The emergence of sustainability awareness and the implementation of environmental protection is a series of actions with scope and depth. GIGABYTE launched the “Green Action Plan” in 2009 based on sustainable development trends in business and around the world with the core values of GIGABYTE used to define the sustainable development vision and strategy of the company. The core ideal of the Green Action Plan is “Begin with the Heart.” Apart from the focus on energy conservation, carbon reduction and environmental protection, sustainability and environmental awareness were also cultivated among all employees through a series of activities. These activities covered knowledge, attitude and skills as well as work and everyday life to gradually make sustainability concepts a part of the corporate culture, and fostered the development of a new green culture. The results of the Green Action Plan show that the seed of sustainable development is now gradually taking root in the hearts of all employees.

Based on the outcome at the first stage of the Green Action Plan, we officially entered into the “Green Action Plan 2.0” in 2016, which was also divided into 3 stages. The first stage starts from 2016 to 2018, the second from 2019 to 2022 and the third will start from 2022. The vision of the first stage is “Core Concept Spreading and Value Sharing”. From the sustainability transformation focused on ourselves in the past, we expand to the concept transmission externally and the realization of industrial sustainability. We hope to achieve the goal of “Reduction. Sharing. Love the Earth” in the aspect of the value chain and contribute together with the consumers, suppliers and the public to progress in all three aspects of the environment, economy and society, sharing the sustainability value together.

Result of Green Action Plan from 2009 to 2019
People be Influenced Emission Reduction Sustainability and Environment Education Trees Planted Participation in Vegetarian Lunch Beach Cleaning and Trash Picking
82,218 persons 924.28 t-CO2e 66,277 hours 80,289 trees 52,371 persons 8,309.88 kg

GIGABYTE Green Action Plan - Driving and Deepening a Green Agenda
CSR Vision Green Action Green Action2.0 
Begin with the Heart
Opening the Gate of Sustainability		 Concept Transmission
Reduction. Sharing. Love the Earth		 Friendliness / High-efficiency Social Enterprise  Innovative Technology Upgrade Your Life
（2009~2015） 1st Stage (2016~2018) 2nd Stage (2019~2022) 3rd Stage (2022~)
Zero Waste Zero Pollution
Promote the 333 Reduction Plan to cut carbon emissions, water use, and waste generation by 3% every year.

Compared to 2010, the waste generation reduced by 25.27% in 2015.
Continued promoting the 333 Reduction Plan. Compared to 2010, the waste generation reduced by 31.51% in 2018.
Continue promoting the 333 Reduction Plan. The waste generation in 2019 reduced by 27.71% compared with 2010.




 
Reduce waste by 50% in 2030 compared to 2010.

Reduce water use by 20% in 2030 compared to 2010.
Promoted plastic-free policy at staff canteen of the Headquarters, and gradually ban the use of straws and disposable tableware.
Continue promotion of the plastic-free policy at the staff canteen of Headquarters, and also extended to the neighboring stores by launching point collection activities.

Held internal second-hand market for the first time in the Company to promote the circulation of used things
Reduced water consumption by 10.6% in 2015 compared with 2010.
 Reduced water consumption by 22.45% in 2018 compared with 2010. Reduced water consumption by 8,173 tons (-2.7%) in 2019 compared with the previous year, reduced water consumption by 24.54% compared with 2010
Established the GIGABYTE Go Green Club, initiated the voluntary waste-cleaning activity, Thousand Mile Trek - Go Green Taiwan, and had picked up 94.2 kg of waste in 2015. Continued the voluntary waste-cleaning trek by walking. As of 2018, the cumulative walking distance was 549.51 km, and the volume of picked trash was 3,095.33 kg.
Cooperated with universities and colleges to show and expand the influence of young people.
In 2019, collaborated with 2 universities, and the cumulative walking distance was 199.17 km, and the volume of picked trash was 3,769.13 kg.
Low-carbon Technology Transition Carried out annual greenhouse gas inventory, and set up target to reduce 3% carbon emissions every year.

In 2015, the emissions cut by 39.87% compared to the 2009 level.		 Continued greenhouse gas inventory and the 333 Reduction Plan.

The carbon emissions reduced by 43.49% in 2018 compared with 2009.		 The carbon emissions in 2019 increased by 794.6 t-CO2e (2.87%) but reduced by 41.87% compared with the base year 2009.

