CSR360

Posted: Thursday 10 June 10, 11.33am GMT

More dynamic momentum seen in Taiwan for CSR thanks to leading players’ alliance

In October 2008, BCSD-Taiwan launched a learning-by-sharing initiative, ‘Taiwan Corporate Sustainability Forum’ (TCSF). As an invitation-only group, TCSF was initiated and led by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, Ltd. (TSMC), a component of Dow Jones Sustainability Index for a number years. The main objectives of TCSF are to provide a platform for learning by sharing participants’ best practices of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainable development, to enhance capacity for CSR innovation, and to achieve sustainability through business collaboration within and across sectors. TCSF is now supported by 23 companies, the majority of which are members of BCSD-Taiwan.

Development of the Green Factory Code

Since 2009 a task force led by TSMC and consisting of five other participant companies has been dedicated to helping the Taiwanese government develop the ‘Green Factory Code’ to be followed extensively by the industry. This capacity is based on the expertise and experience of TSMC and other participants for constructing a factory certified by LEED, an internationally recognized green building certification system.

Active involvement for domestic climate policy

After COP15 in Copenhagen, the role of the private sector is much more important than ever in the engagement process for shaping domestic climate policy. Since the spring of 2009, BCSD-Taiwan and TCSF have focused on studying the leading policy frameworks being followed by developed countries aiming to achieve a low carbon economy. An attempt is made to benchmark the existing and emerging policy frameworks so that a proposal can be provided by the Taiwanese business community to ensure Taiwan’s low carbon competitiveness in the carbon-constrained age. Many perspectives have been proposed in response to controversial issues in the current Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act of Taiwan, which is in the pipeline for being the official carbon mitigation regulation. A series of forums on the business implication of COP15 have been organized by BCSD-Taiwan in the first half of 2010 for raising the awareness of private sector. The engagement and communication for climate policy is led by TSMC and China Steel.

Acer shares its model for stakeholder engagement

Stakeholder engagement is normally a dilemma for Taiwanese companies. As one of the top two global PC brands, Acer has shared its model and experience of stakeholder engagement with other companies within and across sectors since 2008 by means of its annual CSR Forum. Key stakeholders including investor groups, leading NGOs which focus on environmental issues, labour rights and toxic chemicals, and global ICT sector initiatives such as EICC, CSCI and GeSI, etc. Through participation in the CSR Forum, the value of capacity building for continuous improvement of the company’s CSR performance has been clearly demonstrated. It’s a valuable process for learning for Acer, both by doing and by sharing. Acer’s pioneering measure for sharing their engagement process to others has motivated more companies in Taiwan to think about the same model for ‘walking the talk’ on CSR. Additionally, Acer also plays a proactive role in flagging carbon disclosure in Taiwan by dedicating itself to a better and transparent carbon disclosure. It is also one of the leading brands which request suppliers to disclosure carbon information through the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) since 2008. With Acer’s support, BCSD-Taiwan is capable of continuously advocating companies on the invitation list to respond to the annual CDP survey.

New driving force from the CSR Guidelines announced by Taiwan Stock Exchange

In February 2010, the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TSE) and GreTai Securities Market (GTSM) announced CSR Guidelines for listed companies as the soft law for driving companies to ‘walk the talk’ on CSR. The Guidelines, drafted by BCSD-Taiwan and CSR Taiwan, are regarded as the milestone of CSR development for linking with the capital market. It is also the new driving force for both CSR performance disclosure and responsible investment by providing guidance to assist listed companies implement CSR in the fields of environment, society and corporate governance (ESG).