Canon: Protecting culture and environment

Leading imaging company Canon Inc recently released its first Chinese-version CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) report to highlight its achievements in implementing the company's "Imaging CSR" strategy in China.

The company began releasing editions of its global Sustainable Development Report in 2003, but this was the first time the company published a CSR report focusing on the Chinese market.

Since coming to China at the end of the 1970s, Canon has set up 16 subsidiaries, two offices and one training center in the country.

As part of its business development strategy and "Imaging CSR" philosophy, Canon China has launched several CSR initiatives using photography and video works for environmental, educational and cultural projects.

"In 2008, the global economy fell into recession due to the effects of the financial crisis. To respond to the increasingly difficult economic conditions, as well as the pressure of global climate change, Canon insisted that CSR should be considered as a DNA of our corporate life," said Howard Ozawa, president and CEO of Canon China Co Ltd.

According to the CSR report, the Japan-based imaging giant is promoting the third phase of its Excellent Global Corporation Plan, a mid-term to long-term management plan with a goal to position the company among the world's top 100 companies in terms of major management indicators.

"We will continuously work in partnership with our business parties, achieving sustainable corporate growth, while also realizing a society that promotes both enriched lifestyles and a better environment for local people," Ozawa said.

'Delighting you always'

Canon's corporate slogan is: "Delighting you always". That slogan is incorporated into its CSR work on environmental protection, education, and cultural and social welfare fronts.

For years, Canon China has joined several environmental protection organizations to sponsor educational activities that promote environmental and wildlife protection.

Since 1997, the World Wildlife Fund and Canon have been working in partnership in China to create a series of public photo exhibitions on environmental challenges and conservation efforts.

Since 2004, Canon has sponsored a Wild China Film project to organize annual nature photography camps. Wild China Film is a grassroots non-governmental organization of Chinese wildlife photographers.

The camp has attracted hundreds of amateur photographers, and more than 100,000 of their wildlife photographs have been displayed at exhibitions to enhance public knowledge.

Last year, Canon partnered with the World Wildlife Fund and Wild China Film to launch the first Chinese-language environmental protection education website for children at www.delightearth.org.

In addition, the company paid attention to environmental conservation by promoting recycling with its "Produce, Use, Recycle" initiative.

The company reported taking steps to use fewer raw materials, increase operating efficiencies and reduce environmental effects of its products.

School programs

Since 1995, Canon China also has made donations to set up nine Canon Hope Schools in partnership with the China Youth Development Federation.

In the past three years, the company launched "Help Us Help" and "Image-Light of Hope" projects at the Hope schools to help with primary school construction in poverty-stricken rural China and promote photography-imaging education.

The company also has supported cultural protection and conservation involving preserving cultural treasures in western China and supporting cultural heritage protection.

In May, Canon China initiated the Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection program for the Qiang people, using its imaging products to record and help promote preserving cultural heritage.

Canon China also invested more than 4 million yuan to support the making of the Chinese movie Hoh Xil, which depicted the real-life struggle to protect the antelope of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau from poachers.

The company encourages employees and their families to participate in social causes such as tree planting, environmental protection promotion, rural education and community philanthropic activities.

From 2005 to 2008, Canon China was awarded the annual "Responsible Corporate Citizen" Guangming CSR Award, which was organized by Guangming Daily for promoting CSR causes in China.

(China Daily 11/16/2009 page10)