In addition to the 333 Reduction Plan, the concepts of Science-Based Target (SBT) and TCFD Framework were introduced to link with the international carbon reduction target and accurately measure the financial impact caused by climate change. 		Reduce carbon emissions by 50% in 2030 compared to 2009.
Had participated in the CDP climate change survey since 2010 due to customer request. Kept responding CDP climate change questionnaire every year in response to customer request, and received B (management level) in 2016-2018 In 2019, received A- score (leadership level) for both the CDP Climate Change Questionnaire and Supplier Engagement Rating, which was higher than the average score of the industry and in the Asia area (C level) Keep improving the climate-related management practices based on the weak spot shown in the CDP result.
  Developed zero-carbon packaging materials RFP made of rice husk, and introduce the products, the carbon emissions of raw materials are estimated to reduce by 64%. RFP won iF Design Award and Golden Pin Design Award in 2018. Expanded the application of RFP, launch a series of products including rice husk straws, tableware, coffee cups, open for employee group purchases to practice environmental protection life Strengthen internal innovation power, promote transition to low-carbon technology.
    Launched the Sustainability Fund, and started the 6-year "Reduction Incentive System" to encourage internal sustainable development research and creativity strength, and discover more energy-conservation and carbon-reduction hot spots.
Leader of Sustainability and Circular Economy Completed the development of green cloud platform to create GIGABYTE's sustainable supply chain. Held Supplier Conference Published the GIGABYTE Guidelines of Sustainable Procurement. Held 2 supplier conferences in 2019 with 96 suppliers participated; accounted for 35% of the top 100 suppliers, and started the grading of supplier's sustainable performance to facilitate future management. Ally with the supply chain, practice sustainability concepts and develop circular technology
  Established the Reduction. Sharing. Love the Earth Alliance to cooperate with suppliers in implementing the 333 Reduction Plan and tree planting. Encouraged supplier partners to join the alliance and tracked the alliance's performance in reducing carbon emissions, water consumption, and waste reduction since 2019.
  Released the Product Environmental Report to disclose products’ impacts on greenhouse gas emissions, air quality, and land water acidification throughout their lifetime. Revised the version of Product Environmental Report in 2019. The 8 newly published Reports expanded the scope of disclosure to 12 environmental impact aspects. At present, 34 series of products of 4 major product lines and have released Product Environmental Reports. Conduct LCA and release Product Environmental Reports for all series of products to increase circular potentials.
Organized 130 sessions of sustainability lectures and activities to strengthen employees' awareness of issues related to sustainable development. Continued to promote lectures and activities, cultivate employees' sustainability concept, and 45 sessions were held from 2016 to 2018. The Headquarters and China Plants implemented plastic reduction activities at the staff canteen.

Held an internal second-hand market for the first time in the Company to promote the circulation of goods. 		Continue to enhance employees' awareness of sustainability and thoroughly implement it in work and daily life.
Realization of Humanistic Value Constructed the G-HOME Sustainability Eco-Roof to build a working environment that stays in harmony with the earth. Completed G-HOME GIGABYTE Sustainable Eco-Roof and opened for visits in 2013, with 2,913 visitors until 2018. Received the Environmental Education Facility and Site Certification from the Environmental Protection Administration of the Executive Yuan in 2017, and conducted a total of 13 environmental education courses between 2017 and 2018, with a total of 415 participants. Continue to conduct environmental education courses, actively contact the government-industry-academia to expand the influence of roof greening.

Conducted a total of 10 environmental education courses in 2019, with 256 students participated. G-HOME GIGABYTE Sustainable Eco-Roof has accumulated 3,189 visits or participated in environmental education courses.		 Serve as the promoter and practitioner of the concept of eco-roofs to promote the concept of co-prosperity with urban livability and ecology.
  Started cooperation with the German Plant-for-the-Planet Foundation, committed to planting 75,000 trees for the earth, launched the "One Tree, One Laptop" project to combine consumer power with reforestation. Committed to holding 5 Plant-for-the-Planet Academies in Taiwan, and supported the developing countries to cultivate Climate Justice Ambassadors at the same time.
As of 2019, GIGABYTE has planted 68,750 trees for the world and cultivated 1,367 Climate Justice Ambassadors. Also, promoted 11 schools to implement campus climate action in Taiwan.

