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News Release

Epson Achieves Zero Emissions Level 1 at All Business Sites

- TOKYO, Japan, March 29 -

As of today, 12 manufacturers affiliated with Seiko Epson Corporation ("Epson") have achieved Zero Emissions Level 1*¹, or 100% recycling. With this, Epson has achieved a key goal of its Mid-Range General Environmental Policy established in 2001, namely, to achieve Zero Emissions Level 1 at all 28 operations divisions and related companies in Japan and all 21 overseas manufacturing sites by the end of FY2003.
The 12 manufacturing affiliates who have recently achieved Zero Emissions Level 1 are as follows.

Epson defines Zero Emissions Level 1 as the recycling of 100% of the waste generated by business activities. When it first established its Mid-Range General Environmental Policy in 2001, it set a goal of achieving Zero Emissions Level 1 at all 28 of its operations divisions and related companies in Japan by the end of FY2003 and at all non-Japanese manufacturing sites by the end of FY2004. However, the group was more successful than anticipated in the first year under the policy and so in early FY2002, the second year of the period, it decided to move its goal up by one year. Working toward this new goal, Epson achieved Zero Emissions Level 1 at all Japanese business sites by the end of FY2002 and at all non-Japanese sites by the end of FY2003, thus meeting its accelerated goal.

The 12 companies recently achieving Zero Emissions Level 1 did so after facing a number of obstacles, such as uneven levels of recycling infrastructure, and in many cases it was difficult to simply implement ideas that had been successful at other companies that had previously achieved Zero Emissions Level 1. The 12 companies reached their goals by, for example, independently developing recycling routes suited to the types of waste produced and to the circumstances of their locations.
In China, Epson affiliates spent years working with state-run waste processing centers to study and develop recycling methods. As a result of their hard work, they are now recycling wastes that previously could only be buried or incinerated.

These Zero Emissions initiatives at the 12 companies have resulted in a cost savings of 52 million yen as compared to waste burial.
The next goal of these sites is to maintain their Zero Emissions Level 1 status while minimizing the amount of waste to begin with and working actively to achieve a higher level of recycling called Zero Emissions Level 2.

Please see the attachment for each company's cost savings and major recycling methods.

*¹Refers to materials defined by Epson; does not include atmospheric emissions.
*²Production contractor. A company manufacturing products handled by Epson; Epson does not have an ownership interest in this company. However, this company is subject to Zero Emissions initiatives as part of Epson's overall environmental efforts.
*³This company achieved Zero Emissions Level 1 in FY2000, but following a change in its production item, underwent the certification process again.

About Epson
The Epson Group increases its corporate value through its innovative and creative culture. Dedicated to providing its customers with digital image innovation, its main product lines comprise information-related equipment such as printers and projectors, electronic devices including displays, semiconductors and quartz devices, and precision products such as watches. Epson products are known throughout the world for their superior quality, functionality, compactness and energy efficiency.
The Epson Group is a network of 88,036 employees in 111 companies around the world, and is proud of its ongoing contributions to the global environment and to the communities in which it is located. Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corp., which is listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, the Group had consolidated sales of 1,322 billion yen in fiscal 2002.

Contacts
Corporate Communications,
+81-266-58-1705 or +81-3-3340-2637
Contact us by e-mail
http://www.epson.co.jp/

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