Newport News, VA and Gloucester, VA — Our analyst, Jake Slawetsky, had the opportunity to visit Canon Virginia, Inc. (CVI) and Canon Environmental Technologies Inc. (CETI) to see the cutting-edge environmental and recycling projects that make Canon a leader in sustainability.

Founded in 1985, Canon Virginia, Inc. (CVI) has evolved from manufacturing copiers into several areas; manufacturing, automated cartridge production, toner recycling, and medical and silk manufacturing. CVI, Inc. has 1,000 employees and is part of Canon’s commitment to environmental stewardship and technological advancement.

The tour began with a presentation highlighting CVI’s recycling programs.

  • Recycled Toner Pellet (RTP) Project: By recycling waste toner into pellets used by local asphalt companies, CVI has turned a cost into a profit. This project alone has received four environmental awards and recycles over 400 tons of toner each year.
  • Camera Battery Recovery/Reuse Project: Implementing a proprietary process to recover and reuse 98% of rechargeable camera batteries, this project has saved Canon over $1 million per year and greatly reduced waste.
  • Oil/Water Evaporator Project: By eliminating the oily water waste stream, CVI saves $29,000 annually, showing their effective resource management.
  • High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS) Recycling Project: This has closed the loop on HIPS recycling, resulting in substantial cost savings and the elimination of a wastewater stream.
  • Clamshell Recycling Project (CRP): Shredding and recycling clamshell packaging has transformed waste management, recycling 190,000 lbs. of material annually.
  • ACM Water Reclaim System: Capturing and reusing wastewater from production processes, this project has saved over 28 million gallons of water and reduced costs by $493,000 since it began.

Canon has always incorporated Kyosei into all parts of their company and it was easy to find on this tour as CVI’s campus is home to functional bee farms. Collaborations with Hampton Honey & Bee Company and local farmers have resulted in pollinator gardens, another example of Canon trying to make things better for everyone.

Canon Defines Kyosei:

All people regardless of race, religion or culture, harmoniously living and working together into the future

Canon’s efforts have led to a reduction in lifecycle CO2 emissions of their products by 40% since 2008. According to Canon, the imageRUNNER ADVANCE DX series, is 25% lighter and more compact, while still conforming to Canon’s standards of quality and reliability.

Canon Virginia and CETI’s efforts have earned them awards; 2023 Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VDEQ) Exemplary Environmental Enterprise (E4) Award, acknowledging their proactive environmental management and continuous improvement in performance.

The visit to Canon’s Virginia facilities were impressive. We knew Canon had some manufacturing in the US, but we hadn’t seen it before and didn’t know the scale. Trust us when we tell you it’s massive.  It’s always great to see cutting edge technology tied in with environmental stewardship and responsibility.

SOURCE Industry Analysts Inc.