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United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Sustainable Development

Canon Medical Systems Ltd. Carbon Offset Scheme

    Description
    Description
    Canon Medical, a renowned manufacturer of medical imaging systems, is working with carbon projects developer CO2balance to support projects that offset the CO2 emissions caused through production and distribution of its machines, as well as the company's corporate carbon footprint. This ensures that clients receive a carbon neutral product whilst delivering livelihood and environmental benefits in Africa. The activities supported include distributing fuel-efficient cookstoves in Kenya and fixing boreholes in Uganda, activities which reduce CO2 emissions from the burning of firewood. Canon Medical have been running their CarbonZero programme since 2014 and have offset over 22,500 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
    Expected Impact

    Canon Medical and CO2balance agree upon project activities and then CO2balance develops projects to generate the requisite carbon credits and deliver community-level benefits in the areas served. CO2balance staff members in Kenya and Uganda conduct community-level consultations in the project areas targeted to assess community needs and current practices which allows projects to be designed which generate sufficient carbon credits and respond exactly to challenges in the communities served. <br />
    <br />
    To implement Improved Cookstove project activities in Kenya, tests are conducted to determine how much wood is currently used by average households when cooking using traditional methods. CarbonZero stoves are ordered and produced in local factories, and then distributed in target areas. Households average reduced consumption of wood when using the CarbonZero stoves is then used to calculate the carbon emissions which have been prevented across the entire project area. This delivers benefits such as reduced deforestation, which is beneficial for soil fertility and carbon sequestration amongst many other benefits, and reduced respiratory problems caused by smoke inhalation. <br />
    <br />
    In Uganda, communities are identified which have no access to safe water due to boreholes falling into disrepair. Such communities are usually using water for cooking and washing from unsafe sources such as streams and swamps. At the baseline, tests are conducted to ascertain how much wood households must burn to boil a certain volume of water to make it safe. Local mechanics are then recruited to repair boreholes, thereby ensuring a safe water for the communities served. Monitoring then takes place frequently to ensure that communities are using the safe water from the borehole and to ascertain the average volume of water used per household. Based on the calculation of the amount of wood that would be needed to boil the equivalent amount of unsafe water, carbon credits are generated. To ensure the sustainability of these activities, maintenance committees are formed and trained at the community level to conduct minor repairs to the boreholes, and a link is established with a trained water engineer to conduct more major repairs. By supporting projects following these methodologies, Canon Medical is able to work in a carbon-neutral manner and to bring tangible benefits to poor rural communities in Kenya and Uganda in the process.

    Capacity

    The projects supported by Canon Medical and implemented by CO2balance emphasise capacity building to ensure that project activities continue beyond the timespan of the project and reach a wider constituency than the direct project beneficiaries. <br />
    <br />
    In Kenya, local producers have been trained to produce the fuel-efficient cookstoves, which are specifically designed to suit local conditions and cooking techniques. Building the capacity of local producers to build and market this product enables them to profit above and beyond the project activities and to continue promoting fuel-efficient technologies in local communities. <br />
    <br />
    In Uganda, when boreholes are repaired, maintenance committees are established and trained at the community level. Committee members are trained to conduct minor repairs to the borehole when necessary. To ensure that communities feel a sense of ownership and responsibility for maintenance of the boreholes, the committees are empowered to collect small monthly donations from each household which is put towards maintenance work. Committee members can also contact a trained borehole mechanic who can be summoned to carry out more major repairs. Additionally, when boreholes are repaired, communities receive WASH training to ensure that they have in-depth knowledge of the dangers of using unsafe water and have excellent knowledge of sanitation and hygiene techniques.

    Governed

    Canon Medical communicates with CO2balance to designate the type of projects that it is willing to support to generate carbon credits, and to decide upon the number of credits that will need to be generated for it to offset the CO2 emissions caused by its business activities. CO2balance then allocates a sufficient volume of credits from its projects in Uganda and Kenya to meet this demand. Implementation of the projects is the responsibility of CO2balance staff members in Kenya and Uganda. This entails conducting community consultation and training, conducting surveys and monitoring, and in-country procurement of resources and human capacity, including ordering cookstoves from manufacturers and recruiting engineers to repair and maintain boreholes. The projects team at CO2balances UK office coordinate and support the activities of staff members in Kenya and Uganda. They are also responsible for completing and submitting documentation and reports to the Gold Standard Foundation, the body issuing tradeable carbon credits. Once the Gold Standard has received satisfactory evidence of the completion of carbon offset activities, it issues carbon credits to CO2balance. Canon Medical then purchases the volume of carbon credits to offset its activities. This ensures that Canon Medicals production and distribution of medical imaging systems is a carbon-neutral activity. CO2balance invests the income received from Canon Medical into continuing the projects and developing new projects to deliver livelihood benefits to communities whilst generating more carbon credits.

