Danvers, MA – April 8, 2008 – RISO, Inc., a leading manufacturer of environmentally-friendly high-speed printers and digital printing technology, today announced that it is partnering with the Arbor Day Foundation to plant 100,000 trees over the course of the next four years.  Reflecting its commitment to the environment, these trees will help replenish national forests damaged by fires or disease and will be planted on behalf of RISO's customers and resellers.

"We applaud RISO for its commitment to help replant 100,000 trees over the next four years," said John Rosenow, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation.  "Corporate commitments such as this generous contribution to replanting America's national forests will help restore wildlife habitat, clean the air, protect soil and waterways, and restore these beautiful and valuable natural resources for the benefits of generations to come."

This partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation underscores RISO's long-standing commitment to the environment.  In addition to being cost-efficient, RISO's various printing products have a lower environmental impact than traditional printing technologies, which in turn helps customers to conserve energy, reduce waste, and utilize environmentally-friendly features such as soy-based inks.  For example, RISO's digital duplicators, which recently earned ENERGY STAR status for their low energy use, require as little as two amps electrical current when producing copies, or less energy than three light bulbs.  In a recent study comparing electricity consumption, RISO digital duplicators showed 95 percent cost savings over many traditional toner-based copiers or MFPs.


"At RISO, protecting the environment is an important part of who we are. This responsibility is demonstrated by customers' usage of our innovative printers and digital duplicators, which have a lower environmental impact than traditional printing technologies," said David Murphy, vice president of marketing for RISO, Inc.  "In addition to our pledge to plant 100,000 trees over a four-year period, we plan on increasing awareness within our industry by working with the Arbor Day Foundation to provide our employees and our resellers with gift trees that can be planted locally throughout the US."

This commitment to the Arbor Day Foundation is the latest initiative undertaken as part of RISO's long-standing commitment to the environment, which has included the following highlights:

        • In 1996, RISO's parent company, RISO Kagaku Corporation, established an Environmental Protection Department.
        • In 1998, the company established the "RISO Environmental Charter" and "RISO Environmental Protection Principles," and has since actively promoted environmental protection in its daily corporate operations worldwide.
        • In 2000, RISO's manufacturing plant and R&D technology center received ISO 14001 certification.
        • In 2007, RISO's digital duplicator products earned the ENERGY STAR rating. ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy that helps individuals and businesses save money and protects the environment by choosing energy efficient products and practices that have been certified as ENERGY STAR compliant.
        • In a September 2007, I.T. Strategies Dealer Survey, RISO received the highest "green" rating among original equipment manufacturers as ranked by dealers.  Over 80 percent of those surveyed rated RISO as "green," "very green," or "extremely green."

RISO's duplicators and printers are ideal for large copy volumes and offer flexible printing options, which accommodate the needs of many organizations.  Businesses and organizations are able to print what they need such as flyers, newsletters, forms and outreach communications expediently and for a low cost.