Konica Minolta celebrates 4 years of Enabling Carbon Neutrality, having so far offset over 16 million kg of CO2

| 20 June 2019

Combating climate change is one of the biggest challenges our global society faces this century. It is a challenge Konica Minolta is taking on with a wide range of countermeasures – avoiding, reducing and compensating CO2emissions. To effectively compensate for carbon emissions, Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe entered into a collaboration with the international climate protection expert ClimatePartner in July 2015. For four years now, Konica Minolta has been offering its customers an effective compensation solution with the “Enabling Carbon Neutrality” programme. Customers from eleven countries have already joined this effort, offsetting more than 10 million kilogrammes of CO2. Combined with further activities such as making its European headquarters in Langenhagen carbon neutral and compensating the emissions of its events and fairs, Konica Minolta has been able to compensate over 16 Million kilogrammes of the greenhouse gas.


Konica Minolta’s collaboration with ClimatePartner was signed four years ago, in 2015, and is now entering its fifth year.

Customers joining in this programme support a gold standard-certified compensation project in Aruba: a windfarm with a total capacity of 30 megawatts that effectively reduces the island’s dependence on diesel and other fuels for power generation. This project helps fight global warming in two ways at the same time: first, burning fuel to generate electricity causes significant amounts of CO2 in itself. Second, the Caribbean island also has to import those fuels from abroad, which results in an additional burden for the climate. The project’s positive impact goes beyond climate protection, however: it creates local employment opportunities and entails modernisation and support of local infrastructure.

In January 2018, the company’s entire European headquarters went carbon neutral. All emissions, from energy consumption to staff commuting and business travel, are now offset – including those of large-scale international company events such as fairs and its European Leadership Campus (ELC). Combining all compensation activities of Konica Minolta and its customers, more than 16 million kilogrammes of CO2 have been offset.

Besides offsetting emissions, Konica Minolta is shifting towards the use of alternative energy sources. In January 2019 it joined RE100, committing to sourcing 100 per cent of its electricity consumption from renewable sources by 2050. The company’s European headquarters is already powered completely with renewable energy. All of these activities are in line with Konica Minolta’s long-term environmental target Eco Vision 2050, which was set up in 2009 aiming to reduce CO2 emissions by 80 percent by 2050 compared to 2005 levels. Konica Minolta is well on track: the medium-term target of 40% set for 2016 was surpassed with 49% in emissions’ savings. The company’s sustainability efforts are well acknowledged. In January 2019, the Canada-based Corporate Knights in conjunction with the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) listed Konica Minolta among the “2019 Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World” (2019 Global 100).


About Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe


Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe GmbH, based in Langenhagen, Germany, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Konica Minolta Inc., Tokyo, Japan. With its unique expertise in imaging, data processing and data-based decision making, Konica Minolta creates relevant solutions for its customers - small and medium-sized businesses, large enterprises and public sector - and solves issues faced by society.


As a digital workplace solution provider, Konica Minolta helps its clients to identify and unlock the potential digitalisation holds and reach the next level in the digital maturity of their organisation by rethinking the workplace. In support of an ‘Intelligent connected workplace’, Konica Minolta offers cloud, IT, managed print and video solution services for remote working, collaboration, workflow management and automation and security. The company’s success in driving transformation is also confirmed by IDC, since the ‘IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Print Transformation 2023 Vendor Assessment’ has named Konica Minolta a “Leader” in print transformation. Konica Minolta has been a Microsoft Global Managed Partner since 2021.


Konica Minolta's Igniting Print Possibilities offering helps printers, converters and brand owners maximise workflow automation to increase efficiency. The company delivers consultancy in all communication matters as well as top-of-the-line production, packaging as well as label printers. Its finishing devices create print products that stand out and create added value. Konica Minolta has established itself as the production printing market leader for more than a decade in Europe (InfoSource).


For an increasing number of organisations, success today is more than the narrow definition of financial prosperity – it also includes protecting the environment and having a positive impact on their workforce as well as the societies they are embedded in. With its commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Konica Minolta has pledged to consistently pursue its sustainability and social responsibility goals.


The company has been repeatedly recognised for its rich history of social contribution as well as for working towards achieving the SDGs throughout its business and supply chain. Konica Minolta received a GOLD Level Recognition Medal in the EcoVadis sustainability ratings for 2024.


For its remote services, Konica Minolta was awarded the prestigious ‘Buyers Lab (BLI) 2023-2024 Pacesetter Award in Remote Service for the Western European market’ from Keypoint Intelligence.


Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe is represented by subsidiaries and distributors in more than 80 countries in Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa. With more than 8,800 employees (as of April 2024), Konica Minolta Europe earned net sales of over EUR 2.13 billion in financial year 2023/2024.


Worldwide, the company has over 40,000 employees and is operating in over 150 countries.


For more information, please visit https://www.konicaminolta.eu/eu-en/news and follow Konica Minolta on LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.


Terms and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and are hereby acknowledged.