AsusTek social value report receives international accreditation

2017/02/18

Taiwan-based electronics maker AsusTek Computer Inc. received recognition recently from Social Value International for a social return on investment report about its product recycling program, marking the first time a study of this kind by an Asian tech company has received accreditation from the U.K.-headquartered analysts association, the company said Feb. 16.

In contrast to the conventional practice of calculating returns from investment, SROI measures extra-financial value such as environmental and social benefits. According to the AsusTek report, the company’s recycling project produced NT$3.61 (US$0.12) in social value per NT$1 invested between the launch of the initiative in 2008 and the end of last year.

Under the program, AsusTek collects old desktop computers, laptops and other electronic devices to retrieve reusable components. The company uses these parts to assemble new computers for nonprofit organizations, thereby fostering social development and eliminating electronic waste, which often contains harmful chemicals.

Thus far, the company has donated 8,394 refurbished computers to nonprofits at home and abroad. The devices have been used to set up computer classrooms and digital learning centers in over 27 countries, helping boost education programs and bridge the digital divide in underprivileged communities.

Wei Xing-juan, head of AsusTek’s environmental solutions department, said that the SROI report will help the company refine its social development projects and strengthen its efforts to promote fair access to digital resources. In addition, the document features recommendations for nonprofit partners on ways to utilize the devices provided by the company more effectively, she added.

AsusTek, one of the world’s leading computer vendors, submitted the report to SVI in collaboration with accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers Taiwan. The social value assessment system advocated by SVI has been adopted by a number of prominent public and private sector organizations, including the Australian government, British Telecom and World Vision.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=10&post=111531)