‘Marking Partnership Work’ is our slogan for business and our belief in caring for the land, our local community, and the environment. In 2020, Accton announced its commitment to preserving leopard cats’ habitat by supporting the Leopard Cat Rice Association. In 2021, Accton called on 27 supply chain partners to join this initiative. In 2022, we hosted a series of sustainable living talks to kick-start ESG action at Accton and share simple steps individuals can take to live a more sustainable life.

In the first session, the founder of Taiwan Blue Magpie Tea and Leopard Cat Rice, Po-Chun Huang, shared the purpose of creating the brand Leopard Cat Rice and the challenges he and his team faced. Leopard cats are on the verge of extinction in Taiwan due to habitat fragmentation, pesticide contamination (which they consume through their prey), and road kills. Huang and his team proposed the “River Basin Recovery” strategy – supporting pesticide-free farming in leopard cats’ habitat. It protects the endangered leopard cats, promotes biodiversity, and provides organic rice to the community.

In the second session, Ho-Cheng Yen, a consultant at CSR@CommonWealth Magazine, explained why CSR matters and what is trending in corporate sustainability projects. He encourages Taiwanese enterprises to utilize their core business capabilities for a sustainability initiative and commit to it continuously.

Both speakers expressed that it remains a challenge for many sustainable brands to find marketplaces and retail stores in Taiwan that can accommodate the inconsistency associated with small scale, eco-friendly practices. As individuals, we can choose sustainable products and educate our families and friends. At Accton, we gift leopard cat rice to our colleagues, customers, and supply partners to promote the brand and raise awareness for preserving leopard cats’ habitat.

“Every time you spend money, you’re casting a vote for the kind of world you want.” – Anna Lappé

Did you know that every year, 1.3 billion tons of food worth approximately US $1 trillion is lost or wasted globally?

In the second sustainable living talk at Accton, we learned a new trick to reduce food waste in Taiwan. Baron Ye noticed that bakeries and restaurants usually prepare more baked goods and meals than necessary in order to provide customers with a wide variety of selections (instead of having too few options and risk losing customers) and throw away food at the end of the day. To remedy this problem, Baron and his team developed the Tasteme app for people to order “surprise grab bags” of tasty meals or baked goods at more economical prices. Each grab bag sold saves 0.2 kg in carbon emissions.

We also learned that we could become better co-inhabitants on earth by turning into eco-conscious travelers. After visiting beautiful natural wonders often littered with garbage, Eros Tsai founded Loya Tour to protect these places. It’s the first travel agency in Taiwan that received the ISO 20121 Sustainable Events Management certification. Eros and his team worked with farmers and indigenous people to design sustainable trips that protect nature and benefit local communities. Through eco-friendly trips, tourists participate in sustainable farming and learn to treasure locally grown food and the environment. Bravo to our speakers, Baron (Founder of Tasteme) and Eros (President of Loya Tour)!