Seiko Epson Corporation has announced that, as of December 2023, all electricity used at its Epson Group sites around the globe is from renewable sources. This makes Epson the first in the domestic manufacturing industry to complete the transition to renewable electricity at all of its sites worldwide, including Japan. The group consumes approximately 876 GWh3 of electricity per year. By sourcing renewables to cover this demand, it expects to reduce its annual carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 400,000 tonnes.
Epson publicly committed to becoming carbon negative and underground resource free in its Environmental Vision 2050. The use of renewable electricity is a key means by which it seeks to reach its goal of achieving decarbonisation. In line with this, the company declared, in March 2021, that it would switch to 100% renewable electricity to meet the electricity needs at all sites around the world by 2023. In November 2021, the switch was completed in Japan. The global switch to renewable electricity was completed on schedule in December 2023.
In addition to sourcing renewable electricity, Epson will promote the broader adoption of renewable energy, including by generating more of its own power and by supporting the development of new power sources through co-creation. The company will reduce the amount of energy associated with production and products and will pursue further advances in resource circulation to attain the goal of becoming carbon negative.
Global president Yasunori Ogawa said, ‘For eight decades, Epson has demonstrated a proactive approach to environmental action. We have maintained the founder's commitment to preserving the cleanliness of nearby Lake Suwa and became the world’s first company to eliminate CFCs from our manufacturing processes. Now we have successfully completed the switch to 100% renewable electricity at all Epson Group sites in just two years and ten months since declaring our commitment to doing so in 2021. This will not only help us to achieve our own goals but will also help to facilitate a broader adoption of renewable electricity within society by spreading awareness. Our goal of realising social sustainability is a bigger issue, one fraught with difficulty, but we will act with determination to address the issues with a spirit of creativity and challenge.’
Epson believes that its philosophy of efficient, compact and precise innovation enriches lives and helps create a better world, and it will continue to engage in practices that are aligned with this purpose, thereby advancing toward its aspirational goal of achieving sustainability and enriching communities in tandem with its customers and partners.