Regional Contribution
Support for Children's Education
Events for Community Children
Canon sponsors a variety of events for children in the communities surrounding our Group companies and work sites as part of our social contribution efforts.
Canon Marketing Japan held its Canon Kids Park 2011- ENJOY! PHOTO & MOVIE event from July through August 2011 to enable family participation through the summer vacation period. About 2,700 local residents participated, enjoying a good time through photography. Workshops that proved valuable for summer vacation self-study, such as learning how to make cameras and lenses using items such as milk cartons and magnifying glasses, were also held.
Canon Inc., Oita Canon, Oita Canon Materials and Canon Marketing Japan jointly sponsored The Summer Vacation Canon Factory Kids' School in August 2011 at Canon Inc.'s Oita Manufacturing Training Center.
This was the second time this event was held, following the inaugural session held last year, with 148 primary school students selected for participation from among many applicants. The students had the opportunity to experience the fun of science and monodzukuri (craftsmanship, or simply "making things") by actually making a number of objects.
Canon will continue to provide such opportunities to children as a contribution to creating livelier communities.
Summer Vacation Canon Factory Kids' School
Special Workshops for Developing the Next Generation of Human Resources
In line with our educational goals as a manufacturer to develop the next generation of human resources, particularly in manufacturing, Canon Inc. conducts special workshops at a variety of events and museums.
In October 2011, we conducted a lens-making class at the Science Museum*1 in Tokyo. The Science Museum operates a membership organization for children called "Friends of Science", and the lens-making class was held for 15 elementary-school members of the club. The students learned about the history of cameras and how they are manufactured, after which they learned how to make a telephoto lens using a magnifying glass and some construction paper. The students had fun actually attaching these telephoto lenses to a digital SLR camera and taking photos.
This same lens-making class was held at the Monodzukuri Taikan Stadium*2 event, which has been held by the Monodzukuri Nippon Conference since 2009. The 2012 event was held over a two-day period at the Keio University Hiyoshi Campus for 80 elementary school students from grades three through six, with their parents in attendance.
Canon will continue to engage in such activities to encourage the development of human resources for manufacturing.
- *1Science Museum
Founded by the Japan Science Foundation, the Science Museum seeks to encourage knowledge and awareness of current and near-future scientific and industrial technology. - *2Monodzukuri Taikan Stadium
The Monodzukuri Taikan Stadium is a diverse workshop event held by the corporate members of the Monodzukuri Nippon Conference to give children the chance to experience the fun of craftsmanship and science.
Lens-Making class at the Science Museum
Social Welfare
Children Invited to Copa America 2011
Canon U.S.A.'s regional contribution efforts included inviting 100 elementary school children living in the northern Argentine province of Jujuy to attend a match at Copa America 2011. Canon U.S.A. was an official sponsor of Copa America 2011, the South American continental national team soccer championship tournament held in July at venues throughout Argentina.
Initially, the Japanese national team was scheduled to attend, but they withdrew from the event following the Great East Japan Earthquake. This caused great disappointment in Jujuy, where the team was to stay. After that, we enlisted the help of Tomonori Kitayama, the Japan Soccer Association's international representative in Argentina, in securing an invitation for the local children.
It was a day's drive to the match venue, but the children were greatly looking forward to the match, so the tour was a resounding success.
Watching a Copa America 2011 match
Salt lake in the mountain province of Olaroz, where the children live.
Support for NPO Providing Free Glaucoma and Cataract Screening in India
There are currently approximately nine million sight-disabled people in India, but it is estimated that through early detection of glaucoma and cataracts blindness could be prevented in about half of these cases.
Canon India supports the efforts of the NPO conducting the RIGHT TO VISION campaign, which aims to save people from preventable blindness. During the period from October 2010 through April 2011, Canon India covered the cost of free glaucoma and cataract screening and minor treatment for approximately 3,500 people at locations around India.
Free glaucoma and cataract screening in India.
Assisting an American Non-Profit Organization in Rescuing Missing Children
Since 1997, Canon has supported the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), an NPO in the United States engaged in the recovery of missing children.
One of the most important tools for locating missing children is an updated photograph. Canon has donated more than 2,000 digital cameras, scanners, printers and other equipment to help law enforcement agencies quickly disseminate photographs and information about missing children. We also
sponsor various charity events for NCMEC.
