Drive Supplier Decarbonization from Strategy to Action

Acer is a global ICT company operating in more than 160 countries, providing hardware, software, and services to consumers and businesses. Its global value chain includes a broad network of manufacturing suppliers across multiple product and component categories.

For an ICT brand, value chain carbon emissions extend far beyond its own operations in addition to raw material sourcing, a major portion arising from suppliers’ manufacturing activities. Although many smaller suppliers are willing to reduce emissions, limited time, technical expertise, and funding make it difficult for them to independently coordinate site diagnostics, measurements, and specialized technical support to turn their intent into actual emissions reductions.

The program covered multiple suppliers across fields of batteries, cabinets, resource recycling, recycled plastics, industrial computers, and notebook computer assembly.

Figure 1: Supplier Operational Decarbonization Measures

Location: Taipei, Taiwan

The project followed a model of Acer-led coordination, including technical guidance from a professional institute, and supplier implementation. Acer selected and coordinated participating suppliers and commissioned the Green Energy and Environment Research Laboratories (GEL) of the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) to conduct process assessments, recommend improvements, and measure improvement outcomes. Suppliers provided process and energy data and implemented equipment or process improvements.

The overall procedures included reviewing manufacturing processes and energy use, identifying priority improvements, implementing suitable measures, and calculating energy savings and emissions reductions based on data collected before and after implementation. Apart from process decarbonization, the project also provided training on ISO 14067, ISO 14064-1, and ISO 50001 to raise suppliers’ awareness of emissions reduction and build carbon-management capabilities that can be applied over time.

Sustainability impact

Climate

Targeted emission sources

For suppliers, the initiative targeted Scope 1 direct greenhouse gas emissions and Scope 2 emissions from purchased electricity. For Acer, these emissions are accounted for under Scope 3, Category 1: Purchased Goods and Services.

Decarbonization impact

According to project measurements and calculation records, the improvements implemented by participating suppliers are estimated to save more than 3 million kWh of electricity and reduce more than 1,600 metric tons of CO₂e annually. The results demonstrated that by engaging a technical team to support suppliers in implementing site-specific process improvements, a lead company can generate substantial and measurable decarbonization benefits across the value chain.

The program implemented 18 improvement measures, with the quantified emissions reductions classified into Three categories: energy-management systems (29.5%), efficiency equipment upgrades (25.4%), process and power-system optimization (45.1%).

• Efficiency equipment upgrades and power-system optimization—both directly relating to process improvements—together accounted for 70.4% of the quantified emissions reductions, which made them the program’s primary sources of emissions reductions.

• Energy-management systems contributed 29.5% of the quantified emissions reductions, while also helping suppliers understand energy-use patterns and identifying further improvement opportunities through facility-wide electricity-use visualization and trend analysis.

Note: The total is presented as a rounded headline figure. Shares were calculated using the quantified total of 1,650.75 tCO₂e. Business impact

Benefits

For suppliers, on-site diagnostics can identify major energy-consuming equipment and inform appropriate improvement measures. Before-and-after measurements confirm energy savings and carbon reductions which helps lower energy costs and improve energy management and production efficiency.

For Acer, measurable supplier results support supply-chain emissions tracking and Scope 3 management while providing an implementation model that can be extended to other suppliers.

Costs

Implementing the program may involve the following costs:

1. Acer program delivery costs included staff’s time for program management, supplier coordination, progress tracking, and result consolidation, as well as expenses for technical-partner support, on-site diagnostics, training, and results verification.

2. Participating suppliers funded equipment replacement, energy-management systems, maintenance, process adjustments, staff training, and data preparation. The broader program benefited from government subsidies that helped reduce implementation costs.

Impact beyond sustainability and business

Co-benefits

Beyond carbon reductions, the program supported SDG 9. Through Acer-led coordination, the technical team provided on-site diagnostics, measurement methods, and carbon-management training, to strengthen suppliers’ abilities to identify emission hotspots, verify improvements, and continuously plan for further decarbonization actions

The program also supported SDG 12 by improving energy and resource efficiency and reducing reliance on virgin materials where substitution was applied. By helping suppliers turn individual projects into repeatable practices, it promotes responsible production across the value chain.