    Partners
    Canon Medical Systems Ltd., CO2balance

    Goal 6

    Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

    Goal 6

    6.1

    By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all

    6.1.1

    Proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services

    6.2

    By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations

    6.2.1

    Proportion of population using (a) safely managed sanitation services and (b) a hand-washing facility with soap and water

    6.3

    By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally

    6.3.1

    Proportion of domestic and industrial wastewater flows safely treated

    6.3.2

    Proportion of bodies of water with good ambient water quality

    6.4

    By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity
    6.4.1

    Change in water-use efficiency over time

    6.4.2

    Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources

    6.5

    By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate

    6.5.1

    Degree of integrated water resources management 

    6.5.2

    Proportion of transboundary basin area with an operational arrangement for water cooperation

    6.6

    By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes
    6.6.1

    Change in the extent of water-related ecosystems over time

    6.a

    By 2030, expand international cooperation and capacity-building support to developing countries in water- and sanitation-related activities and programmes, including water harvesting, desalination, water efficiency, wastewater treatment, recycling and reuse technologies
    6.a.1

    Amount of water- and sanitation-related official development assistance that is part of a government-coordinated spending plan

    6.b

    Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management

    6.b.1

    Proportion of local administrative units with established and operational policies and procedures for participation of local communities in water and sanitation management

    Goal 5

    Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

    Goal 5

    5.1

    End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere

    5.1.1

    Whether or not legal frameworks are in place to promote, enforce and monitor equality and non‑discrimination on the basis of sex

    5.2

    Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation
    5.2.1

    Proportion of ever-partnered women and girls aged 15 years and older subjected to physical, sexual or psychological violence by a current or former intimate partner in the previous 12 months, by form of violence and by age

    5.2.2

    Proportion of women and girls aged 15 years and older subjected to sexual violence by persons other than an intimate partner in the previous 12 months, by age and place of occurrence

    5.3

    Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation
    5.3.1

    Proportion of women aged 20-24 years who were married or in a union before age 15 and before age 18

    5.3.2

    Proportion of girls and women aged 15-49 years who have undergone female genital mutilation/cutting, by age

    5.4

    Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family as nationally appropriate

    5.4.1

    Proportion of time spent on unpaid domestic and care work, by sex, age and location

    5.5

    Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life

    5.5.1

    Proportion of seats held by women in (a) national parliaments and (b) local governments

    5.5.2

    Proportion of women in managerial positions

    5.6

    Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences

    5.6.1

    Proportion of women aged 15-49 years who make their own informed decisions regarding sexual relations, contraceptive use and reproductive health care

    5.6.2

    Number of countries with laws and regulations that guarantee full and equal access to women and men aged 15 years and older to sexual and reproductive health care, information and education

    5.a

    Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws

    5.a.1

    (a) Proportion of total agricultural population with ownership or secure rights over agricultural land, by sex; and (b) share of women among owners or rights-bearers of agricultural land, by type of tenure

    5.a.2

    Proportion of countries where the legal framework (including customary law) guarantees women’s equal rights to land ownership and/or control

    5.b

    Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women
    5.b.1

    Proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex

    5.c

    Adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels

    5.c.1

    Proportion of countries with systems to track and make public allocations for gender equality and women’s empowerment

    Goal 3

    Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

    Goal 3

    3.1

    By 2030, reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births
    3.1.1

    Maternal mortality ratio

    3.1.2

    Proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel

    3.2

    By 2030, end preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age, with all countries aiming to reduce neonatal mortality to at least as low as 12 per 1,000 live births and under-5 mortality to at least as low as 25 per 1,000 live births
    3.2.1

    Under-five mortality rate

    3.2.2

    Neonatal mortality rate

    3.3

    By 2030, end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases and other communicable diseases

    3.3.1

    Number of new HIV infections per 1,000 uninfected population, by sex, age and key populations

    3.3.2

    Tuberculosis incidence per 100,000 population

    3.3.3

    Malaria incidence per 1,000 population

    3.3.4

    Hepatitis B incidence per 100,000 population

    3.3.5

    Number of people requiring interventions against neglected tropical diseases

    3.4

    By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being
    3.4.1

    Mortality rate attributed to cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes or chronic respiratory disease

    3.4.2

    Suicide mortality rate

    3.5

    Strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol

    3.5.1

    Coverage of treatment interventions (pharmacological, psychosocial and rehabilitation and aftercare services) for substance use disorders

