Acer 2008 Annual Report Download - page 26

Acer Incorporated 2008 Annual Report48
Corporate Social Responsibility
Acer Incorporated 2008 Annual Report 49
As one of the world’s leading PC vendors, Acer is committed to sustainable business operations; fulfilling our
corporate social responsibilities is the key to achieving this goal. Our policy to be a socially responsible corporation
is built around three principles: stable business operations, nancial transparency, and care for the environment –
while seeking winning partnerships for the Company and its stakeholders. In addition to looking after customers,
employees and shareholders, ensuring the rights and welfare of the general public is our foremost concern.
The OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises state
that enterprises should ensure timely and accurate disclosure of their activities, structure, nancial situation and
performance. Enterprises are also encouraged to apply high quality standards for non-nancial information including
environmental, social and shareholder reporting where they exist. Acer shares the same ideas and practices
beginning with the transparency of nancial disclosure.
Under proper guidance and administration, uniformed accounting standards throughout its global operations and
order transparency of the supply chain lay a solid foundation of mutual trust between Acer and its suppliers, which
not only upgrades the level of technology but enhances the overall corporate competitiveness.
Regarding the disclosure of non-nancial information, Acer established environmental communication channels in
2005, which include an email ([e-mail]), environmental homepage, and corporate environmental reports.
These channels enable the Company to disclose information on its environmental management and performance,
such as efforts to comply with international environmental regulations, management of green supply chain, products
that meet eco-design requirements, and green office practices. Furthermore, Acer actively communicates with
international environmentalist organizations to better sensitize itself with related issues as well as expectations of
other sectors.
Acer maintains the spirit of “Innovative Caring.” The Company is dedicated to enhancing corporate performance,
ensuring benefits for employees and shareholders, and providing consumers with state-of-the-art technology.
Moreover, it pays attention to important issues such as the environment, human rights, supplier management,
community communications, and philanthropy. 2005 was Acer’s year of environmental management, and 2006
Acer’s year of sustainability. Responding to challenges from the organizational level, Acer set up a Corporate
Sustainability Ofce (CSO). We spent almost one year to complete an integrated strategy and set the 2008-2010
CSR action plans for a sustainable Acer. In spring 2008, our board of directors highlighted the milestones for
embedding CSR within Acer, and designated Acer Inc. CEO & Corporate President Gianfranco Lanci to be the
corporate sustainability ofcer of the CSO. Acer’s CSR agenda in 2008 focused on the following ve areas: energy
and climate, green product, recycling, supply chain management, and reporting. Acer will continue to fulfill its
mission to breaking the barriers between people and technology, with a strong commitment on CSR. We believe
that Acer will be a leading solution provider for our sustainable future.
6.1 Environmental, Safety and Health Management
Environmental Protection
Energy and Climate Change
In response to global warming and climate change, Acer’s Integrated Strategy on Energy and Climate Change was
formulated in 2008. The Company aspires to lead its supply-chain members to take part in the ght against global
warming, and began conducting a comprehensive examination of all potential methods to conserve energy and
reduce carbon dioxide emissions. In 2008, the following actions were taken:
1. Improve energy consumption in products: Acer became a sponsoring member of the Climate Saver
Computing Initiative (CSCI), and pledged to adopt CSCI’s objectives of producing and purchasing
products of lower power consumption. Meanwhile, Acer focused on designing power-saving products and
compliance with Energy Star standards to help protect our planet.
2. Carbon disclosure: Acer began a corporate-wide green house gas (GHG) emission inventory in April
2008 with the GHG Protocol as the central guiding principles. We responded and publicly disclosed the
questionnaire published by Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) – an organization established by major
investment bodies around the world. Acer is well aware of the significance of topics such as climate
changes, GHG and their vital relation to supply chains, this is why Acer is participating in the Supply
Chain Leadership Collaboration (SCLC) project initiated by the CDP and calling for our suppliers to start
GHG inventory. In the future, we will engage more suppliers and request more comprehensive information
on GHG emission. We will also start collecting transportation data relating to GHG emissions from our
product logistics and after-sales services.
3. Energy efciency improvement in ofce buildings: Besides reducing power from air-conditioning at Acer’s
headquarters, we also took several power-saving measures such as turning off lights during lunch times,
and installing low power consumption lighting such as using LED emergency signage.
4. GHG reduction initiatives: Acer collaborated with other companies to host the Taiwan Corporate
Sustainability Forum in 2008, which presented a platform for the effective discussion and knowledge
exchange on GHG reduction for Taiwan.
Green Product Design
Minimizing the impact on our environment is one of Acer’s focal concerns from the early stage of our product design.
Less packaging materials are used to save resources, and a guidance of restricted chemical substances was
established to manage banned substances, and restricted substances of the present and the future in our products.
We will continue to research and nd PVC, BFR and phthalates substitutes for hazardous substance-free designs.
Staying abreast with international environmental trends, Acer complies with related international and domestic
regulations and makes every effort to design environmentally friendly products by being responsible for product
recycling, disclosing product environmental information and providing guidance and management on environmental
aspects for green suppliers.
Safety and Health Management
Working Environment Safety Management Plan
At the Acer headquarters in Taiwan, employees and guests must use an access card to enter the general ofce
areas in normal ofce hours. During holidays and evenings, entry into the ofce area requires an additional personal
identity number. In the interest of safety for female employees, entry into women’s restrooms also requires card
access; inside these restrooms emergency alarms and telephones have been installed to provide a double measure
of protection.
Occupational Health and Safety Management System
Acer introduced the OHSAS 18001 (Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series 18001) and TOSHMS
(Taiwan Occupational Safety and Health Management System) in the Taipei headquarters in fall 2008. We believe
these two systems will help us further manage occupational health and safety risks and reduce accidents. The two
systems will go into effect commencing 2009 and provide Acer a more systematic management method of measure.
In addition to these jobsite safety and fire protection measures, Acer conducts – annually – two CO2 level
inspections and one electromagnetic wave inspection of the ofce area. These checks go to ensure a healthy and
safe ofce environment, and to provide employees with a peace-of-mind.
Acer has formed its own reghting operating procedure for the initial line of self-defense in an emergency. Acer’s
firefighting team consists of an escape assistance squad, fire-extinguishing squad, reporting squad, first-aid
squad, transport squad, and safety and prevention squad. The team’s primary mission is to carry out the initial
fire extinguishing efforts and evacuate employees in the case of a fire emergency, thus reducing the impact of