 		 Educate consumers about the value of sustainability through brand power, and develop local climate teaching materials and continue to cultivate climate talent
Strengthened the bridge of communication with stakeholders, and started to issue Corporate Social Responsibility (Sustainability) Reports every year since 2010. Set up "GIGABYTE Code of Business Conduct"，to construct the concept of moral integrity for employees.
Adjusted and expanded the scope of information disclosure according to the GRI Standards and the amendments of regulations by the Financial Supervisory Commission.Introduced international report recommendations or structures such as TCFD or IR progressively to make the disclosure of Report more complete, transparent and high comparability.
Celebrity Seminars for Ideas from the Heart
Technology and the environment are both changing at an increasing pace. New researches on environmental issues are constantly emerging as well. As global citizens, we need to be alert to the latest trends and adjust our direction as necessary. “Celebrity Seminars” are therefore hosted by the Green Action Plan on selected environmental issues. Leading local academics or experts are invited to speak on these topics to keep all employees up to date on the latest environmental knowledge, and help them grasp the proper concepts and attitude. The seminars cover a diverse range of topics including energy-saving and carbon reduction, environmental design, sustainable corporate development, preservation of biodiversity, conservation of the marine ecology, and the small farmer renaissance. Since 2018, we hold seminars covering the issues of hazardous substances in order to make staff more aware of the links between (external and internal) environmental issues and their health. In addition, the seminars only provide with vegetarian lunch boxes instead of meat lunch boxes and also provide eco-friendly agricultural products as gifts for quiz winners. These actions look small and limited yet can create multiple effects.

