Ricoh is accelerating its push beyond traditional printers and copiers with a follow-on investment in sustainability AI firm ASUENE, strengthening its ambitions in the fast-growing market for corporate decarbonization, carbon accounting and ESG services. The additional investment through the RICOH Innovation Fund builds on Ricoh’s initial 2024 backing of ASUENE and aims to combine ASUENE’s AI-powered CO₂ emissions management technology with Ricoh’s massive business customer network, energy-efficiency expertise and consulting capabilities. The move comes as ASUENE expands aggressively overseas, including its acquisition of UK-based Secaro, formerly Manufacture 2030, giving the company deeper access to global manufacturing supply chains and Scope 3 emissions data. For Ricoh, the strategy could represent a major transformation: instead of relying primarily on declining traditional office print volumes, the Japanese technology giant is positioning itself to generate recurring revenue from AI, sustainability reporting, energy optimization and corporate decarbonization—raising a bigger question for the imaging industry: Is Ricoh quietly building its next growth engine outside the copier business?
