Page 55

CONTRIBUTING TO THE SDGS THROUGH DIGITAL INNOVATION When the United Nations adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015, expectations were high that businesses would take action to help usher in this new era. Konica Minolta responded from the outset, targeting SDGs in the environmental field by focusing on digitization, which is one of our core strengths. Industrial printing, which includes packaging, labels and textiles, is one of the fields where our efforts have borne fruit. Konica Minolta technologies enable on-demand printing in which only the necessary number of items are printed, and only when needed. Compared to conventional printing methods, which are based on mass production, on-demand printing conserves resources, eliminates a huge amount of production waste, and reduces the amount of energy used for transportation. This lowering of the environmental burden ripples across the entire value chain. Some of the most eye-catching results come from the adoption of inkjet textile printers. Compared to conventional analog textile printing, Konica Minolta’s advanced inkjet systems can cut CO2 emissions by over 90 per cent and water usage by more than 60 per cent. At present, the rate of digitization across the entire field of industrial printing is only a few per cent. But as the global movement toward digitization sweeps forward, the impact from the reduction of CO2 emissions will be substantial. As a complementary benefit, since on-demand printing enables the production of one-of-a-kind products and unique ways to meet individual needs, it promises to create new avenues of business growth and enrich human life. Condition monitoring, which involves the use of intelligent surveillance systems, is another area in which Konica Minolta technologies are leading to environmental solutions. We developed a monitoring system called 3D-LiDAR, which integrates optical, laser-scanning, and data-processing technologies. This system is used in a wide range of areas, including at industrial facilities, for purposes such as detecting gas leakages and suspicious behavior. It is capable of real-time analysis and is so accurate that it not only detects abnormal emissions of gases, but can even pinpoint their sources. Such accuracy has the benefit of reducing the number of false alarms, which in turn further saves resources. Through the development of Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, Konica Minolta is seeing more and more ways to contribute to quality of life and environmental protection.Above: Nassenger SP-1, an ultra-high-speed inkjet textile printer that uses a single-pass systemLeft: AccurioPress C2070, an ever-evolving multi-role production print system Below right: The Konica Minolta Gas Monitoring System monitors gas leaks and contributes to the stable operation of plants