CITIZEN L

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Why is CITIZEN L a sustainable watch?

CITIZEN L has been committed to environmentally responsible manufacturing since 2016. Inspired by the passionate staffs of CITIZEN involved in the development of the watch, Elie graphically documents the story of making a sustainable watch.

1

To be widely loved for a long time - CITIZEN : A company with over 100 year history

The company name "CITIZEN" was named using the English term for “citizens”, with the hope that it would be loved and cherished by a wide range of citizens for a long time. Our corporate philosophy is "Loved by citizens, working for citizens". This passion, which has not changed for 100 years, has driven us.

2

Eco-Drive: An original CITIZEN technology that drives watches using light-and nothing else.

Eco-Drive is CITIZEN's unique innovation. It converts any kind of light, such as the Sun or indoor fluorescent lighting, into energy. On a full charge, an Eco-Drive watch runs for months, even in darkness, with no need for regular battery replacement. This means less wasted batteries. Annual sales of Eco-Drive are about 4 million units worldwide. If you were to pile all these up as waste, it would create a mountain of discarded batteries as high as Mount Everest.

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3

Will to share - AO-oil

Oil is essential for all watches to keep running smoothly. A watch stalls when the oil gets rancid. To this end CITIZEN has been enthusiastic in the development of AO-oil. We developed this non-viscous oil resistant to degradation, making the watch last longer and improving its operability under low temperatures. We have not hogged this technology but have made it available to all watchmakers around the world. CITIZEN embraces the idea of sharing. Being ethical is ingrained in our DNA.

4

No misery behind beauty - DRC conflict-free policy

One of the critical international issues of our time is that of conflict minerals. Such minerals as tantalum, tin, gold and tungsten from the Democratic Republic of Congo or adjourning countries are mined to profit illegal armed groups. We maintain a strict DRC conflict-free policy, and CITIZEN L is made of the materials that was not sourced from smelters linked to illegal mining operations. No one should feel miserable for the sake of a watch. There should be no sacrifice behind creating beauty. This is our strong belief.

5

Using Transparency to Fight Climate Change

CITIZEN L is robust in its transparency to raise environmental awareness. We disclose CO2 emissions for the whole product life cycle of our watches, from procurement and manufacturing to their eventual disposal.
In order to ensure that our products can be used with the same peace of mind as food and cosmetics, every single material and component is made transparent through publication.

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6

CITIZEN L’s Green Package - Sustainable packaging and digital manuals

Instead of a disposable box, designed solely to protect the watch, which would be thrown away after purchase, we have redesigned the packaging so that it can be used for other purposes beneficial to customers and the environment. Digitized instruction manuals in nine languages eliminate paper manuals. Not only are they environmentally friendly, but they can be accessed from anywhere and at any time on the internet.

The world is full of wonder.
Believe there’s still time.
CITIZEN L is committed to sustainable manufacturing for the global environment.

FOLLOW US @citizenlwatch


COLLABORATION

Elie Tanabe

Elie Tanabe
Elie is a graphic recorder and illustrator living in Tokyo. She captures big ideas and complex content and turns them into visual images, helping people see ideas and digest them better.
Elie studied a BA in visual communication at Tokyo Polytechnic University, and holds a Masters in Visual Arts (Illustration) from Camberwell College of Arts. She currently works for the social creative agency SUSTENA in Tokyo.
Elie Tanabe Official Site