In 2011, a charity event was held in Las Vegas in January, followed by an employee fundraising event in May on National Missing Children's Day. The cumulative value raised through all activities and donated by Canon U.S.A. to NCMEC was $460,250 (approximately ¥37 million) for the year.
We will continue to contribute to the recovery of missing children through our support of NCMEC.
Charity event in Las Vegas
Nature Conservation
Developing the "Furusato Project - Linking Our Dream to the Future" Throughout Japan
With the aim of bequeathing a beautiful, verdant furusato (hometown) to the children of the future, in May 2010 the Canon Marketing Japan Group launched the "Furusato Project - Linking Our Dream to the Future" for nature restoration and environmental conservation.
This project mainly focuses on three themes: stakeholder participation-based natural area restoration; charity activities tied in with business; and, support for reforestation through carbon offsets*1.
Stakeholder participation-based natural area restoration takes the form of forging links with local environmental NPOs in volunteer forest conservation and arable land restoration activities at 15 locations throughout Japan. In addition to our employees, a variety of stakeholders, including customers and business partners, take part. Such activities were conducted 39 times in 2011, with a total of 729 participants. There have been a total of 74 restoration activities since 2010, with a cumulative total of 1,525 participants.
We also conduct donation activities connected to our business, for example donations made to environmental NPOs with ties to the Furusato Project. The donation amounts are calculated based on the number of used cartridges recovered and sales of PPC (Plain Paper Copier) paper, as well as the Click Donations*2 made through the website. These totaled ¥10.73*3 million in 2011.
Reforestation through carbon offsets refers to the offsetting of CO2 emitted by our used cartridge collection trucks and during the production process of Canon's remanufactured copying machines through the purchase of forest absorption credits (J-VER). Funds generated through the purchase of these credits are put to use in the regeneration of Japan's forests, which contributes to the prevention of global warming. A total of 450 tons were offset in 2011.
In recognition of the contribution to biodiversity of this series of activities, the Furusato Project was awarded the Special Judges' Prize at the 2nd Corporate Efforts for Natural Prosperity Contest*4.
We will continue these initiatives by forming ties with a wide variety of stakeholders, including NPOs.
- *1Carbon offsets
The offsetting of some or all of the carbon emissions that a company cannot eliminate on its own with those reduced or absorbed at a different location. - *2Click Donation
The activities in the various locations are listed at the project website, and for each activity that a visitor clicks on Canon Marketing Japan donates ¥1 for that visitor. - *3The "Furusato Project - Linking Our Dream to the Future" has additionally donated ¥11.57 million to NPOs and NGOs engaged in recovery activities following the Great East Japan Earthquake, resulting in a total of approximately ¥22.31 million in donations.
- *4Corporate Efforts for Natural Prosperity Contest
This contest is sponsored by the Keidanren Nature Conservation Fund to recognize efforts by companies towards biodiversity preservation, with additional backing from the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
Places where the "Furusato project - Linking Our Dream to the Future" is active
Support for the Satoyama Initiative Through the Ink Cartridge Satogaeri Project
Canon is working with our Ink Cartridge Satogaeri (Homecoming) Project partner companies as well as Japan's Ministry of the Environment and university research organizations to support the Satoyama Initiative.
The Satoyama Initiative seeks to achieve communities in harmony with nature that benefit both humanity and biodiversity by preserving and developing the satoyama, or farmland that people have developed and maintained sustainably since ancient times. The Initiative has extended its activities to include biodiversity-conscious restoration of regions impacted by the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Six companies, including Canon, began supporting the International Partnership for the Satoyama Initiative (IPSI) in October 2011. One yen is committed to the Initiative for every ink cartridge collected through the Ink Cartridge Satogaeri (Homecoming) Project, and the amount accumulated is donated every six months.
The first donation under this scheme, representing funds collected through March 2011, was around ¥800,000. This money was used to cover the costs of a commemorative film concerning the disaster and restoration efforts in the Kirikiri area of Otsuchi Town in Iwate Prefecture. The Initiative will continue to work with IPSI members in Japan and abroad in projects for biodiversity-conscious restoration, such as the Tohoku Green Renaissance Project of the Tohoku University Ecosystem Adaptability Global COE, to support restoration of satoyama and satoumi (ancient sustained aquaculture systems) in areas impacted by the Great East Japan Earthquake.
