Konica Minolta achieves carbon neutral status

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This distinction was earned through the calculation of its carbon footprint, implementation of company-wide energy efficiency initiatives and the subsequent offsetting of the remaining emissions.

Konica Minolta South Africa offset its emissions through the country-wide planting of fruit and indigenous trees and bamboo. The planting was conducted through South Africa's first environmental social enterprise, Food & Trees for Africa (FTFA).

This year the company has committed to planting 5,271 trees, which will take the total number of trees donated by the company across the country to over 23,500 since 2008. Last year the company were also involved in the planting of 4,600 bamboo canes.

Delivering on commitment

"Achieving carbon neutral status for a second year means we are delivering on our commitment to run our business as efficiently as possible and to protect the global environment in which we operate," said Alan Griffith, managing director of Konica Minolta South Africa. "These programmes to mitigate our carbon impact and reduce our energy usage are key components of our responsibility to the communities in which we operate."

Companies usually offset only their direct greenhouse gas emissions - which are known as Scope 1 emissions - and include items such as fuel consumption. However, Konica Minolta South Africa has gone a step further by also offsetting its energy indirect (Scope 2) emissions, relating to electricity consumption. Konica Minolta South Africa's carbon offsetting commitment for the 2013/2014 financial year, has offset greenhouse gas emissions estimated at 1,945 metric tons of CO2.

Credibility of claim

To ensure the credibility of the carbon neutral claim, Konica Minolta South Africa submitted both its carbon footprint and offsetting reports to the Carbon Protocol's Carbon Neutral Programme. This programme acts as an independent third party verifier and the use of a standardised carbon neutral logo is granted for a year.

"We lead by example by running our business in an environmentally responsible manner, working to encourage collaborative responsibility among our branch and dealer community and beyond to highlight best practices and solutions related to sustainability," concluded Griffith.