In January 2016, the Environmental Management Dept., Brother Industries, Ltd. (BIL) won the Life Cycle Assessment Society of Japan (JLCA)* Incentive Award at the 12th JLCA Commendation Ceremony organized by JLCA (sponsored by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, Ltd.) for its activities to create eco-conscious products by acquiring the EcoLeaf environmental label (for printers and facsimiles).

BIL started to acquire the EcoLeaf environmental label when it was launched in 2002. The Environmental Management Dept. was highly evaluated for its track record of acquiring the label (208 models in cumulative total as of the end of September 2015); many years of continuous efforts to popularize LCA techniques and acquire environmental labels; activities to build a system for collecting LCA data and applying it to products; facing challenges to calculate Scope 3 emissions based on the GHG protocol to reduce the CO₂ emissions from the entire supply chain; and the substantial results it derived from Low Energy Standby technology.

*: The Life Cycle Assessment Society of Japan (JLCA) is a platform involving LCA stakeholders from industrial and academic circles as well as national and public research institutions. JLCA was established to conduct surveys and research, promote information sharing, and implement awareness-raising and popularization activities about lifecycle assessment (LCA) and environmental efficiency based on developments in and outside Japan. JLCA facilitates the popularization and development of LCA activities in Japan and helps achieve a sustainable economy and society.