Exhibiting Environmental Leadership: The Eco Start Program
Earth Day celebrates its 50th anniversary on April 22, 2020. Over the last half-century, it has become the largest environmental movement, with more than a billion people around the globe actively demanding solutions to protect the planet.
The amplified focus on environmental sustainability holds direct significance—and distinct challenges—for the printing industry. In response to environmental challenges, the printing industry is being called on to demonstrate proactive leadership and problem-solving—by developing sustainable sourcing, product development, and manufacturing practices, as well as forming future-focused partnerships for the benefit of generations to come.
The Eco Start Program at Canon Solutions America is a prime example of this high level of leadership and commitment. Through a sponsorship of Trees for the Future—a Charity Navigator four-star organization—every time a customer purchases a new production print system from Canon Solutions America, new trees are planted in developing African communities to help offset the system’s projected impact on the environment during its first year in operation.
Canon uses internal calculations based on estimated annual usage to determine the number of trees needed to counterbalance a machine’s expected year-one CO2 emissions. Currently 11 Canon Solutions America production print devices are included in the Eco Start Program, each contributing to the donation and planting of between 230 and 2,100 trees per machine sold.
“At Canon Solutions America, we fully understand the future depends on the sustainability of the planet we all share,” says Francis A. McMahon, executive vice president. “Planting millions of trees under the Eco Start Program makes far-reaching contributions beyond just removing tons of greenhouse gas from the atmosphere and helping restore Earth’s rich biodiversity. It’s personal—providing families with fuel, food, and a means to engage in local commerce. As an extension of Canon’s commitment to sustainable business practices, Eco Start is also a tangible way for us to help our customers achieve their own corporate environmental goals.”
Since its launch in 2011, Canon Solutions America has worked with Trees for the Future to plant more than 1.9 million trees on behalf of customers. That’s enough trees to cover 1.5 times the area of Central Park in New York City. These trees have created 675 sustainable Forest Gardens, helped more than 735 farmers and their families, and removed 95 million pounds of carbon from the atmosphere. On average, more than 100 Canon Solutions America customers participate in the Eco Start Program each year.
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