FY2020 Olympus Environment Month

UN World Environment Day is celebrated on June 5 every year. June also marks the annual Olympus Environmental Month, through which Olympus has conducted activities intended to raise environmental awareness for over 40 years. Here we introduce the main events and activities implemented by the Olympus Group throughout the world in 2019 during the 44th Olympus Environment Month in FY2020.

Japan

Environmental Conservation Activities

An activity aimed at the conservation of local nature reserves and ecosystems was conducted in Aomori, home to an Olympus manufacturing facility.

Beech tree planting festival 2019 (Aomori)

Local Cleaning Activities as Members of the Community

Employee volunteers organized and ran cleanup efforts around their workplaces.

Coral Reef Protection Activities

In order to contribute to environmental protection in the sea in Okinawa, Japan where corals are threatened with extinction due to the impact of global warming, Olympus has been planting coral seedlings by internal and external volunteers every year since 2012 in cooperation with an environmental nonprofit organization. This year, the eighth session was held in line with the timing of the World Ocean Day (June 8), the anniversary of the United Nations. In parallel undersea cleaning activities, we collected undersea garbage such as PET bottles and bottle fragments.

Fourth Book Donation Drive in OLYMPUS

Olympus donated to the Japan Fund for Global Environment (JFGE) through a book donation drive, an initiative in which Book Off, a chain of bookstores selling used books in Japan, purchases books, CDs, DVDs, and games that are no longer needed at home and in the workplace. The purchase price of each item is then donated to the Japan Fund for Global Environment (JFGE), which is operated by the Environmental Restoration and Conservation Agency of Japan. The JFGE uses the funds for environmental conservation projects in Japan and abroad. As a result, a total of 2,893 books and CDs were donated by Olympus employees all across Japan.

The Book Donation Drive logo

Implementation of "Environmental e-Learning"

"Environmental e-Learning" has been conducted for group employees in Japan to raise employee awareness of the current major environmental problems, including the threat of climate change and marine pollution caused by plastic waste, social trends and our own efforts. (Number of participants: 12,724)

Promoting the use of employees' own cups/bottles

The headquarters and major facilities in Tokyo, and branches and sales offices in Japan etc. promoted the use of employees' own cups/bottles and have eliminated paper cups that were disposed of after use.

Others

• In accordance with the status of each facility, various environmental activities were conducted such as energy-saving patrols, promotion of waste sorting, and distribution of balsam pear seeds to employees to grow green curtains.
• The three major facilities in Hachioji, Tokyo provided new menus in employee cafeterias using vegetables with skin to reduce food loss.

Activities in the Americas, Europe, and Asia Pacific

Various environmental activities were conducted within the Olympus Group around the world, such as community cleanups by employees and recycling promotions to increase recycling awareness.

Americas

• Information on the current status of marine pollution caused by plastic waste, paper straws and reusable water bottles was provided to employees to raise environmental awareness.
• Employees were encouraged to commute by walking, cycling and carpooling to reduce the environmental impact caused by commuting.
• A park cleanup activity was conducted by volunteer employees and their families.

Europe

• Eco-bags were distributed to employees at multiple sites to reduce the use of plastic bags.
• In order to reduce the environmental impact of employees commuting, free of charge bicycle servicing events for employees were conducted at multiple sites. A beach cleanup activity was also conducted in cooperation with an environmental protection organization.

Asia Pacific

• Community cleanup and tree planting activities were conducted near facilities by volunteer employees.
• A recycling event and an environmental photo competition were organized to raise employee awareness of the environment.