AU Optronics Corp. ("AUO" or the "Company") (TAIEX: 2409; NYSE: AUO) today announced that the Company has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World) for the sixth consecutive year, standing out again in the ITC Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components sector. Within the sector, AUO topped all contestants in areas including climate strategy, product stewardship, and human capital development, once again being internationally recognized for its outstanding achievements in sustainable business operation.
The 2015 DJSI World assessment accentuates the link between economic and sustainable performance and is divided into economic, environmental and social dimensions. The special focus this year has been devoted to groundbreaking initiatives, implementation, and feedback of information. In the economic dimension, the AUO CSR Committee has worked to continuously collect, identify and analyze feedbacks from stakeholders to enhance the Company’s brand image, attaining near full score in the brand management criterion. In the environmental dimension, AUO was recognized for its climate change strategies, risk management schemes, responding product adjustments, and carbon reduction achievements, obtaining full score in the climate strategy criterion. In addition, having long implemented AUO Green Solutions, the Company has been able to effectively reduce impact to the environment during product lifecycle. As a result, AUO also achieved the highest score compared to industry peers in terms of product stewardship. In the social dimension, AUO has fully administered lecturer training and AUO Learning College system, cultivating around 300 lecturers from within the Company each year. AUO’s best team of lecturers from outside and inside the Company has planned a variety of courses to better equip the employees, cultivating excellent talents for the Company to maintain its competitive edge. Such exceptional performance has also taken AUO to the winner position in the criterion of human capital development.
Since the establishment of the AUO CSR Committee in 2013, AUO has strengthened its sustainability risk management, and employed a solid business continuity plan for risk control in practice. Constantly dedicated to green practices, the largest waste water recycling system in Taiwan(*) to fully recycle discharged water will be completed by AUO in the Lungtan site by the end of this year. AUO will work its way to become a great and sustainable corporation, using the Company’s resources and strengths to ensure that success is to be enjoyed by all, and to build a harmonious society and thrive with the environment.
Launched in 1999, the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes are the first global indexes tracking the CSR performance of leading companies worldwide and are now some of the most important globally-accepted indicators in reviewing corporate sustainability. The Indexes serve as a driving force to companies in fulfilling their corporate citizenship and offer benchmarks in corporate sustainability for global investors.
* Based on the available market research information as of September 11, 2015.