Issue Date：July 30, 2021
In support of the sustainability thought across the world, we began promoting green product actions in 2004, with green material, green design, and green manufacture as the main features of our green product management system. Apart from promoting green product development, we enable more products to pass Green Mark certification to meet the goal of sustainable development.
Green Material
In addition to introducing the green accounting system to collect and analyze green purchase performance, Coretronic purchased green materials to thoroughly implement green supply chain management. The total purchase amount of green materials for the plants in Taiwan and China in 2020 occupied 90% and 99%, respectively, of the total purchase amount in the same year.
| Area | Taiwan | China | ||||
| Year | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
| The amount of green material procurement (100 millions of NTD) | 83.59 | 57.64 | 43.12 | 51.45 | 67.08 | 110.55 |
| The amount of material procurement (100 millions of NTD) | 84.92 | 59.30 | 47.92 | 55.44 | 69.26 | 111.88 |
| The percentage of green material procurement (%) | 98% | 97% | 90% | 93% | 97% | 99% |
Green Design
Product Carbon Footprint Inventory
The carbon emission at each phase of the product life circle can be analyzed with reference to the carbon footprint inventory. The product subject to carbon footprint inventory in 2020 was the backlight module for 12”screens. The result of the inventory showed a carbon footprint of 2.67 kgCO2e/pcs (i.e. 0.0105kg of carbon footprint per gram of products), 29.8% less than the carton footprint of the same product in 2019. Due to the package reduction design, improvement for manufacture, and various energy-saving measures, Coretronic successfully reduced the product carbon emission.
Package Reduction Design
To realize environmental values, we optimize the packaging design, use recycled paper to make wrappings, and adopt environment-friendly ink to print and simplify packaging.
Molded Pulp
Molded pulp is made of recycled waste paper. In 2017 Q1, we began verifying molded paper packaging materials with the drop test and the storage test. After passing the tests, it will be used in packaging. Such kind of natural, non-toxic, lead free, decomposable, pollution free, and waste free buffering material can effectively reduce the variety packaging materials and the quantity of packaging. Along with soy ink printing and package simplification, everything is eco-friendly. In 2020, 69% products used molded pulp.
Design-Size Reduction
Package volume is reduced to improve container efficiency. Products can be stacked to save storage space and improve the transportation loading rate. It has been applied to the product platforms of T100 and A65 projector to improve the marine transportation loading rate by 67% and 33%, respectively. It is estimated that each product will reduce 300 kgCO2e and 195 kgCO2e respectively, and reduce carbon by 28% and 16% respectively.
Education and Training
To enhance and optimize the efficiency of energy-saving products, and merge the eco-friendly, energy-saving, and 3R (reduce, recycle, reuse) concept into the design and development of products, so as to continuously develop energy-saving products, we arranged 11 courses related to green solutions, 378 persons received the courses, totaling 499 man-hours.
Energy-Saving Design
Projectors and Visual Solution
- In 2020, the product platform of A65 projector incorporated the product lightweight program, using lightweight materials to reduce product weight and reduce fuel consumption in marine transportation, and it is estimated that each product can reduce 137 kgCO2e and reduce carbon by 11.7%.
- 25% of the projector products incorporate optimized optical and electrical design to improve overall product performance, which is estimated to save 10.34 GWh of electricity and 5,261 tonCO2e per year.
- The safe auto off function (including automatically shut off without input signals and sleep mode)
- Electricity consumption in the standard operation mode and standby mode complies with the energy-efficiency standard specified by the Environmental Protection Administration.
- Reducing the design of back-end process (electroplating, paint spraying, and printing) of products.
- Use of LED and laser eco-friendly solid-state illumination (SSI) and other mercury-free materials for a completely mercury-free projector.
- Compared to traditional short throw projectors, projectors using LED and laser SSI have a five-time longer life without the need of bulb replacement to reduce environmental protection.
Backlight Module
- The innovative microstructure design of light guide plate improves the optical brightness of IML energy-conserving light guide and reduces the power consumption of lighting by 10%. In 2020, a total of 104,811 pieces of backlights were produced, saving 321,351 kWh of electricity and 163.6 tonCO2e of carbon.
