Ricoh Co Ltd – Lobbying Governance & Transparency

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Lobbying Governance

Overall Assessment	Analysis	Score
Strong	Ricoh Co Ltd has established a clear process to govern both its direct and indirect climate-related lobbying, with oversight delegated to its Sustainability Management Division (SMD) and formal review by its ESG Committee. The company explains that “Sustainability Management Division (SMD) is responsible for information collection and analysis and managing lobbying activities related to the environment laws and regulations covering all the products area,” and that SMD “sets strategies/directions for lobbying, how to engage with policy makers.” It further describes how “business units and other organizations conduct lobbying and information gathering activities in coordination and consultation with industry associations, research firms, and laws and regulations development bodies/government offices,” demonstrating that both direct advocacy and trade association engagement are managed under the same governance framework. Oversight is reinforced through quarterly ESG Committee meetings in which “all activities are reported to the CEO, CFO, and those responsible for production, development, sales, risk governance, sustainability, and other areas, which are then discussed and decisions are made based on these reports,” ensuring executive-level accountability. The company also states that it has publicly committed to align its engagement “in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement,” reflecting a policy commitment to climate objectives. While this indicates strong governance around the alignment of lobbying activities, Ricoh does not disclose a dedicated climate-lobbying audit or engage external reviewers to validate ongoing alignment, nor has it published a standalone climate-lobbying alignment report, which would further enhance transparency and independent oversight. View Sources	B

Overall Assessment

Analysis

Score

Strong

Ricoh Co Ltd has established a clear process to govern both its direct and indirect climate-related lobbying, with oversight delegated to its Sustainability Management Division (SMD) and formal review by its ESG Committee. The company explains that “Sustainability Management Division (SMD) is responsible for information collection and analysis and managing lobbying activities related to the environment laws and regulations covering all the products area,” and that SMD “sets strategies/directions for lobbying, how to engage with policy makers.” It further describes how “business units and other organizations conduct lobbying and information gathering activities in coordination and consultation with industry associations, research firms, and laws and regulations development bodies/government offices,” demonstrating that both direct advocacy and trade association engagement are managed under the same governance framework. Oversight is reinforced through quarterly ESG Committee meetings in which “all activities are reported to the CEO, CFO, and those responsible for production, development, sales, risk governance, sustainability, and other areas, which are then discussed and decisions are made based on these reports,” ensuring executive-level accountability. The company also states that it has publicly committed to align its engagement “in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement,” reflecting a policy commitment to climate objectives. While this indicates strong governance around the alignment of lobbying activities, Ricoh does not disclose a dedicated climate-lobbying audit or engage external reviewers to validate ongoing alignment, nor has it published a standalone climate-lobbying alignment report, which would further enhance transparency and independent oversight.

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Lobbying Transparency

Overall Assessment	Analysis	Score
Comprehensive	Ricoh discloses its climate-related lobbying in a highly transparent manner. It specifies the exact policies it seeks to influence, citing the “Proposals for the Review of Japan’s Long-Term Energy Demand (Energy Mix)” that urges a "50% renewable energy ratio by 2030," its advocacy for legislation introducing “carbon taxes and emissions trading” in Japan, and the broader creation of “a system for carbon pricing rooted in the 1.5 °C target.” The company is equally clear about how and where it lobbies: it describes handing the energy-mix proposal directly to Japan’s State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, holding March 2021 meetings with “policy decision makers (including the State Minister of Environment)” and the Liberal Democratic Party’s Investigative Committee, and its CEO’s April 2022 dialogue with the Prime Minister in which he suggested specific carbon-pricing measures. Finally, Ricoh sets out concrete outcomes it seeks—expanding PPAs and offshore wind, enacting carbon pricing that fairly allocates costs, protecting small businesses and low-income groups, promoting public understanding, and channeling the resulting revenue into decarbonisation infrastructure—while explaining the rationale that “Climate change presents a serious threat to corporate activities” and that urgent action is needed to meet the 2030 Paris deadline. Together these detailed disclosures demonstrate a comprehensive level of transparency around Ricoh’s climate lobbying activities.	A