AS it moves towards a more low-carbon future and ultimately net-zero emissions, ICT giant Acer has made strong progress towards realizing its key Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals.
“It’s more than confidence, it’s a commitment that we will source 100% renewable energy by 2035,” Acer CEO Jason Chen said in a media roundtable discussion. “Our statistics show that at the end of 2020, almost 45 percent of the energy we consumed was green. Among our operations in 100 countries, there are about 40 countries that are already 100% renewable, and that includes the Philippines.”
For Acer, sustainability isn’t just an ambition—it’s a part of their culture. Their pledge to sustainability, including their Earthion initiative, has always been integrated not just in the way they operate in the products and solutions that they innovate, but also in the initiatives they do to help communities shape a better future for the next generation.
“We know that protecting the planet is critical and it is a continuous effort as being a part of the communities we serve means we are also thinking about how we realize positive impact in the communities where these changes are taking place and enable people around the world to benefit from the energy transition,” he said. “Organizations around the world need to transition to an environmentally sustainable future in a short period of time, too, so we want to offer solutions and services to help them transition to net-zero.”
As an advocate for circular economies, Acer launched the Vero line of green laptops, desktops, displays, and accessories, which utilize recycled plastic, recyclable packaging, and ocean-bound plastic waste.
Chen also disclosed that the company has partnered with a local third-party agency to ensure that products that are not being used are properly being disposed of and follow the regulations with the local agency and environmental agencies here in the country.
“We’re not only doing that for Acer products alone, all of our service centers cater to other brands. We support security cameras, even Sony playstation and printer brand Canon. We also have some competing brands like Huawei and the likes,” he said.
By investing in new technological solutions, Acer aims to change the way they make, use, and say goodbye to devices.
Globally, the company also seems to be diversifying its product offering, while aiming to reduce its environmental footprint and inspire others to join their journey towards a greener planet.
“Acer is not just computers, we’re more than computers. We want to redefine our brand from computer to computer science by focusing on cybersecurity and artificial intelligence,” Chen said.
Caring for people’s health, Acer has worked with National Taiwan University Hospital to develop AI-based software to help doctors diagnose diabetic retinopathy. To date, it has been successfully introduced to over 100 medical institutions across Taiwan.
“Acer has been developing technology related to artificial intelligence for more than 25 years and AI has been there for 50 years. The problem is not AI, the problem is to select the right project, and this time, we use AI applied to medication. We tried to use AI to do medical image diagnostic, this time for diabetes eyesights,” he said.
Chen also attended the recently-held 3rd APEC Business Advisory Council meeting, during which Acer Cyber Security Inc shared its cybersecurity self-assessment toolkit designed for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to help APEC member economies strengthen their cyber resilience.
“More than 40 percent of cyber-attacks actually target small and medium businesses. 56 percent of MSMEs were attacked in the past year and 60 percent of MSMEs collapsed right away due to ransomware. That’s why we are more than happy to share this for free and we feel passionate to provide MSMEs with what we have been already doing,” he said.
The toolkit, which can now be downloaded from their website, can easily detect suspicious behavior indicating intrusion and malicious software and generate a report to help companies understand their cybersecurity risks.
This year also marks Acer’s 20th anniversary in the country. To celebrate this milestone, Acer Philippines has launched its biggest campaigns to date: the Acer High Back-to-School promotion and Acer Day 2023. Alongside bigger promotions on Acer products and over 2 million worth of prizes, Acer Philippines is also organizing a concert on Aug. 6 at the SM MOA Arena headlined by artists Sarah Geronimo, Ely Buendia, Donny Pangilinan, and Belle Mariano, among others.
Aside from these two major events, Acer Philippines will also host the next Asia Pacific Predator League. Local qualifiers are ongoing and league winners will represent the country in the grand final event in early 2024.