JEDDAH — Sustainability and CSR has to be an essential part of every business' DNA if one has to look at long-term growth and sustenance, discussed an industry specialist at the recently held 12th Annual CSR Summit at The Address Hotel in Dubai Marina. Over 50 leading experts and corporate practitioners from around the region came together to discuss best practices and environmental stewardship at the summit, which was held under the patronage of H Khaled Al Kamda, Director General of Community Development Authority, Government of Dubai. Ajay Kumar, Marketing Manager, Canon Emirates, was part of a panel which presented a dual case study on ‘Embedding Sustainability into the Business DNA' at the summit. Kumar presented a study on Canon's unique sustainability initiatives, based on the company's corporate philosophy of Kyosei, living and working together for the common good. He discussed, among others, the company's environment and product safety regulations; sustainable solution offerings through its high-end energy saving devices; its toner and ink collection programs; and the company's goal of empowering sustainable future. The case study was yet another example of Canon's commitment to CSR in the region and also delved into various aspects of Canon's Managed Print Services (MPS) as a tool for enhancing productivity, saving paper, enhancing security and saving money on print activities thus contributing to the ‘sustainability vision' of the region. Kumar said further: “Canon ingrains every employee to think sustainably, provides training and CSR toolkits, the learnings of which in turn is then cascaded to our partners and customers. Our business practices like encouraging double-sided printing which we pioneered, using recycled paper to print, keeping track of staff print behavior, avoiding air and road shipments to reduce CO2 emissions, setting up recycling procedures and packaging waste, destructing old machines without negative environmental impact, are all part of how we embed sustainability into our business DNA.” Mai Youssef, Corporate Communications Director, Canon Middle Eas, said: “Canon's focus on sustainability is built on three pillars: business, environment and society. We aim to grow our business responsibly, while reducing our need for new natural resources, while simultaneously contributing to the growth of society as a whole, through humanitarian and educational projects, for example. Our participation in the CSR Summit is yet another example of our commitment to promoting sustainability in the region.” Kumar also explained how Canon is one of the few companies to have achieved global certification to the international environmental management standard ISO 14001, covering more than 800 sites and offices. The recertification reiterates Canon's ongoing commitment to meeting all applicable environmental regulations while continuously improving its environmental performance in the local community. — SG
