Canon demonstrates the power to drive positive change at drupa 2024 through charity and start-up support initiatives

(MENAFN- BCW Global) World Unseen
At the centre of the Canon stand is ‘The Core’, offering visitors an immersive, multi-sensory exploration of print’s emotional impact and how technology and expertise converge to create imaging experiences that can enrich lives and businesses. The Core brings to life Canon’s ‘World Unseen’ initiative with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and invites visitors to experience images, shot by renowned photographers, in a unique and inclusive way (see separate press release).

Printworks B2B partnerships
The ‘Printworks’ area of the Canon stand is about ‘People, Planet and What’s Possible’. Visitors can gain inspiration from exploring the various strategies Canon customers have adopted for successful sustainable growth with projects such as ‘Creative Futures’ (see separate press release). This annual project sees Canon collaborating with ‘The Drum’, a global publisher for the marketing and media industries, and other selected expert industry partners. UK-based start-ups are invited to compete for the opportunity to accelerate their marketing through an individualised, omni-channel strategy and print campaign. This year’s winner, Bower Collective, a provider of natural household and personal care products in reusable packaging, has its products and story on display on the Canon drupa stand.

Another initiative within Printworks is Publishing 2030 Accelerator which is focused on bringing about meaningful global progress on sustainability in publishing. Visitors will learn more about Canon’s collaboration with this publishing industry initiative, born out of Canon’s Future Book Forum community, and how Canon is playing an active role in scoping out the conditions for success for a Distributed Printing Network, which could propel the whole industry forward and slash the carbon footprint of every book sold.

Partnerships for good
Printworks will also present information about a number of charitable partners that Canon is supporting through the donation of around 20,000 books. These include the UN SDG Book Club, which helps children with a reading list to familiarise themselves with the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Lucy Swanston, the founder of UK literacy charity ‘Topic Heroes’, an online book service helping children to enjoy and learn writing, will also be on the Canon stand to raise awareness of this important mission. The charity gives children the chance to write their own stories and submit these via the Topic Heroes’ website. The manuscripts are then digitally printed on demand and the children are presented with a physical copy of the book containing their story. Additional copies are also then given to their school to be read by their peers. Thanks to charitable donations, Topic Heroes is able to support schools and children in lower income areas of the UK by offering this service free of charge.

In line with Canon’s goal to minimise the environmental footprint of its exhibition participation, around 10,000 postcards, posters and brochures printed on the Canon stand during drupa will also be donated to German non-governmental organisations.

As part of its commitment to making the arts more accessible, Canon will also be showing its support for the inclusive choir, The White Hands Chorus Nippon (WHCN). The choir, founded by Artistic Director Erika Colon, brings together children with and without physical disabilities, with deaf members conveying sound and emotion through sign language, movement and facial expression. Images from the chorus’s visual interpretation of “An die Freude/Ode to Joy” from Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, as well as some of the white gloves and Canon technologies used in the event, are on display on the Canon stand alongside further information about the initiative.

Jennifer Kolloczek, Senior Director, Marketing & Innovation, Production Printing, Canon EMEA, comments: “Images, literature and music enrich lives and we believe that these experiences should be accessible to everyone. Canon has and supports a range of initiatives aimed at fulfilling this ambition and we’re proud to showcase and raise awareness of these causes on our stand at drupa 2024. They are all examples of how we live our corporate philosophy of Kyosei – living and working together for the common good. Through a range of partnerships, we’re working to inspire positive changes for the broader print sector and beyond.”

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