This year, the Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards (AREA) celebrates its 10-year anniversary milestone championing the most exceptional CSR programs across Asia. Over the last decade, AREA is proud and honored to be the advocate in encouraging and inspiring business leaders and enterprises to take on their responsibilities in creating a better world for all.
Enterprise Asia, the organizer of AREA, is pleased to recognize 69 outstanding award recipients who exemplified determination and perseverance despite the trying times. The AREA awardees have demonstrated relentless dedication to responsible business practices amidst the ongoing pandemic.
Widely regarded as the gold standard for CSR and sustainability practice, the AREA is the most prominent CSR recognition program across Asia initiated by the region’s leading NGO, Enterprise Asia. With over 500 winners from more than 19 countries since its launch, the AREA aims to recognize and honor Asian businesses and leaders for championing sustainable and responsible business practices. This year, an impressive number of 205 nominees from 16 countries were short-listed in the final round of judging and only 69 were accorded as award recipients.
Richard Tsang, president of Enterprise Asia, stated in his welcome speech, “Today, the majority of a company’s long-term value includes components such as innovation, intellectual capital and culture. Thus, a strong ESG strategy is an important element of a broader long-term value strategy that is tied to a business’ purpose and vision for recovery and success moving towards the post COVID-19 world.” He further mentioned that “sustainability cannot be looked at in isolation. It is akin to engineering a whole new system and cultivating a new way of life. It is a tough balancing act because there will be conflicts, compromises and trade-offs.”
Since 2011, AREA has recognized businesses from various industries while honouring their achievements in the seven categories of Social Empowerment, Investment in People, Health Promotion, Green Leadership, Corporate Governance, Circular Economy Leadership and Responsible Business Leadership.
Richard Tsang, president of Enterprise Asia
The winners for the Responsible Business Leadership Category which recognize leaders who are strong advocates for responsible entrepreneurship and at the forefront of promoting sustainable practices and in promoting the sustainability agenda within their organizations and their communities include Shuang-Lang (Paul) Peng, chairman and CEO of AU Optronics Corp.; Joseph Huang, chairman of E.SUN Commercial Bank; Richard M. Tsai, chairman of Fubon Financial Holding Co., Ltd.; Pitak Ratchakitprakarn, president and CEO of PTG Energy Public Company Limited from Thailand; and Chun-Chi Chou, founder of Sinyi Group from Taiwan.
Among the notable winning projects from the Health Promotion Category is Far Eastern Big City Shopping Malls Co., Ltd.. Its program, ‘Big City, Big Health – A Healthy Community Platform for All Ages’, focuses on devoting its resources to the segments of blood donation, liver disease prevention, and health promotion for all ages. The company held record-breaking blood donation campaigns, funded liver health forums to promote liver disease prevention, and organized over 160 activities promoting health for all ages last year.
The joint initiative of Taipei Lung Shan Temple, Liver Disease Prevention and Treatment Research Foundation, Taiwan, YUAN High-Tech Development Co., Ltd., and Realtek Semiconductor Corporation was also a part of the winning recipients for the Health Promotion Category. Their program, ‘For Peace, For Health, Ten Thousand People Together to Protect Our Livers!’, broke the Guinness World Record for the most people completing a health survey in 12 hours in Taipei, Taiwan on Oct. 31, 2020. The program sought to improve healthy liver awareness and all participants were offered free health checkups after completing the survey.
PTG Energy Public Company Limited emerged as one of the winners under the Social Empowerment category with its program, PT Volunteer Camp, ‘We Care Leave No One Behind,’ concentrates on contributing to the community nearby the company’s operational sites in the development areas of healthcare, education, and environment to empower the villagers’ access to better life opportunities and enable them to grow sustainably with the company. It established the PT volunteer doctor unit and PT creating lungs for the community, and offered eye examinations for the elderly, scholarship, sports equipment and education media deliveries for thousands of villagers.
Bollore Logistics Singapore Pte. Ltd. is among the exceptional recipients of the Green Leadership Category for its “Powering Sustainable Logistics in Singapore” program. The program contributes to 8 of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, and the company managed to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, waste consumables, and water consumption while increasing its recycling rate. In 2020, over 1,500 of the company’s staff were educated on sustainability topics, among which more than 1,300 received formal trainings on the topics.
