Ricoh Australia Named a Finalist in the ARN Innovation Awards for Sustainability

Ricoh Australia has been recognised as a finalist in the 2025 Australian Reseller News (ARN) Innovation Awards for its ongoing leadership in sustainability and positive contribution to society.

People, place, and planet are the three pillars that underpin Ricoh’s global sustainability strategy. In Australia, the company is committed to contributing to these goals and ultimately becoming a zero-carbon enterprise.

Over the past year, Ricoh Australia has made strong progress across multiple fronts.

The company has enhanced its recycling initiatives by making it easier for customers to responsibly dispose of their end-of-life equipment. A simple call or service request to Ricoh Australia ensures old machines are collected and delivered to the company’s contracted recycling hub in each state. In line with Ricoh’s local sustainability mantra, “good isn’t good enough,” the company maintains strict standards for all recycling partners.

In April 2025, Ricoh Australia partnered with national recycling provider Sircel, whose proven capability enables the recycling of up to 99 per cent of the components and consumables within Ricoh’s range of print technology hardware. This partnership has allowed Ricoh Australia to significantly boost its recycling rate, diverting hundreds of tons of equipment from landfill each year and recovering many additional tons of reusable components. During the past year alone, Ricoh Australia recycled more than 800 tonnes of end-of-life equipment on behalf of enterprise and public-sector customers—exceeding regulatory targets and reinforcing its commitment as a responsible local and global citizen.

Ricoh Australia has also optimised its downstream recycling program by reducing offshore activities in favour of predominantly onshore recycling. This approach ensures transparency and accountability by preventing locally generated waste from being shipped overseas.

In parallel, the company has re-established its partnership with Close the Loop, a circular-economy specialist focused on product recovery and recycling solutions. Through this collaboration, depleted Ricoh cartridges are transformed into TonerPlas—an award-winning asphalt additive made from waste toner powder and soft plastics. Over the past year, nearly 106,000 Ricoh cartridges and bottles were recovered, producing approximately 258,750 kilograms of TonerPlas, which has been used to improve 52 kilometres of Australian roads. As a result, Ricoh Australia has exceeded its targets set by the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) and has eliminated excess packaging, now using recyclable cardboard only.

Earlier this year, Ricoh Australia also developed an Australian Procurement Sustainability Guide that integrates environmental, social, and economic responsibility into all procurement decisions and processes. The guide outlines minimum standards for Ricoh procurement personnel and suppliers across categories such as furniture, equipment, consumables, utilities, fixtures, waste, and partnerships. It reinforces the company’s principled position on whole-of-life value, environmental conservation, ethical sourcing, social responsibility, and the circular economy—further optimising how Ricoh Australia manages materials and resources.

In recognition of its global efforts, Ricoh was selected for inclusion in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for the fifth consecutive year and in the Dow Jones Sustainability Asia Pacific Index for the seventh consecutive year. The actions and initiatives of regional offices, including Ricoh Australia, contributed to these achievements.

Ricoh Australia congratulates all companies shortlisted for the 2025 ARN Innovation Awards and looks forward to an evening of industry celebration in Sydney on Thursday, 27 November.