Canon Among 50 Best Global Brands for Green Efforts

Canon cameras are known for capturing top color quality in its photographs, but, the company, which is moving its U.S.A headquarters to Melville next year, is particularly focused on one shade in the light spectrum: green.

Energy efficiency efforts at Canon U.S.A. Inc. have helped the brand earn the title of one of the "50 Best Global Green Brands" by Interbrand, a brand consultancy. This year, Canon ranks number 29 on the list of all global brands.

Interbrand recognized Canon’s ongoing commitment to sustainability through its expansion of eco-friendly products, as well as a recent overhaul to its U.S. offices to create more energy-efficient environments. The new office policies and improvements saved the company $300,000 in utility costs and conserved an amount of energy equivalent to the kilowatt hours required to power its American corporate headquarters for four months, according to a company press release.

“Canon is honored to be recognized for one of the initiatives that matters the most to us – our dedication to the environment,” said Joe Adachi, president and CEO, Canon U.S.A., said in a statement. “Our company's commitment to the environment is an integral part of Canon's management structure, product design, manufacturing, and corporate culture.”

In addition, Canon supports a variety of environmental initiatives around the country each year, including the Canon Clean Earth Crew, in which Canon employees volunteer their time to protect and improve the natural environment in communities near Canon offices; and a partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation, in which Canon has planted 50,000 trees in state parks around the United States since the program’s inception in 2008.

In its move to the Route 110 corridor in Melville, the company has taken its sustainability efforts to an even higher level by being designed to meet LEED Gold Certification standards, which serve as the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of green buildings.

The new headquarters will also feature several environmentally friendly elements including a design emphasizing the use of natural lighting, the incorporation of energy-efficient equipment and materials in construction, as well as a landscape design that will utilize native species and drought-resistant vegetation.