Prior to the AREA, the International CSR & Sustainability (ICS) Summit 2021 was held in the day. The virtual summit was convened with over 300 C-suite level executives and business leaders from 12 countries.
Themed “Towards an Inclusive and Resilient Future,” the summit provided a regional platform for leading thought leaders and CSR practitioners to explore on pressing topics and recovery actions to rebuild towards a sustainable and resilient world.
The Chairman of Enterprise Asia, Tan Sri Dr Fong Chan Onn, expressed at the summit’s opening that “the crisis has been a sobering wake-up call to the importance of sustainable development and the urgent need to pay more attention to planetary health, similarly to the burning reality of the climate crisis, giving us food for thought about our priorities. I believe that the time for talk is over and we should now focus on real actions. We have the opportunity to reset and reshape the post-pandemic recovery towards a better future.”
Among the speakers were Dr. Niven Huang, Regional Leader for KPMG Sustainability Services Asia Pacific, KPMG Taiwan; Dr. Allinnettes Adigue, Head of the ASEAN Regional Hub and Global Reporting Initiative; Edoardo Gai, Managing Director for ESG Benchmarking, S&P Global Switzerland SA; Paul Marriott, President of SAP Asia Pacific and Japan; Marie Victoria Tan, Executive Director and Group Head of Enterprise Risk Management and Sustainability Unit, Ayala Corp., Philippines; Esther An, Chief Sustainability Officer of City Developments Limited (CDL); Margaret Kim, CEO of Gold Standard; Karina Litvack, Co-Founder of Climate Governance Initiative (World Economic Forum) and Non-Executive Independent Director, Eni SPA; Dr. Naoki Adachi, Executive Director of Japan Business Initiative for Biodiversity, and CEO and Founder of Response Ability, Inc.; Alexandra Tracy, President of Hoi Ping Ventures Hong Kong; Lito T. Tayag, Country Managing Director of Accenture, Inc. Philippines; Dr. Renard Siew, Head of Sustainability of Malaysian Resources Corp. Berhad (MRCB); Jessica Robinson, Founder and Managing Director of Moxie Future and Former Head of Asia at UN-PRI; Andrew WK Chan, Sustainability and Climate Change Leader of PwC’s South East Asian Consulting Services; and Rosemary Addis, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Impact Investing Australia, Senior Advisor to SDG Impact at UNDP.
The AREA 2021 and ICS Summit 2021 are supported by ASEAN CSR NETWORK, China Biodiversity Conversation and Green Development Foundation, Circular Economy Club, CSRone, CSR Universal Org, Global Reporting Initiative, India CSR Network, Malaysian Alliance of Corporate Directors, National Institute of Entrepreneurship and Innovation (NIEI) (Cambodia), The Green Earth, and The Malaysian Chamber of Commerce (HK and Macau) Limited (MAYCHAM). Additionally, AsianNGO, Bangkok Post, Biz Hub Vietnam, BusinessWorld, Commercial Times, Earth.Org, Hong Kong Economic Times, Impact Boom, Kumparan, SME Magazine and Viet Nam News as media partners.
RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS LEADERSHIP CATEGORY
NAME
ORGANISATION
COUNTRY
Shuang-Lang (Paul) Peng
Chairman & CEO
AU Optronics Corporation
Taiwan
Joseph Huang
Chairman
E.SUN Commercial Bank
Taiwan
Richard M. Tsai
Chairman
Fubon Financial Holding Co., Ltd.
Taiwan
Pitak Ratchakitprakram
President & CEO
PTG Energy Public Company Limited
Thailand
Chun-Chi Chou
Founder
Sinyi Group
Taiwan
SOCIAL EMPOWERMENT CATEGORY
ORGANISATION
WINNING CSR PROGRAMME
COUNTRY
Alaska Milk Corporation
AlasKaunlaran (Alaska + Development)
Philippines
Aspire Systems
Sewing Machine Operator Training for Women
India
Celcom Axiata Berhad
Digital Entrepreneurship and Equity in Education
Malaysia
CPC Corporation, Taiwan
Love in Middle Africa
Taiwan
Far Eastern Department Stores Ltd.
FEDS Christmas Charity Event for 13 Years – Passing the Love to the Rural Area
Taiwan
Farglory Life Insurance Co., Ltd.
