Kyocera Document Solutions America Inc. has shared the latest addition to its growing portfolio of sustainability achievements — one that further demonstrates its commitment to working toward a brighter tomorrow for customers, partners and communities alike.

Hironori Ando, president of KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc., recently announced that Kyocera's two main production sites — in Vietnam and China — have achieved a proud milestone for the organization. These two manufacturing plants have switched from traditional forms of electricity to those with Environmental Value Certificates with one fundamental outcome: both plants are now fully powered by renewable energy.

"This is a proud moment for the entire organization and is, once again, a testament to how seriously we take sustainability here at Kyocera," said Oscar Sanchez, president and CEO, Kyocera Document Solutions America Inc. "Eco-conscious manufacturing is the bedrock of a sustainable future for our industry — by incorporating renewable energy into the production stage, we are introducing a new dimension of sustainability which allows us to add even further value to our offering downstream."

The Vietnam facility operates as a multifunction plant that combines R&D functions with the production of multifunction machines and printers, while the plant in China serves as a production base for multifunction machines, printers and OPC drums. These two plants mark the start of an exciting strategy whereby Kyocera seeks to achieve 100% renewable energy at all production plants by using a combination of energy-saving production facilities, the installation of renewable energy and solar power generation facilities at all other production sites.

Kyocera has earmarked solar power as a crucial part of this new sustainability drive, and it is estimated that all production sites will be able to provide approximately 8.5G kWh of electricity per year by 2026.

Not only do these strategies and targets adhere to the organization's long-term sustainability vision, but they also tie in neatly with goals based on the Paris Agreement. One of these targets is to achieve 100% renewable energy at all group sites by 2030 through the installation of solar power generation facilities and by obtaining environmental value certificates.

"No one action or initiative defines sustainability; it is an overarching, long-term strategy whereby we strive to do the very best we can for both our customers and the environments in which we operate," Sanchez said. "At Kyocera, we are proud to be playing our part in building a more sustainable world for future generations."