Past seminar topics include:
  1. Love the Earth by Protecting the Environment
  2. Challenges and Opportunities in the Low-Carbon Era
  3. Sustainable Management Strategies
  4. Global Green Sustainable Enterprise Challenge
  5. Do-it-Yourself LOHAS
  6. Indicators for a Low-Carbon Life
  7. Four-Season Vegetable Gardening
  8. Thinking about Coffee and Global Environment
  9. Global Change and the Need for Action
  10. CSR: Underlying New Business Opportunities
  11. Buy Groceries in an Eco Way
  12. Threats of Endemic Fish in Paddies
  13. Photographing the Island We Called Home – Marine Resource Consumption and Conservation
  14. See through Macro photography Lenses - The Beauty of Ecological Taiwan
  15. Diligence – Chasing the Dream of Satoyama in Taiwan
  16. Face the Climate Change – Companies’Tips
  17. We Have the Final Say on Sustainable Future
  18. Impacts of Environmental Hormone on Human Health
  19. A Sail to the Pacific- Tracking Human’s Plastic Footprint
  20. Low Carbon, Sustainability and Social Communication: The Core Thought and Strategy of Enterprise Sustainability
  21. How to Surpass myself - Relink the Human with the Nature
  22. A Compendium of Toxin-Free Living
  23. Environment, Diet and Cancer Prevention
Environmental Education Hands-on Activities
Environmental protection can be easy and interesting! With “everyday environmental protection” as the theme, the Green Action Plan emphasizes the importance of hands-on practice. We organize many seminars and activities to enhance the environmental awareness of all employees while cultivating the necessary knowledge, attitude and skills so they can take action at work and in everyday life right away. People can then practice environmental protection and combat global warming at all times. This will in turn influence their family and the whole society.
Past environmental education activities included:
  1. Save Energy and Reduce Emissions with Tzu Chi's 5 Good Deeds per Day
  2. Greening: From Seed to Pot Plant
  3. Saving Electricity: Green Collar Learning AAA
  4. Beach Clean-up: Wetlands of Formosa
  5. Saving Energy and Reducing Carbon Emissions to Save the Planet
  6. Global Warming and Reactions to Global Warming
  7. Cancer Prevention through Healthy Living, Global Warming Prevention through Environmental Protections
  8. Creative Aesthetics vs. Practical Living
  9. Record your Plastic Bag Usage
  10. Drink Tea, Save the Dam
  11. You Can Be an Energy Doctor
  12. Green Planet and Clean Living with DIY Eco-friendly Enzymes
  13. The Lesson Trees Can Teach Us: Concepts of Old Tree Conservation
  14. How to Be a Good Tea Taster?
  15. Trace the Antecedent of the Island: Exploring Geological Diversity of Taiwan
  16. Rescue the Endangered Animals in Taiwan
Low-Carbon LOHAS and Ecological Care
Every corner in Taiwan has its own unique culture and environment. Local communities also develop their own way of living a low-carbon lifestyle. Green Action Plan organizes low-carbon LOHAS activities every year in order to motivate employees to support environmental protection while having fun. Employees can use visits to sustainable communities to slow-down and experience the different ecological features and cultural wisdom of northern Taiwan communities. They can also savor the true meaning of LOHAS and ecological care.
Past Low-carbon tours included:
  1. Experience the Environmental Culture of Tzu Chi Recycling Depots
  2. Cloud Sea, Indigo Dye and Glow Worms
  3. Pinglin River Conservation and Carbon-free Cycling
  4. Earth Housing at Ergeshan
  5. Low-Carbon LOHAS Culture Tour
  6. Environmental Cultural Experience & Glow Worm Adventure
  7. Century-Old Fishing Village and Sustainable Community
  8. Low-Carbon Fish Conservation and Tea Exploration
  9. Experience the Low Carbon Sungai Trip
  10. Wulai Neidong Forest Walk
  11. River Trekking
  12. Trips to the Dam
  13. Reviving Rice Terraces
  14. Mangrove Forest Working Holidays
  15. Night Adventure of Algal Reef
  16. Embracing the Nature and Exploring the Countryside- Working Holiday
  17. Depositing the Nature - Alibong Ecological Farm
  18. Guarding Leopard Cats, Breeding Forests - Working Holiday
  19. Hugging the Nature, Connecting Humans with Leopard Cates – Working Holiday
  20. Love the Land and Guard the Leopard Cats – Working Holiday
Supporting Environmental Protection
GIGABYTE knows that air and sea pollution are the most serious trans-border pollution issues in the world today. The scale of the problem means we need the support of more people to reverse the damage to the environment. We therefore support national and global environment-themed days including tree planting and beach clean-ups to give employees a better understanding of environmental problems on a global level. We also call upon the industry and the general public to become more involved in environmental protection.
Activities that GIGABYTE has supported include:
  1. Taoyuan County Government's tree-planting event in the High Speed Rail district
  2. 2011 Earth Day: A Billion Acts of Green
  3. Taoyuan County Government's beach clean-up at Yong-an Fishing Harbor
  4. Wazhiwei Beach Clean-up for World Maritime Day
  5. September 17 Clean Up the World Day
  6. "1 Tree per Person, Yes, I can do" tree-planting event
  7. "Setting a Good Example to Protect the Planet" tree-planting Event
  8. Linshanbi Wetlands Conservation
  9. Love the Earth in Summer Through Random Acts of Kindness on Street Clean up Day
  10. Clean Up the Earth, Environmental Taiwan, Clean up the World
  11. Adopting Community Green Lands at Nanping Factory
  12. Plant Trees in Sanying
  13. Clean up the Beaches
  14. Fall in Love with Algal Reef - Concert and Beach Cleanup
  15. Jaunt on River Day- Exploring Xindian River by Bikes
  16. Trees for the Earth! -World Earth day
  17. Love and Protect Rivers- National River Day
  18. Make Earth Green Again
  19. Love of Taoyaun – Tree Planting Event
  20. Fall in Love with Algal Reef – Beach Cleaning Event
Green Ideas: Looking for Brilliant Green Solutions
Many innovative measures for turning a profit and improving energy efficiency can be adopted in corporate operations, office buildings, manufacturing, and marketing strategies. Green Action Plan hosts the “Green Ideas” competition where all employees are invited to submit their green ideas based on green topics. The sourcing of crowd wisdom encourages GIGABYTE employees to use their observation and creative-thinking skills, expanding environmental ingenuity from the individual level or the organizational level. This boosts the effectiveness of corporate environmental education and protection efforts while also making being green more fun and innovative. Green ideas are divided into three categories: "Energy Conservation", "Environment Protection" and "Green Product". Employees are then asked to vote for the best idea. Notebooks are awarded to the top five proposals, and to encourage participation, everyone who votes also receives a gift. The voting results may be used by GIGABYTE for future environmental improvements and product designs. This is not only a recognition of employees’ contributions, but also boost their identification with green ideas initiatives. Their support for environmental protection can then come from the heart.

