TAIPEI (August 24, 2022) As environmental issues are becoming increasingly pressing, Acer is urging more partners and suppliers to join forces in reducing harmful impacts to the environment and save valuable resources by transitioning toward a circular economy. With the growing number of natural disasters around the world triggered by climate change, constructive and collective action is needed to address the pressing issues.
Concerted actions are necessary as they can greatly amplify the positive impacts made to the environment. According to the Thomson Reuters Foundation[2], efforts in climate and nature issues in 2022 will need to be redoubled to slash carbon pollution accumulated from this decade, in a bid to maintain the 1.5 degrees Celsius warming ceiling and minimize the harmful impact of climate-change to the planet and its inhabitants. Understanding the urgency of the matter, Acer calls for more businesses to join the green movement and shares the progress of its environmental sustainability efforts, accomplished together with its partners, suppliers, and Acer employees on Acer Green Day with the hopes of inspiring others to do their part for the Earth.
Acer began incorporating sustainability practices in its operations more than a decade ago. Since 2008, the company has introduced the CDP Supply Chain for carbon disclosure reporting to pinpoint risks and identify opportunities across its supply chain, and extended coverage to three tiers of suppliers beginning this year. In 2013, Acer began to significantly increase the recycled content of its notebook PC packaging. In 2017, Acer launched Project Humanity to unite all employees worldwide in creating a sustainability framework for eco-friendly initiatives and instill a green philosophy within the company culture, with over 70% employees worldwide taking part[3].
With a commitment to environmental, social, and governance (ESG), Acer launched the Earthion program in 2021 and began working closely with suppliers and partners to bring eco-friendly initiatives into its supply chain ecosystem, with its primary focus on energy, product design, packaging design, production, logistics, and recycling. From product design to manufacturing, Acer is well aware of the environmental impacts behind these processes. The driving force behind Earthion is each member’s belief that its mutual collaboration can effectively create a positive impact on the environment.
As a manifestation of such efforts, Acer’s Vero line of eco-conscious devices was launched in 2021 to offer consumers greener options. Vero products intend to incorporate eco-friendly and recycled materials and are designed to extend their lifespans to reduce material consumption and reduce overall waste.
Responsible Manufacturing and Logistics Systems
To combat the impact of manufacturing processes on the environment, Acer has stepped up its collaboration with partners Compal and Quanta to enhance their waste management systems. From reducing the use of plastic bags in the production line, to incorporating changes toward sustainability to suppliers’ manufacturing system, Acer is working together with its partners and suppliers to create more responsible manufacturing and logistics processes.
The elimination of excess security tape used in the pallet packing process was one of the changes made to help reduce unrecyclable waste in its logistics system. After careful assessment and testing to verify package security levels, Acer was able to remove unnecessary security tapes from its monitor shipments, which is expected to save about 5,500 km of tape in 2023, approximately the distance from London to New York.
Developing a carbon accounting system for Acer’s transportation activities was another critical step taken toward its green policy, especially as the freight transportation and logistics industries contribute to nearly 10%[4] of global greenhouse gas emissions. The system provides a unified approach to measure and report Acer’s greenhouse gas emissions from transportation and will eventually be implemented worldwide.
Vero Line of Eco-Conscious Devices
Acer launched the Vero line beginning with the Aspire Vero laptop, it’s first “green” focused laptop built with 30% post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic in the chassis and 50% PCR plastic in the keyboard caps to reduce pollution from the production of virgin plastic and waste. The device was also designed to simplify the process of repairs or upgrades to extend their lifespan, without compromising computing performance and quality.
Today’s announcement of the Acer Chromebook Vero 514 marks the newest addition to the Vero portfolio, which has expanded to include commercial laptops, monitors, projectors, desktops, accessories, and more, pushing the envelope of the adoption of recycled materials in its product portfolio.
The Aspire Vero’s packaging as well has been reimagined from the ground up in accordance with a design system that covers multiple product lines, device sizes and packing components. A recipient of the Red Dot Brands & Communication Design awards for packaging design, the outer box is made from 80-85% recycled paper pulp, and plastic bagging is reduced by using paper sleeves instead for adapter protection. Furthermore, the laptop bag and the sheet between the keyboard is made with 100% recycled PET (polyethylene terephthalate). The remaining packaging is 100% recyclable, and its inner partition is even reusable: With just a few extra steps, users can turn it into an adjustable notebook stand.
Striking a balance between sustainability, use of recycled materials and product durability has always been a challenge. Acer has worked diligently with its designers and partners, including Golden Arrow, Shin Shin, Sun Young, Quanta and Wistron, to find innovative ways to implement more eco-friendly materials without sacrificing durability and sturdiness. As Acer moves closer toward its goal of incorporating up to 30% PCR plastic content across its core products by 2025, it continues to search for new and greener materials for future product development.
Smart City Solutions Helping to Save Resources
Aligned with its mission to develop more eco-friendly product designs, Acer has been working on smart city solutions that reduce the waste of resources and create more efficient and sustainable lifestyles. Across several cities, Acer has implemented a smart roadside parking and EV charging solution, which helps drivers find spaces to effectively cut idle time on the road and energy consumption, thereby reducing traffic and lowering their carbon emission. Acer has also developed smart solutions to conserve water, monitor air quality, and improve the overall conditions of our surroundings.
Goal: Source 100% Renewable Energy by 2035
The Acer Group joined the RE100 initiative in 2021 and has pledged to source 100% renewable energy by 2035. On top of launching the “Earthion” platform and adopting the CDP’s global disclosure system, Acer operations have begun utilizing green energy as early as 2011, with some locations even installing solar panels to generate their own power. As of 2020 year-end, Acer offices in over 30 countries worldwide use 100% renewable energy, while 45% of energy used by the Acer Group is renewable.
Acer believes sustainability is a global effort that will need all hands on deck to make a real difference. Not only does Acer aim to provide consumers the opportunity to choose products that are more environmentally friendly, but it also wants to empower businesses to join its journey in transitioning to a low-carbon and circular economy.
On Acer Green Day, Acer also kicked off its “21-Day Challenge” as part of its Earthion mission to encourage its employees to take green actions daily and make them a habit. That challenge has now expanded to include the employees of Acer’s partners and suppliers, as well as consumers. Consumers can take part via Instagram at #Acer21DayChallenge, which follows several hero influencers telling their stories about reducing/reusing/recycling and activities which integrate eco-friendly actions into their lifestyles. For more information of Acer Green Day, please visit https://www.acer.com/earthion.
[1] CDP https://www.cdp.net/en/supply-chain
[2] Thomson Reuters Foundation, “Climate change action: 6 trends to watch in 2022,” January 5, 2022: https://news.trust.org/item/20220105124239-61z30/
[3] As for 2021
[4] MIT Climate Portal, “Freight Transportation,” September 4, 2020 https://climate.mit.edu/explainers/freight-transportation