    3.5.2

    Alcohol per capita consumption (aged 15 years and older) within a calendar year in litres of pure alcohol

    3.6

    By 2020, halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents
    3.6.1

    Death rate due to road traffic injuries

    3.7

    By 2030, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services, including for family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programmes

    3.7.1

    Proportion of women of reproductive age (aged 15-49 years) who have their need for family planning satisfied with modern methods

    3.7.2

    Adolescent birth rate (aged 10-14 years; aged 15-19 years) per 1,000 women in that age group

    3.8

    Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all

    3.8.1

    Coverage of essential health services

    3.8.2

    Proportion of population with large household expenditures on health as a share of total household expenditure or income

    3.9

    By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination
    3.9.1

    Mortality rate attributed to household and ambient air pollution

    3.9.2

    Mortality rate attributed to unsafe water, unsafe sanitation and lack of hygiene (exposure to unsafe Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for All (WASH) services)

    3.9.3

    Mortality rate attributed to unintentional poisoning

    3.a

    Strengthen the implementation of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in all countries, as appropriate
    3.a.1

    Age-standardized prevalence of current tobacco use among persons aged 15 years and older

    3.b

    Support the research and development of vaccines and medicines for the communicable and non-communicable diseases that primarily affect developing countries, provide access to affordable essential medicines and vaccines, in accordance with the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health, which affirms the right of developing countries to use to the full the provisions in the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights regarding flexibilities to protect public health, and, in particular, provide access to medicines for all

    3.b.1

    Proportion of the target population covered by all vaccines included in their national programme

    3.b.2
    Total net official development assistance to medical research and basic health sectors
    3.b.3

    Proportion of health facilities that have a core set of relevant essential medicines available and affordable on a sustainable basis

    3.c

    Substantially increase health financing and the recruitment, development, training and retention of the health workforce in developing countries, especially in least developed countries and small island developing States
    3.c.1

    Health worker density and distribution

    3.d

    Strengthen the capacity of all countries, in particular developing countries, for early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global health risks

    3.d.1

    International Health Regulations (IHR) capacity and health emergency preparedness

    3.d.2

    Percentage of bloodstream infections due to selected antimicrobial-resistant organisms

    Goal 13

    Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

    Goal 13

    13.1

    Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries

    13.1.1

    Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population

    13.1.2

    Number of countries that adopt and implement national disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030

    13.1.3

    Proportion of local governments that adopt and implement local disaster risk reduction strategies in line with national disaster risk reduction strategies

    13.2

    Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning

    13.2.1

    Number of countries with nationally determined contributions, long-term strategies, national adaptation plans and adaptation communications, as reported to the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

    13.2.2

    Total greenhouse gas emissions per year

    13.3

    Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning

    13.3.1

    Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education; and (d) student assessment

    13.a

    Implement the commitment undertaken by developed-country parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to a goal of mobilizing jointly $100 billion annually by 2020 from all sources to address the needs of developing countries in the context of meaningful mitigation actions and transparency on implementation and fully operationalize the Green Climate Fund through its capitalization as soon as possible

    13.a.1

    Amounts provided and mobilized in United States dollars per year in relation to the continued existing collective mobilization goal of the $100 billion commitment through to 2025

    13.b

    Promote mechanisms for raising capacity for effective climate change-related planning and management in least developed countries and small island developing States, including focusing on women, youth and local and marginalized communities


     

    13.b.1

    Number of least developed countries and small island developing States with nationally determined contributions, long-term strategies, national adaptation plans and adaptation communications, as reported to the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

    Name Description
    Offset 12,040 tCO2e between April 2018 and March 2020, thereby neutralising Canon Medical’s emissions from sale of medical imaging systems in that period.
    Deliver approximately 6,605,960 litres of safe water to rural communities in Uganda over 2 years, thereby alleviating the risk of waterborne disease for approximately 1,230 people for the period.
    Save approximately 2,860 tonnes of wood over 2 years due to the use of CarbonZero stoves in Kenya, thus alleviating deforestation around the target communities.
    Staff / Technical expertise
    With Toshiba&#39;s support, CO2balance staff in Kenya, Uganda and the UK dedicate their technical expertise to implementing the project and claiming carbon credits from the Gold Standard.
    No progress reports have been submitted. Please sign in and click here to submit one.
    False
    This initiative does not yet fulfil the SMART criteria.
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    Timeline
    01 April 2018 (start date)
    01 March 2020 (date of completion)
    Entity
    CO2balance
    SDGs
    Geographical coverage
    Crawley, United Kingdom
    Countries
    N/A
    Contact Information

    Paul Chiplen, Director of Sales and Marketing