The Epson promise – enriching education through technology

The Epson promise – enriching education through technology

This year’s COP27 Summit in Sharm El- Sheikh will bring world leaders, governments and businesses together to put plans in place to mitigate the impact of climate change and support the climate action we urgently need.  As climate change continues to rapidly intensify, we urgently need to accelerate global efforts and shift from pledges to actions to avert a climate disaster.

Ahead of the summit, we surveyed respondents from 28 of our markets to help understand people’s perceptions and actions being taken to tackle climate change. Our data revealed that businesses play a powerful role in raising overall awareness of climate change. In Africa 75%, and in Europe 55%, of respondents cite company and community sustainability initiatives as influential on climate attitudes and actions.

Now more than ever, there is an increased need for collective action to raise greater awareness of climate impacts, as we continue to work towards a more sustainable future.

The power of education

Education is a powerful agent for change and plays a key role in tackling the climate emergency. In Africa, we work closely with government, industry and community partners to deliver projects that provide printing technologies, sustainable power, local skills hubs and educational materials.

We are working with World Mobile to provide inclusive and quality education, by bringing technology and connectivity to previously unconnected schools in Africa. We understand the importance of connectivity in providing quality education and through our work with World Mobile, we provide technology to enable teachers to inspire children.

In line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, our printers and projectors, alongside World Mobile’s low-cost wireless network, are bringing new ways of learning to Zanzibar schools, in a sustainable way.

We’ve also been working closely with the Ministry of Education in Morocco to better understand some of the literacy challenges and how our EcoTank printers can help tackle this. Our goal is to provide inclusive quality education, allowing teachers to print stories to help children improve their reading skills. Through this project, we will be supporting teachers in creating tailor-made lesson plans and worksheets for around 6,800 children.

As part of our ongoing commitment, we have also launched Retrain and Reimagine Centre in South Africa.   Providing individuals access to technology and an opportunity to learn new skills and help support the local community. With unemployment in South Africa currently at 33.9%, the centre serves as a community resource, supporting new ways of learning and bringing new job opportunities, increasing the local economy’s talent pool.

Awareness as an agent of change

The UN SDGs call for inclusive and quality education for all. Through our education initiatives across Europe and Africa, we aim to raise the overall awareness of climate change, empowering children and young people across the world with the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to act as agents of change.   

We believe education is one of the most powerful tools to combat the climate emergency. An enriching education through technology allows us to inform people, businesses and policy makers across the globe about the scale of the challenge we face, whilst also providing solutions that empower people to take positive action.

In the run-up to COP27, our employees will be taking part in the ‘ Running out of time’ relay race, delivering a very strong message to COP decision makers that quality climate education is critical to equip people of all ages around the world with the knowledge and skills necessary to build a future in which all can thrive.

As governments, businesses and people around the world continue to make stronger commitments to tackling climate change in the run-up to and post COP27, we need to embrace the power of inclusive education in creating a more sustainable future.  We look forward to joining the global community at COP27 in Egypt and taking part in the conversations that will drive meaningful action.

Epson will be in the Green Zone at COP27 on stand P42.