Typical business profile

This approach is well suited to anchor companies whose supply chains include multiple manufacturing suppliers, especially where suppliers have limited in-house resources or technical capacity to independently plan and implement decarbonization measures. Effective implementation requires the anchor company to select and coordinate suppliers, engage technical experts, track implementation, and verify measured results.

Approach

Implement the initiative through five stages, adapting each stage to supplier capability, site complexity, and reduction potential.

1. Prepare and establish the baseline: Select participating suppliers, secure plant-management commitment, define the assessment scope, assign responsible contacts, and collect baseline production, equipment, operating, and energy-use data.

2. Conduct on-site diagnosis: Review manufacturing processes, operating conditions, energy-use patterns, and major equipment to identify energy and emissions hotspots and determine the main causes of avoidable losses.

3. Design and implement improvements: Prioritize measures based on reduction potential, technical feasibility, investment needs, and operational impact. Develop the implementation plan with suppliers and carry out suitable control adjustments, process optimization, equipment upgrades, or replacement.

4. Measure and verify reductions: Collect before-and-after data under comparable operating conditions, document data sources and emission factors, and calculate electricity savings and GHG reductions. Have technical experts review the supporting evidence and calculation results.

5. Build capability and replicate: Provide training, calculation tools, example forms, and documentation guidance. Capture lessons learned, identify further improvement opportunities, and replicate applicable measures across other processes, sites, or suppliers.

Stakeholders involved

• Lead company – Acer ESG office: Selected and coordinated suppliers, managed the program, tracked progress, consolidated results, and connected suppliers with technical expertise.

• Technical partner – Green Energy and Environment Research Laboratories (GEL), Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI): A professional research institute[GL1] [EL2] specializing in green energy and carbon reduction. It conducted on-site diagnostics, recommended improvements, verified performance, calculated reductions, and delivered carbon-management training.

• Participating suppliers – notebook and IPC supply chains: Plant management, engineering/production, and energy-management personnel: provided site access, production and energy data, implementation resources, and investment; implemented and documented the improvements.

Key parameters to consider

• Initiative maturity: The measures use established energy-management, equipment-efficiency, process-optimization, measurement, and verification practices.

• Implementation timeline: 2024–2025 year.

• Expected lifetime: Varies by equipment, control system, maintenance practice, and process conditions.

• Technical prerequisites: Access to equipment and energy data, a baseline, relevant emission factors, site access, and staff capable of implementing and documenting changes.

• Geographical and Sector relevance: Most relevant to manufacturing sites with electricity-intensive or thermal processes. Local energy prices, grid factors, equipment availability, and regulations affect results.

• Subsidies: This program received funding from the Industrial Development Administration, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Taiwan.

Implementation and operations tips

1. Turn reduction targets into concrete steps: Suppliers may not know how to begin if they receive only a reduction target. The anchor company should obtain commitment from plant management, arrange on-site diagnostics, and provide technical support to help suppliers move from target-setting to implementation.

2. Address major energy losses first: Start with major energy-consuming equipment and avoidable energy losses, such as compressed-air systems, chillers, heating equipment, motors, and standby loads. Measure the results after improvement to confirm the benefits and provide a basis for further action.

3. Diagnose before selecting measures: Before selecting an improvement measure, establish the baseline of energy use, operating conditions, production volume, data sources, and expected savings. This helps determine whether the improvement can begin with operation or control adjustments or requires equipment replacement.

4. Build supplier capabilities: Combine on-site diagnostics with training, example forms, calculation tools, and documentation guidance. This helps suppliers identify improvement opportunities, retain measurement records, and gradually build the ability to calculate and verify reduction results.

Match the intervention to the site’s barrier, then scale what works. Lead companies can help suppliers identify energy-use and emissions hotspots, introduce measures progressively based on complexity and need, and combine technical assistance, investment assessment, and capability building to create a model that can be replicated across the supply chain.