Farglory Life Rural Area Care Program
Taiwan
Foxconn Education Foundation
Hon Hai Scholarship Program
Taiwan
G-Group Technology Corporation
Gpay E-Wallet
Vietnam
King Power International Co., Ltd.
King Power Thai Power
Thailand
MasterLink Securities Corporation
Empower Your Life! Let’s Go Fun in Finance Education
Taiwan
Metropolitan Electricity Authority
Khoiruttakwa Community Project, Community Development Project for Sustainability according to the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy
Thailand
President Chain Store Corp.
PCSC Good Neighbor O2O Funfest
Taiwan
Prince Holding Group
Building A Better Life
Cambodia
Prudential Assurance Malaysia Berhad
PRUKasih – Financial Protection & Financial Education
Malaysia
PT Badak NGL
Saung Pandu (Usaha Unggulan Pertanian Terpadu)
Indonesia
PT PJB Unit Pembangkitan Gresik
Pijar Berdaya – Social Innovation & Women Entrepreneurship
Indonesia
PT Pupuk Kalimantan Timur
Server Mang Budi (Mangrove Conservation & Diversification and Crab Cultivation) by Telok Bangko Group
Indonesia
PTG Energy Public Company Limited
PT Volunteer Camp, “We Care Leave No One Behind”
Thailand
Shinhan Vietnam Finance Company Limited
Drawing A Sustainable Future
Vietnam
Standard Chartered Bank (Taiwan) Limited
Futuremakers Programme
Taiwan
Taiwan Business Bank
Establish An Urban Renewal Financial Ecosystem
Taiwan
Taiwan Depository & Clearing Corporation
ReLife Project – Experimental Project for Self Pension Saving Investment
Taiwan
Taiwan Life Insurance Co., Ltd.
Hand in hand, Provide Zero Distance Solicitudes during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Taiwan
Taiwan Power Company
Bring Taipower Closer – Sensory Experience of Energy Education
Taiwan
WPP India Foundation
Education to Livelihood
India
HEALTH PROMOTION CATEGORY
ORGANISATION
WINNING CSR PROGRAMME
COUNTRY
ADATA Technology Co., Ltd.
Innovating the Future
Taiwan
An-Shin Food Services Co., Ltd.
Food Education for Preschoolers – MOS Burger DIY Project
Taiwan
Apex Circuit (Thailand) Co., Ltd.
Wear the Face Mask 100%
Thailand
Baxter Healthcare Ltd.
Improving the Nutrition Care for Premature Infants by Numeta G13E Ready-to-use Parenteral Nutrition
Taiwan
BDO Foundation
COVID-19 Pooled Testing Program and Initiatives for Undeserved Sectors of Society Vulnerable to the Effects of the Pandemic
Philippines
Bloomberry Resorts Corporation
Bloomberry Comprehensive COVID-19 Response
Philippines
Far Eastern Big City Shopping Malls Co., Ltd.
Big City, Big Health – A Healthy Community Platform for All Ages
Taiwan
Fubon Life Insurance
Demonstrate the Insurance Function and Involve in Taiwan’s Pandemic Prevention Project, Leverage Positive Forces to Stabilize Society and Warm the Hearts of the People
Taiwan
IRPC Public Company Limited
IRPC Unite in the Fight against COVID-19
Thailand
Nan Shan Life Insurance Co., Ltd.
All-Age Health Promotion Project
Taiwan
Pacific SOGO Department Stores Co., Ltd.
Infer Needs beyond the COVID-19, Make Corresponding Arrangements Beforehand
Taiwan
PTT Exploration and Production Public Company Limited
Community Health Development
Thailand
Samitivej Public Company Limited
Samitivej New Life Fund
Thailand
. Taipei Lung Shan Temple
. Liver Disease Prevention and Treatment Research Foundation, Taiwan
. YUAN High-Tech Development Co., Ltd.
. Realtek Semiconductor Corporation
For Peace, For Health, Ten Thousand People Together to Protect Our Livers!
Taiwan
Taiwan Life Insurance Co., Ltd.
Master Personal Health & Enjoy the Fun of Three Generations
Taiwan
TOGL Technology Sdn Bhd
Toga Resonance Technology (T-RT)
Malaysia
GREEN LEADERSHIP CATEGORY
ORGANISATION
WINNING CSR PROGRAMME
COUNTRY
ASE Technology Holding Co., Ltd.