- The thickness of the customer's optical laminate film has been improved and thinned down to 0.32 from the original thickness of 0.45, with no change in performance and a 29% reduction in weight. 638,205 pieces of backlights were produced in 2020. The overall weight decreased by 71,018kg and 146.3 tonCO2e of carbon emissions was reduced.
Light Guide Plate (LGP)
- Regulate the production temperature and save 0.25 kWh of electricity per hour. In 2020, the production hours were 1,316.7 hours, with electricity saving of 329.2 kWh and carbon reduction of 0.2 tonCO2e.
- The optimized optical microstructure design of the light guide plate makes the product thinner and lighter, and also achieves the optical design requirements, so that the thickness of the thin light guide plate is reduced by 20% and the weight is reduced by 30%. 8,089 pieces of 13.3” LGPs were produced in 2020. The overall weight decreased by 118kg and 0.2 tonCO2e of carbon emissions was reduced.
Green Process
At Corecentric, we continue to promote clean production and reduce pollution to improve environmental protection and lower costs to enhance economic efficiency, in order to pursue sustainable business. Clean production refers to “persistently apply integrated and preventive environmental strategies in processes, products, and services to enhance eco-efficiency and reduce hazards on human beings and the environment.” Upholding our responsibility for products and the environment, and aiming to pursue eco-efficiency and sustainable development, we save energy, reduce the use of hazardous substances, reduce the production and emission of pollutants, dispose industrial waste and recycle resources, update design concepts by including environmental factors in design and service provision through the management of materials, equipment, gauges and tools, consumables, personnel, and the operating environment.
Packaging Materials Re-Use
Coretronic’s Energy-Saving Business Group in Taiwan carried out 4 wrapping recycle measures in 2020 with a recycling rate of 96%. As for the recycling performance in terms of the number of recycled wrappings, 93.6% of trays, 63.4% of pallets, 100% of plastic pads, and 100% of paper cartons were recycled to the amount of 79.9 tons. They were reused to reduce the pollution of the waste to the environment. The benefit of carbon reduction was 164.6 tonCO2e (an output of 2.06 tonCO2e per tones of waste according to the Low Carbon Sustainable Information System).
Circular Economy Collaboration
- The collaboration with local transport service suppliers has been implemented since 2017. Pallet prototypes have been recycled under the collaboration and reused for transport. 480.5 tons of wood pallets have been recycled from 2017 to 2020 with a carbon reduction of 989.9 tonCO2e and a cost saving of NTD 2.16 million thanks to the reduced purchase of wood pallets and disposal of waste.
- The waste cartons and cultural paper for printing, books or newspaper produced during the manufacture process and by the offices of the plants in Taiwan were transported to the top-3 paper manufacturers in Taiwan (Cheng Loong, Yuen Foong Yu, and Long Chen) for recycling through legal environment-friendly wast disposal service suppliers. Paper products made from 80%~100% recycled pulp and attached with the Green Mark were purchased from their downstream manufacturers to support the “Resources Recycling and Reusing Program” of the Environmental Protection Administration and achieve the goals of “recycle of wastes to displace exploitation of natural resources, full circulation of materials, and zero waste.” In 2020, 122,559 shipping cartons made from recycled pulp and attached with the Green Mark were purchased for the plants in Taiwan.
Product End Processing Tracking
To ensure legal use of recycled products, Coretronic establishes explicit waste management regulations and performs on-site inspection of the legal compliance and back-end disposition capability of the waste disposal service suppliers every year. If any nonconformities are identified, guidance is provided with an admonition received by the supplier concerned, and the nonconformities are subject to follow-up actions for improvement. If nonconformities are removed notwithstanding, the waste disposal agreement will be terminated to ensure legal and appropriate disposal of wastes. In 2020, audits of 10 suppliers rendering the services of wood pallet recycle and disposal of industrial and hazardous industrial waste and waste electronic components were scheduled and completed with a completion rate of 100%. The results of the audits did not show any nonconformities.
