Company praised for inkjet innovation to minimize environmental impact

Tokyo, Japan – Seiko Epson Corporation won the Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award at the 29th Grand Prize for Global Environment Awards. The award recognizes Epson's inkjet innovation efforts to minimize environmental impact. The Fujisankei Communications Group sponsors the Grand Prize for Global Environment Awards, with support from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry; Ministry of the Environment; Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology; Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism; Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries; and Keidanren. The awards ceremony is scheduled for April 8, 2020 at Meiji Memorial Hall in Motoakasaka, Tokyo.

Overview of award-winning technology

Epson's proprietary Micro Piezo inkjet printing technology does not use heat in the ink ejection process. It is a shared technology base for all kinds of inkjet printers from Epson, including those for the home and office. Epson is driving innovations in this inkjet technology to provide the functions people need with minimal environmental impact. The goal is to achieve a sustainable society by advancing the frontiers of industry and driving a circular economy. In FY2018, a new factory tripled Epson's production capacity for print chips, one of the core components in Epson's inkjet heads. That same year, work began on a development facility as well as on a new plant to prototype and volume-produce commercial and industrial printing products with low environmental impact. This gives Epson a foundation to advance the frontiers of industry.

Inkjet innovation for solutions to today's challenges

Society needs ways of communicating and recording information and manufacturing goods with minimal environmental impact without inconveniencing or troubling users. At Epson, inkjet innovation is all about fulfilling this need. Inkjet technology is designed to deposit just the right amount of a substance in just the right place at just the right time. To avoid waste, only as much of the substance as is needed is used. And since many objects are made by layering a substance, inkjet technology, which applies minute substances exactly where intended, is suited for far more than printing. The potential manufacturing applications are unlimited. Conventional manufacturing, in contrast, uses a large amount of material. The greater part of this material is discarded, while only the small amount that is actually needed remains in the product. Thanks to inkjet innovation, these traditional processes are giving way to new ones with low environmental impact.

In 2008, Epson established its Environmental Vision 2050 in response to worries about global warming and resource depletion. The key goal of Environmental Vision 2050 is to reduce CO2 emissions across the life cycle of products and services with the aim of keeping the human impact on the environment within the Earth's limits. Since then, efforts to achieve a sustainable society have accelerated and enterprises have to practice a higher level of social responsibility. Thus, in FY2018, we revised our Environmental Vision to more clearly state our intention to do those things crucial to forging social sustainability; namely, solving global-scale environmental problems like climate change and resource depletion and driving a circular economy. Following this Vision and working with partners of all types, Epson has been generating synergies that build upon our technology, products, and services. This is how we are contributing to a sustainable society.

Reference

Solving social issues through inkjet innovation
global.epson.com/SR/environment/vision/innovation.html 

Epson's environmental initiatives
global.epson.com/SR/environment/