ASEH’s Water Leadership: From Green Transformation to Sustainable Development
Taiwan
Bollore Logistics Singapore Pte Ltd
Powering Sustainable Logistics in Singapore
Singapore
Chang Jung Christian University
International GREEN Sustainable University
Taiwan
CHIMEI Corporation
CHIMEI Green Energy Park
Taiwan
CPC Corporation, Taiwan
Smart Green Energy Gas Station
Taiwan
E Ink Holdings Inc.
Green Technology for Environmental Sustainability
Taiwan
Far Eastern Big City Shopping Malls Co., Ltd.
Big City, Big Green – A Sustainable Shopping Journey
Taiwan
Far Eastern Department Stores Ltd.
Lead A Green Life.
Building A Fashionable and Eco-friendly Department Store
Taiwan
Frasers Property Vietnam
Melinh Point Asset Enhancement Initiatives
Vietnam
Heineken Malaysia Berhad
Water Stewardship Programme
Malaysia
Philippine National Bank
Project P.L.A.N.E.T. (Protect, Love, And Nurture the Environment Together)
Philippines
Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA)
Towards the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Community
Thailand
PT Pupuk Kujang
Development of Citarum Harum Biodiversity Park
Indonesia
PT Rimba Makmur Utama
Katingan Mentaya Project
Indonesia
Selic Corp PCL.
Bio-Based Adhesive
Thailand
SinoPac Holdings
Building Solar Industry Chain Financial Ecosystem
Taiwan
Taiwan Cement Corporation
Low-carbon and Safety: TCC Innovative Product Traceability System
Taiwan
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE CATEGORY
ORGANISATION
WINNING CSR PROGRAMME
COUNTRY
ASE Technology Holding Co., Ltd.
The Foundation of ASEH’s Corporate Governance: A Top-down Approach on Sustainability
Taiwan
British American Tobacco (BAT) Vietnam
Delivery with Integrity
Vietnam
Lotus Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
Commit Corporate Transparency to Stakeholders
Taiwan
Matrix Concepts Holdings Berhad
Corporate Governance in A Challenging Corporate Environment
Malaysia
SinoPac Holdings
Ethics and Decency, Fulfillment of A Beautiful Life Through Finance
Taiwan
Sinyi Realty Inc.
Integrate Ethics into Sinyi
Taiwan
INVESTMENT IN PEOPLE CATEGORY
ORGANISATION
WINNING CSR PROGRAMME
COUNTRY
Accenture, Inc.
Being A Responsible Business for Our People
Philippines
AIA Thailand
AIA Thailand’s Management Associate Program
Thailand
Bangchak Corporation Public Company Limited
Read and Write with Ease Program
Thailand
Bollore Logistics Singapore Pte Ltd
Happiness @ Bollore
Singapore
British American Tobacco (BAT) Vietnam
Build and Elevate Future-fit Talent
Vietnam
E Ink Holdings Inc.
Smart Workforce Enables Sustainable Workplace
Taiwan
Frasers Property Vietnam
Experience Matters
Vietnam
Innolux Corporation
Innolux 4.0 Digital Transformation Talent Development Project
Taiwan
Pacific SOGO Department Stores Co., Ltd.
Establish Pioneering Safe Mall in Taiwan, and Nurse Best Talents in Service Industry
Taiwan
Plus Property Co., Ltd.
Empower Your Value: 1st Environmental Management Trainee
Thailand
SinoPac Holdings
SinoPac Holdings Senior Executive Training & Development Program
Taiwan
Sinyi Realty Inc.
Industry-academia Collaboration Program
Taiwan
Thai Life Insurance Public Company Limited
“Opportunity for Better Life” 2nd Edition
Thailand
The Electricity Generating Public Company Limited
Khanom Learning Center
Thailand
Yuanta Securities Co., Ltd.
The Pioneer of the Securities Industry – Yuanta Human Capital Boosting Program
Taiwan
CIRCULAR ECONOMY LEADERSHIP CATEGORY
ORGANISATION
WINNING CSR PROGRAMME
COUNTRY
Taiwan Power Company
Creating Circular Innovation Opportunities from the Value Chain of Electric Power Industry
Taiwan
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