Global imaging solutions leader Canon believes one of its missions is to maximize the use of finite resources.
“We at Canon strive hard to not just create superior imaging products and business solutions for our consumers and partners; we also innovate ways to deliver products and processes in a more eco-friendly manner,” said Canon Marketing (Philippines), Inc. president and chief executive Kazuhiro Ozawa.
Ozawa said the company is aware that their products may eventually end up in landfills. “As a global company, we are mindful of our environmental impact and take responsibility by implementing a closed-loop recycling system. We are proud to be the first company globally to recycle toner cartridges since 1990,” he added.
Canon believes that smart designs and recycling are some of the solutions in addressing global waste and resource issues. As such, they design products that are easier to reuse and recycle, which starts from the selection of materials down to limiting the types of plastics used.
In the manufacturing process, they practice a closed-loop recycling method where the byproduct of one process is used to make another product, thereby minimizing or eliminating waste altogether.
In Japan in the 1990s, the company pioneered the recycling of toner cartridges. Last year, it celebrated the 10th anniversary of Project Homecoming, a recycling program that allows people to properly dispose of their empty ink cartridges. To make it accessible for everyone, over 6,000 recycling bins were deployed across Japanese cities that resulted in 24 million cartridges being collected.
Canon wishes to replicate the success of Project Homecoming in the Philippines with the relaunch of its ink cartridge recycling program. Together with its local partner Envirotech Waste Recycling, Inc., the company plans to transform the collected refuse into usable items. Collected cartridges will be given new life as new collection bins, effectively fueling the program’s expansion.
“Since we started the ink cartridge recycling program here in the Philippines only six years ago, we have collected 7,000 empty ink cartridges from consumers,” shared CMPI vice president Anuj Aggarwal.
He continued, “Our business partners have also been supportive. They have submitted for recycling 99 percent of the toner cartridges they purchased from us. In doing this, we hope to encourage everyone to be more conscious about the environment and to start practicing recycling.”
To meet its goal of collecting at least 30 percent more ink cartridges and 10 percent more toner cartridges, Canon is encouraging everyone to drop off empty ink cartridges (non-Canon cartridges are welcome, too) in recycling bins located in the following stores: Canon Customer Care Center in Commerce and Industry Plaza; Canon Image Square in SM Aura Premier; Canon D-Center in SM Megamall; Canon D-Zone in SM North Edsa; and Canon D-Zone in SM Mall of Asia.