TOKYO – Ricoh today announced it has been recognized by the Ethisphere Institute as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2013. The list was revealed Tuesday, March 5, in New York at the World’s Most Ethical Companies Honoree Dinner held in conjunction with the 2013 Global Ethics Summit.

This is the fifth year in a row that Ricoh has been honored for promoting high ethical standards by Ethisphere, a leading international organization dedicated to the creation, advancement and sharing of best practices in business ethics, governance, anti-corruption and sustainability. The organization says its honor "highlights companies that outperform industry peers when it comes to ethical behavior. The 2013 World’s Most Ethical companies are those that truly embrace ethical business practice and demonstrate industry leadership, forcing peers to follow suit or fall behind."

This is the seventh year Ethisphere has published the World’s Most Ethical rankings, which were culled from a record number of nominations and applications.

"Every one of us at Ricoh has committed to acting with integrity and honesty at all times, and we

take responsibility for our actions,"

said Hiroshi Kobayashi, corporate executive vice president, Ricoh Company, Ltd. "Our investors, customers and partners understand the central role

integrity plays at Ricoh. Being named to Ethisphere’s 2013 World’s Most Ethical Companies list shows how seriously we take corporate citizenship, and we’re honored to be included."

Through in-depth research and a multistep analysis, Ethisphere reviewed nominations from companies in more than 100 countries and 36 industries. The methodology for the World’s Most Ethical Companies includes reviewing codes of ethics, litigation and regulatory infraction histories; evaluating the investment in innovation and sustainable business practices; looking at 

activities designed to improve corporate citizenship; and studying nominations from senior executives, industry peers, suppliers and customers.

"A strong ethical foundation is a competitive advantage, and Ricoh recognizes the important role corporate responsibility plays in improving its bottom line," said Alex Brigham, executive director of the Ethisphere Institute. "As more and more organizations strive for this honor each year, Ricoh’s inclusion as a World’s Most Ethical Company for 2013 demonstrates its industry-leading commitment to ethics and dedication to integrity."

Read about the methodology and view the complete list of the 2013 World’s Most Ethical Companies at http://ethisphere.com/wme. The World’s Most Ethical Companies list will also be featured in the 2013 Quarter 1 issue of Ethisphere Magazine.