Ethics and ethos go beyond product and service offerings
Imaging equipment provider Canon Medical Systems UK has formally announced its 2019 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) commitments that reach far beyond the products and services provided. #madeforlife, a philosophy and tangible series of regional, national and international CSR initiatives, will focus on the health of the environment and creating a better society for people in the UK and developing nations.
The health of the environment is at the heart and soul of Canon Medical Systems. It is the only UK medical equipment provider to be ‘carbon neutral’ meeting all PAS 2060 requirements by the British Standards Institute, and has gained official partner status from the United Nations’ Division for Sustainable Development Goals. Cascading from this is an ongoing commitment to humanity through improving communities, boosting the wellbeing of society and pursuing health innovations to advance healthcare prevention and diagnosis through clinical and academic research.
At an international level, Canon Medical Systems UK will be building on its successful Carbon neutral initiative where each and every purchase of imaging equipment is translated into tonnes of carbon and offset to a high impact project in a developing country. This CO2 offset takes into account the elements involved in manufacturing, packaging, shipping and average energy usage for the standard lifetime of a medical imaging system. Metrics are calculated and monitored by a specialist carbon zero partner and verified by Gold Standard for Global Goals developed by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) or United Nations’ Division for Sustainable Development Goals approved auditor. A Canon Medical 1.5T MRI system, for example, has a carbon offset footprint of 226.78 tonnes CO2 which then helps 245 people in Kenya and Uganda via providing cooking stoves and fixing water borehole projects to improve overall health and quality of living standards.
Nationally, UK charity Support Dogs has been selected by Canon Medical Systems to provide corporate backing for the next two years to train a new assistance dog that will improve the safety, independence and wellbeing of people living with epilepsy, autism or disabilities. When matched to a family, the trained dog provides important health and wellbeing support such as pre-empting epileptic seizure up to 50 minutes in advance, or lowering anxiety levels so that medication is no longer required, or can be reduced.
At a regional level, Canon Medical Systems is continuing its support of top British professional league Sheffield Sharks Basketball Club, in rolling out a ‘RESPECT programme’ to more than 600 primary school children in South Yorkshire. Workshops delivered by basketball players aim to encourage positive citizenship and address a range of issues in local communities such as online safety, fire safety and bullying. The sessions also include basketball coaching to inspire the children into having healthy attitudes towards sport. Each of the 16 schools enrolled into the RESPECT programme will end the 2018/19 academic year with a competitive RESPECT basketball tournament at the English Institute of Sport.
Mark Hitchman, Managing Director of Canon Medical Systems UK states, “Our Made for Life vision differentiates our commercial consciousness from many of the other providers in the UK medical equipment marketplace. Our goal is not only to deliver solid imaging systems partnerships to our customers and ultimately patients, but also to contribute to the prosperity of the world and improve life for all. We do this by understanding the needs of our customers and by working closely with academic, industry and community partners.”