Brand owner: Acer Inc.
Head office: Taipei, Taiwan
Sector: Electronics
Categories : Computers, Notebooks
Free Tags: Laptop, notebook, desktop, PC, netbook, monitor, screen, workstation
| 1. Does the brand (company) clearly support global mandatory cuts of carbon emissions of at least 50% by 2050 or 30% by industrialized countries by 2020? |
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Packard Bell, a brand of Acer Group, demonstrates by association to its parent company its commitment to global reduction of carbon emissions by 50% by 2050 and 30% by 2020 (Corporate Responsibility Report 2010 p36). | Source |
| 2. Has the brand (company) disclosed the annual carbon footprint of its 'own operations' and of the supply / production chain? |
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Acer Group (brand owner) has published the carbon footprint for its own operations (p35 ) and that of at least a portion of the supply chain or product lifecycle (p36 Corporate Responsibility Report 2010. | Source |
| 3. Has the brand (company) set a target to reduce its ‘own operations’ carbon footprint by at least 20% within the next 5 years? |
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Acer Group has committed to reduce its green house gas emissions (Corporate Responsibility Report 2010 p36), but does not specify its target to reduce total carbon emissions | Source |
| 4. Has the brand (company) already reduced or compensated its 'own operations' carbon footprint by at least 10% in the last 5 years? |
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Acer Group publicly reports its carbon footprint in its Corporate Responsibility Report 2010 (p35). In 2010, it had a total footprint of 126587 metric tons of CO2eq/yr (scopes 1-2), compared to 132442 metric tons of CO2eq/yr in 2009 (scopes 1-2). This represents a 4% decrease in its own operations. | Source |
| 5. Do all new products of the brand meet the latest Energy Star requirements (where applicable)? |
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Acer Group has achieved Energy Star compliance ratings on 63.2% of its notebook PCs and 40.6% of its desktop PCs. | Source |
| 1. Has the brand (company) eliminated PVC and BFRs in all new products? If not, does the brand give a timeline for achieving this by 2012? |
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Acer Group, Packard Bell's parent company, is scheduled to prohibit PVC and BFRs from use in all newly introduced personal and mobile computing products by 2011. | Source |
| 2. Has the brand (company) already eliminated PVC and BFRs in all new products? |
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Acer Group, Packard Bell's parent company, has a number of products that has been manufactured PVC and BFR free as evidenced by products mentioned on its website. They have however given no information as to whether they have completely eliminated PVC and BFRs in all its new products (Corporate Responsibility Report p32). | Source |
| 3. Has the brand (company) already eliminated at least 2 of the 3 groups of suspect chemicals (beryllium, antimony and phthalates) in all of its new products? If not, does it give a timeline for achieving this by 2012? |
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Acer Group, and by extension Packard Bell, is planning to ban the use of the 3 groups from new products by 2012. | Source |
| 4. Has the brand (company) already eliminated at least 2 of the 3 groups of suspect chemicals (beryllium, antimony and phthalates)in all of its new products? |
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See remark for environmental conditions question 3. No specific information is given on this issue. | Source |
| 5. Does the brand (company) support the principle of Individual Producer Responsibility (IPR), meaning that brands are responsibility for the entire lifecycle of their own products, including take back and recycling? |
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Acer Group, Packard Bell's parent company, supports the idea of Individual Producer Responsibility (IPR) (see Corporate Responsibility Report 2010 p24). | Source |
| 6. Does the brand (company) provide free and easy take back and recycling services for its discarded products in many of the countries where its products are sold? |
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Acer Group, Packard Bell's parent company, refers to country specific recycling services on its website, but details on ease of access, procedures and costs are not provided. | Source |
| 7. Does the brand (company) source at least 5% of its plastics from recycled plastic streams and does it give a clear timeline to increase this percentage to at least 25% by 2025? |
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Acer Group does not report on the use of recycled plastics in its Corporate Responsibility Report 2010 nor on its website. | Source |
| 1. Does the brand (company) have a policy that excludes smelters of conflict minerals by only sourcing minerals from conflict free areas or by only sourcing minerals from conflict areas when human rights are respected and where contributing to conflict is avoided? |
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Acer (brand owner) has issued the Acer’s Statement for Materials (Metals) Extraction to its suppliers and "announced that we will not accept illegally extracted metals or metals that are extracted under inhumane working conditions." (see p. 44-45). | Source |
| 2. Does the brand (company) have a Code of Conduct (CoC) for both its own factories and those of its suppliers, which includes the following standards: No forced or slave labor, no child labor, no discrimination of any kind and a safe and hygienic workplace? |
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Acer Group (brand owner) is a member of the EICC and has adopted the EICC Code of Conduct (CoC) (see p. 41-42). For EICC CoC, see link to questions 2&3 below. In the EICC CoC all standards are mentioned (see page 2-4). | Source |
| 3. Does the brand’s (company’s) CoC include at least 3 of the following workers rights: 1. a formally registered employment relationship 2. a maximum working week of 48 hours with voluntary paid overtime of 12 hours maximum 3. a sufficient living wage 4. form and join labor unions and bargain collectively; and in those situations where these rights are restricted under law, to develop parallel means? |
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1. Not mentioned; 2. No, the CoC states a maximum of 60 hours per week but does not specify how many are overtime; 3. No, wages must comply with applicable wage laws but does not mention a living wage; 4. No, this right is mentioned but a parallel means in situations where these rights are restricted under law is not mentioned. | Source |
| 4. Does the brand (company) have a published list of direct suppliers that have collectively contributed to more than 90% of the purchase volume? |
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Neither Acer Group nor Packard Bell communicates a list of factories or suppliers on its website. | Source |
| 5. Is the brand (company) a member of a multi stakeholder initiative (MSI), wherein independent NGO’s or labor unions are represented, that collectively aims to improve labor conditions and that carries out independent audits? Or does the brand (company) significantly purchase its supplies from factories certified by such MSI’s? |
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Acer (brand owner) is a member of the EICC, but civil society organizations do not have a decisive voice in this initiative (see p. 41). | Source |
| 6. Does the brand (company) annually report on the results of its labor conditions policy? |
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Acer (brand owner) publishes a detailed audit report (see p. 42-43). | Source |
| 7. Has the brand’s labor conditions policy resulted in a ‘compliance level’ of at least 30% of the purchase volume, or a ‘monitored level' of at least 80%? |
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Acer (brand owner) conducted audits for only 16% of its major suppliers (see p. 42). | Source |