Sustainable development in Acer's policies

Global Press Conference -- Budapest, September 19, 2008 -- As one of the major suppliers of computers and computer peripherals in the world, Acer understands the impact that its products, services and operations may have on the environment. Therefore Acer is committed to:

1. Reducing harmful effects on the environment by saving energy, recycling waste, and reducing pollution by using low-polluting technologies, environmentally-friendly materials. We require our suppliers to adhere to environmental regulations.
2. Abiding to environmental regulatory requirements that are applicable to the industry.
3. Enhancing pollution prevention initiatives continuously.

To pursue this objective, Acer set up five dimensions to realize environmental protection and management:

1)  Implementation of the environmental management system
2)  Development of eco products
3)  Product recycling and treatment service
4)  Green supply chain management
5)  Environmental communication

1.  Implementation of the environmental management system
ISO is a platform to handle internal environmental management affairs. So, Acer will persist in the ISO PDCA spirit and continually maintain operation of the system, including holding regular meetings, training and education for members of the ISO Promotion Committee, implementation of internal and external audits.

2. Development of eco products
The HSF (Hazardous Substance Free) program was launched in 2006 and Acer is committed to eliminating PVC, BFRs, and Phthalates from all products by 2009. In addition, Acer will cooperate with suppliers to find alternative technologies and materials.

3. Product recycling and treatment service
In addition to taking measures as specified in the EU WEEE directive, Acer will assess the feasibility of the spontaneous recycling program in the USA, India, and Taiwan. The EPA Plug-in to eCycling program, a spontaneous recycling program initialized by the Environmental Protection Agency of the USA, will be carried out in the USA as a trial to understand the effectiveness and results of the implementation.

4.Green supply chain management
Acer will integrate the requirements of the eco products and management system to make the management of the green supply chain more complete.
(1) Eco products: Review the products again and integrate currently applicable international environment-related regulations and incorporate them in the latest requirements of eco products.
(2) Management system: In addition to the current quality and environmental management systems, suppliers will be requested to comply with the requirements of OHSAS18000 and SA8000.
(3) Environmental information: Suppliers will be requested to provide relevant information to ensure conformance to the EuP directive and the requirements for reduction of greenhouse gases.

5. Environmental communication
To maintain uninterrupted outwards environmental communication Acer is committed to:
(1) Collect information about the trend of international environmental protection;
(2) Keep good relationships with environmental protection organizations such as Greenpeace and SVTC;
(3) Disclose related information on Acer's "sustainability" webpage.

Product environmental management
Acer carries out reduction of product environmental impact in the following ways: resources and energy saving design, restricted substances management, easy disassembly design, packaging design, product recycling, product environmental information and green supplier management as described above.

Resource and energy saving design
With deterioration of the global warming problem, Acer is devoted more to the R&D of energy and resources saving products according to the Framework Convention on Climate Change. The Acer ePower Management software, for example, allows optimized power management for different work situations to maximize battery efficiency. In 2006, all Acer PCs, notebooks, and monitors are certified with the Energy Star mark.

Restricted substances management
Acer adopts the principle of early prevention, assessing all potential hazards and chemical substances that may impact the environment. According to the HSF Plan, PVC, BFRs and Phthalates are to be replaced with alternatives for hazardous substance free design. The key factors for alternatives is that they must not detrimentally influence new product quality, safety, and reliability, and they must not endanger human health or pose worse environmental impacts.  

Easy disassemble design
Acer promotes easy recycling and treatment of discarded products. Acer product design principles emphasize modularization, and components that are easy to dismantle and recycle. Acer also emphasizes labelling that provides clear information about the use and recycling of plastics, and requires its suppliers to comply with these design requirements.

Packaging design
It follows the below principles
• Minimize packaging
• Use recyclable and reusable packaging materials, such as paper and PE. For example, air bags are environmental friendly due to recyclable compositions and the characteristic of producing less waste because they can provide the same protection with less usage
• Avoid excessive use of polystyrene as packaging material
• Limit use of packaging materials containing hazardous substances
• Include material labels such as plastics or paper to facilitate separation and recycling

Product recycling
The present problem of treating waste electronic and electrical products has already become among the most pressing international environmental protection issues. It is also a major environmental protection concern at Acer. Until each manufacturer's responsibility systems are fully established, Acer reaches out to assume the manufacturers' product recycling responsibilities. Acer is working to comply with the EU's WEEE Directive and each nation's laws requiring participation in recycling systems, as well as planning for recycling of waste products.

For more information about the Acer's recycling please visit 

http://global.acer.com/about/sustainability34.htm

Product environmental information
Providing environmental information about products is a responsibility that all international corporations must assume. The primary objective is to keep consumers informed about environmental information regarding the products they purchase. Acer uses the IT ECO Declaration. The IT ECO standard was jointly formulated by the Association of the Swedish IT and Telecom Industry, Norway's IKT, and Denmark's ITB. The information provided includes environment-conscious designs, explanations of restricted materials, packaging, batteries, and energy use.

Acer, a global eco-friendly business

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About Acer
Since its founding in 1976, Acer has constantly pursued the goal of breaking the barriers between people and technology. Focused on marketing its brand-name IT products around the globe, Acer ranks as the world's No. 3  vendor for total PCs and No. 2 for notebooks, with the fastest growth among the top-five players. A profitable and sustainable Channel Business Model is instrumental to Acer's continued growth, while the successful mergers of Gateway and Packard Bell complete the company's global footprint by strengthening its presence in the U.S., and enhancing its strong position in Europe. Acer Inc. employs 5,000 people worldwide. 2007 revenues reached US$14.07 billion.

Contact:
Stella T.H. Chou, Henry Wang
PR, Branding Division
8F, 88, Sec.1, Hsin Tai Wu Rd., Hsichih,
Taipei Hsien 221, Taiwan, R.O.C.
Tel: 886-2-8691-3204/1046
Fax: 886-2-8691-3262
E-mail: Stella_th_chou@acer.com.tw  Henrywang@acer.com.tw

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