.org/intel-isef.

Past RSDA winners have come from all over the globe, including India, South Africa, China, and the United States. Pieter Luyt, a 2006 winner from South Africa, said this about his experience winning the RSDA: “From an educational point of view, the Ricoh Sustainable Development Award has aided me in obtaining a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Pretoria. It has also inspired me to promote the idea of sustainability, with emphasis on energy generation, among my peers.” A profile of Pieter’s experience can be viewed here: http://www.ricoh-usa.com/about/environment/environmental_csr_isef.aspx. Profiles of all past winners will be published over the next few months.

Judging for the Ricoh RSDA is based on the following criteria:
• the originality of the project;
• the project’s potential significance regarding its contribution to sustainability;
• the project’s attempt to solve major environmental issues, without damaging the environment or human in its production or use; and
• the project’s connection with the four Ricoh pillars.(1)

“Our corporate sustainability mission is to not only address the environmental issues society is currently facing, but to research and drive new opportunities that create sustainable growth,” said Ron Nielson, West Regional Vice President, Ricoh USA. “Our company’s ongoing support and commitment to the Ricoh Sustainable Development Award really underscores this mission, and we are proud to support this event since it takes place right in our region. The students participating in the RSDA competition are some of the brightest, most innovative thinkers on the topics of sustainability and we are excited to meet some of the competitors in person at our booth this year.”

Ricoh creates value for clients every day by helping them reduce consumption of resources, such as paper (by digitizing information flows) and energy (by creating efficient office equipment). The company also continuously improves the sustainability of its own operations with measures such as:
• sophisticated networks for resource recovery and recycling;
• ambitious greenhouse gas reduction goals;
• ISO 14001-certified manufacturing facilities around the world; and
• zero-waste-to-landfill manufacturing plants.

The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, a program of Society for Science & the Public, brings students together from approximately 70 countries, regions and territories. Each year, the finalists showcase their independent research as they compete for more than $4 million in awards. The fair encourages millions of students worldwide to explore their passion for innovation and develop solutions for global challenges.

(Source: Ricoh)