Sanyo Epson Imaging Devices Corporation ("Sanyo Epson") announced today that its Matsumoto Head Office, Tokyo Head Office, Gifu Plant, and Tottori Plant have obtained the latest (2004) version of the ISO14001 certification, the international standard for environmental management systems, from Bureau Veritas Quality International, after undergoing integrated evaluations.
Sanyo Epson was established through the merger of Seiko Epson
Corp.'s Display Operations Division ("Epson") and Sanyo Electric Co.,
Ltd.'s display operations ("SANYO"). Since the start of operations on October 1, 2004, Sanyo Epson has
established its own environmental policy as a member of the Epson Group in line with
Epson's Environmental Philosophy. As well as further accelerating the environmental efforts pursued by Epson and SANYO at their
respective sites before the merger, during fiscal 2005 Sanyo Epson took concerted action aimed at obtaining ISO14001 certification for its two head offices and two
manufacturing plants.
The integrated certification of these four domestic bases is notable for Sanyo
Epson's success in unifying all of the different environmental manuals and individual standards (Epson Display standards and SANYO standards) and completely integrating its environmental activities. This effort symbolizes the
pursuit of superior environmental performance that underpins the company's environmental management policy. The integration of manuals and individual standards in a merger is a
first for the Epson Group.
Sanyo Epson intends to use this integrated certification as a springboard to even greater environmental activities involving every Sanyo Epson employee, with the aim of becoming the leading company in the industry for environmental performance.
Please see the attached materials for an overview of Sanyo Epson's Environmental Policy and the ISO14001 international standards.
About Sanyo Epson
Sanyo Epson Imaging Devices Corporation was established by Epson and Sanyo Electric on October 1, 2004. Epson holds 55% of the joint venture, and Sanyo 45%.
The new company aims to become a leading manufacturer of small and medium-sized
liquid crystal displays for mobile phones, digital cameras, and automotive applications.
For further information, visit Sanyo Epson's website at http://www.epson-imaging.com/e/.
About Epson
Epson is a global leader in imaging products including printers, projectors and LCDs. With an innovative and creative culture, Epson is dedicated to exceeding the vision and expectations of customers worldwide with products known for their superior quality, functionality, compactness and energy efficiency.
Epson is a network of 98,480 employees in 107 companies around the world, and is proud of its ongoing contributions to the global environment and to the communities in which it is located. Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corp., the Group had consolidated sales of 1479.7 billion yen in fiscal 2004.
For further information, visit Epson's website at http://www.epson.co.jp/e/.
About SANYO
Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. is one of the global consumer electronics giants leading the way in technology innovation for its strategic business domains "Digital & Device" and "Energy & Ecology." SANYO's businesses cover a broad range from AV/information and communications equipment, home appliances, commercial equipment, electronic devices, batteries and others.
For further information, visit SANYO's website at
http://www.global-sanyo.com/.
Contact:
Corporate Communications
Sanyo Epson Imaging Devices Corporation
E-mail: www@epson-imaging.com
Attachment １. Sanyo Epson Imaging Devices Corporation
Environmental Policy
The Seiko Epson Group Environmental Philosophy
Epson will integrate environmental considerations into its corporate activities and actively strive to meet high conservation standards in fulfilling its responsibilities as a good corporate citizen.
Sanyo Epson Imaging Devices Corporation
Environmental Policy
In an effort to "integrate environmental considerations into its corporate
activities" in line with the Epson Group Environmental Philosophy, Sanyo Epson Imaging Devices Corporation will harness the collective strength of its employees in actively striving to create and provide environmentally conscious products and to improve all processes to reduce the burden on the environment.
1. We will build an environmental management system that can be used continuously to reduce the burden on the environment and will annually upgrade our efforts through the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle.
We will respect laws, local ordinances, customer requests, and industry guidelines and will strive to prevent environmental pollution before it occurs.
We will set environmental goals and targets in accordance with this policy and will implement and act upon any revisions to the policy.
2. We will fulfill our responsibilities to local communities and the international community by implementing the following activities throughout the company:
| (1) |
Creating display devices and display-equipped products that have a low environmental impact |
| (2) |
Striving to save energy and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases to prevent global warming |
| (3) |
Using chemicals, glass, paper, and other limited resources effectively and reducing the amount used |
| (4) |
Recycling waste, with the ultimate goal of achieving zero-emission plants |
| (5) |
Raising the environmental performance of related plants by transferring expertise on
environmental activities |
3. We have formally documented and released this Environmental Policy in order to promote its understanding and to attain the practical implementation of its content, among not only individuals working at and for Sanyo Epson, but also our stakeholders.
May 30, 2005
Sanyo Epson Imaging Devices Corporation
Shuji Aruga, President
Attachment 2. The ISO14000 Series
ISO14000-series certifications set international standards for the scope of application and implementation methods of environmental management systems introduced by organizations. Having begun deliberations in 1993, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) decided on five final proposals relating to environmental management and auditing in July 1995, and the ISO14001 (Environmental Management
Systems - Specification with Guidance for Use) and ISO14004 (Environmental Management
Systems - General Guidelines on Principles, Systems, and Supporting Techniques) formally came into effect in September 1996.
The ISO established five specialist subcommittees to address themes relating to environmental management, such as environmental labels, life cycle assessment (LCA), and performance evaluation. This series of standards is collectively known as the ISO14000 series. The latest edition of ISO14001 standards was published in 2004.
ISO14001 covers the following areas:
|
1. |
Formulation of policies based on level of environmental impact of a company and legal regulations, and setting of concrete goals and targets |
|
2. |
Production of environmental management plans |
|
3. |
Organization and assignment and education/training of necessary personnel |
|
4. |
Implementation and maintenance of environmental management plans |
|
5. |
Auditing of environmental management systems |
|
6. |
Review of management systems by top managements |
A further objective is to ensure "continual improvement" of the management systems by addressing problems based on the results of the review in (6) above and returning to (1) to formulate new policies.
Auditing for ISO14001 certification is designed to verify whether an environmental management system satisfies the requirements listed in (1) to (6).
Composition of ISO14000 Series Standards
| ISO14000 |
14001: |
Environmental Management Systems |
|
14010: |
Environmental Auditing and Related Investigations |
|
14020: |
Environmental Labels and Declarations |
|
14030: |
Environmental Performance Evaluation |
|
14040: |
Life Cycle Assessment |
|
14050: |
Terms and Definitions |
Standards That Came into Effect in October 1996:
| ISO14010: |
Guidelines for Environmental Auditing - General Principles |
| ISO14011: |
Guidelines for Environmental Auditing - Audit Procedures - Auditing of Environmental Management Systems |
| ISO14012: |
Guidelines for Environmental Auditing EQualification Criteria for Environmental Auditors
|
|
