The Acer Group announced that it has joined the RE100 initiative and has pledged to achieve 100% renewable energy use by the year 2035
During their annual Global Press Conference which took place on Thursday, May 27, 2021, The Acer Group announced that it has joined the RE100 initiative and has pledged to achieve 100% renewable energy use by the year 2035. In line with this, Acer declared its mission to help tackle environmental challenges through its new “Earthion” platform which unites the strengths of its employees and supply chain partners and expands the circle of the impact of its sustainability efforts.
These strengths and efforts were further exemplified by the launch of Aspire Vero notebook, Acer’s first sustainability-focused notebook under the Earthion platform which sets a benchmark for sustainable product design.
“I am so touched to see Acer employees and partners come together, knowing that they have the ability to make decisions to protect our environment for future generations,” said Tiffany Huang, Co-Chief Operating Officer, Acer Inc. “We already have the commitment of AUO, Compal, Innolux and Quanta, and look forward to welcoming more partners to join the Acer Earthion mission to speed up the development of green designs and processes and support our goal of 100% renewable energy for a sustainable planet.”
Long-Term Commitment to Green Energy Use
Acer has a long history of being committed to enhancing energy efficiency. Since 2008, it has adopted the CDP’s global disclosure system to manage the environmental impacts of its supply chain and even expanded the system to two tiers of supplier engagement. In 2012, Acer began setting carbon reduction targets through energy management and green energy use, taking 2009 as the baseline year. Through constant efforts and drive, the Acer Group, including its global operations and subsidiaries, successfully achieved its 2020 target of reducing its carbon emissions by 60% worldwide.
Setting a new commitment to source renewable energy for all of its energy use by 2035, Acer also announced that it has joined RE100, a global corporate renewable energy initiative that brings together hundreds of large and ambitious businesses committed to 100% renewable electricity. Green energy has been utilized by various Acer operations since as early as 2013, with some locations even installing solar panels to generate their own solar power. In 2020, the Acer Group achieved 44% renewable energy use.
“I am delighted to welcome Acer to RE100. By committing to 100% renewable electricity by 2035, Acer joins over 300 of the world’s leading businesses committed to driving market change,” said Sam Kimmins, Head of RE100, The Climate Group. “This sends a powerful message that renewable electricity makes good business sense, and we encourage others to follow”.
Earthion – Combining Strengths Across the Supply Chain
Acer decided to take its environmental commitments further with Earthion, a platform that combines the strengths of the company, its supply chain partners, consumers (channels), and its employees. “Earthion” is a blend of the words “Earth + Mission,” and is the name Acer has created to represent its mission to help tackle environmental challenges through innovative and integrated solutions. The driving force behind Earthion is each member’s belief that its mutual collaboration can effectively create a positive impact on the environment.
Earthion’s primary topics of focus are:
- Energy – using 100% renewable energy, as a goal
- Product Design – green innovations
- Packaging Design – using less packaging and more recycled materials
- Production – minimizing the impact on the environment
- Logistics – leaving a smaller carbon footprint
- Recycling – recycling, reusing, and repurposing resources
Acer Earthion is the culmination of several years of efforts and will continue to evolve. The initial idea was to do more like a responsible company and corporate citizen and fight against both the increasingly urgent impacts of climate change and the digital divide. This idea led to the birth of Project Humanity, a company-wide initiative to raise awareness of intensifying global issues and to encourage each Acer employee to contribute toward positive changes. Project Humanity began at the individual level, seeking to inspire employees to propose new ideas in their professional capacity and also collectively contribute to the goals of reducing, reusing, recycling, and repurposing.
In 2020, all of Acer’s notebooks have adopted recycled paper for packaging, and these environmentally friendly designs have saved 8,750 kg of paper pulp and cut down on the usage of 20 million plastic bags. From Acer’s internal recycling activities, over 50 metric tons of batteries were recycled and remanufactured into new ones. More than 75% of Acer employees across 50 countries participated—driven from their hearts.
With Earthion, this initiative has expanded again: Acer seeks to share this culture with its partners and suppliers, creating a single overarching platform and creating an even larger circle of impact.
Today, the company has a clear goal of utilizing clean energy and sustainable materials, culminating in a concerted effort with its suppliers and partners to build its Earthion platform, starting with the Aspire Vero, a sustainability-focused notebook.
Acer Aspire Vero – a Sustainability-focused Notebook
The first product within the Earthion platform, Acer’s Aspire Vero is a step towards reimagining what the computer manufacturing process looks like. Post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic is used throughout the device’s chassis and keyboard caps[[i]]. Eco-friendly packaging takes this a step further: the Aspire Vero ships in a box made from 80-85% recycled paper pulp, and plastic bagging for adapter protection is reduced by using paper sleeves instead. Furthermore, the laptop bag and the sheet between the keyboard and screen is made with 100% industrial recycled plastic.
This emphasis on sustainability carries over to the design language, too. All graphics on the shipping box are printed with soy ink, and the notebook itself contains no paint on the chassis, reducing the impact on the environment. It is held together by easily accessible, standardized screws for a simpler disassembly process. The notebook stands out with unique yellow and volcano grey accents on its bumpers, and the text on the R and E keys has been inverted, calling out the 3 Re’s: reduce, reuse and recycle.
Behind all of this is an attractive and impressive computer. The latest 11th Gen Intel Core processor with Intel Iris X graphics lets it power through daily productivity tasks and more, while up to 1 TB of M.2 SSD storage gives users plenty of space to store music, movies, and files. This display features a lifting-hinge design that slightly elevates the notebook when opened, allowing for a more ergonomic typing experience, while AI noise suppression offers clarity during video calls. The notebook also comes with Intel Wi-Fi 6 (Gig+), a USB Type-C port, two USB 3.2 ports, and an HDMI 2.0 port for video-out.
Global Accolades on Sustainability
Acer’s transparent reporting efforts have been recognized by global sustainability indices, and the company has won industry accolades for ESG performance. In 2020, Acer was listed on three global sustainability indices: the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) Emerging Markets Index for the seventh consecutive year, the MSCI ESG Leaders Indexes with an “AA” rating, and the FTSE4Good Emerging Index for the fifth year. In addition, Acer was ranked among the 100 most sustainably managed companies in the world by The Wall Street Journal.
[i] Keyboard caps consist of 50% PCR plastic; other surfaces (top and bottom cover, screen bezels, and operating surface) consist of 30% PCR plastic
About the Author