Green Product Innovation: Looking for Sustainable Opportunities
Green product innovation drives growth and productivity; practicing green concepts in product design is the trend, upon which sustainable business opportunities and values can be created. Green product innovation relies on thinking outside the box and brainstorming on new technologies, different materials, or even different service models. GIGABYTE hosts the “Green Product Innovation Activity” based on the ideals of “Innovation, Value, Sustainability” with “Going green is free” as its theme to encourage employee proposals. An internal “Green Product Innovation Forum” has also been established to provide a platform for employees to discuss and share their brainstorming results. Ten design directions are offered by green innovation and design, such as: Material (plastic) reduction, ease of disassembly, product system innovation... Etc. Explanations and case studies are provided as well to make the “Innovation, Value, Sustainability” concept a part of the corporate brand and lay down the foundation for green product development.

Green Product Innovation Philosophy
  1. Innovation - Simple and creative design
  2. Value - High-quality, eco-friendly and reasonably priced products
  3. Sustainability - Sustainable use of natural resources
Sustainability Fund: Unlock the Infinite Potentials of Reduction
GIGABYTE launched the 6-year “Sustainability Fund” in 2019. Funded by annual savings in energy expenses, the fund focuses on three aspects: energy conservation in factories, development of low-carbon product and reduction proposals, and green projects related to sustainable development and climate change. It aims to push ahead innovative reduction solutions for factories, operations, product strategies, and sustainability strategies through increasing the motivation and incentives and in the meantime cultivate the internal capability of green design in order to realize reductions at a company level.
Proposals and Reduction Performance
The reduction incentive scheme was offered for the first time in 2019. A total of 11 reduction and low-carbon product proposals were received. The proposals included low-power product design that has patent potential, evaluation of energy-saving measures such as equipment upgrades, the introduction of waste liquid recovery devices, the introduction of eco-friendly cutlery throughout the factory, and carbon reduction through e-business processes.

  Number of Proposals Electricity Savings (MWh) Water Savings (tons) Waste Reduction (tons) Carbon Reduction (t-CO2e)
2019 11 52 12,332 59 62
2020 13 424 948 262 1,320
Total 24 476 13,280 321 1,382

Protect our Oceans - Plastic Reduction Poster Design Competition
GIGABYTE knows that while plastic products are very convenient they also have a massive environmental impact. To increase the influence of the “Protect our Oceans - Plastic Reduction” initiative, we not only held celebrity seminars to promote the importance of plastic reduction internally but also sought to mobilize the general public in reducing the use of plastics from the source. Every little bit counts.

To this end, GIGABYTE partnered with the Taiwan Environmental Information Association for the first time in 2016 to host the “Protect our Oceans - Plastic Reduction Poster Design Competition” and promoted the importance of reducing plastics use to save the ocean. The design competition will hopefully give contestants a better understanding of the importance of plastics reduction. GIGABYTE can then join the environment and society in fighting for environmental sustainability.
A total of 830 submissions were received during this event. The gold, silver, 2 x bronze and 10 x merit awards were also expanded to include 30 x finalist awards as a gesture of encouragement to designers. This also gave more submissions a chance to show off their sustainability idea, originality and ingenuity.

Gold Prize
Suffocate
Silver Prize
Start Simple
Bronze Prize
Is this the ocean you want?
Bronze Prize
Take Action on Plastics to Save the Ocean
Merit
Plastic Bag
Merit
A Narrative for Every Thing
Merit
Ukiyo Ocean
Merit
Admire My Past from a Distance
Merit
RISE ABOVE PLASTICS
Merit
When people use PE, we use EP
Merit
Soundless Sea
Merit
Marine Life
Merit
LESS PLASTIC MORE LIFE?
Merit
Plastic Reduction for the Future
Reduction, Sharing, Love for Earth - Friendly Product Design Contest
With respect to our products and services, we not only focus on how they can keep up with the current trends but also consider how to minimize their damage to the environment. For the purpose of encouraging university/college students to show their ideas about sustainability and creative design, we held the “Reduction, Sharing, Love for Earth - Friendly Product Design Contest” for the first time in 2017. The theme of the contest was “Friendliness”. It was chosen to encourage students to think about certain problems and concepts and use them as the basis for the design of products/services that reduce waste, consume less energy, generate less pollution, can be recycled, and are therefore friendly to the environment and society

In 2018, the contest emphasized connecting products to circular economy by stimulating the participating teams to consider every stage of product life cycle, from the design process at the beginning to the stage end-of-life treatment and products’ impacts on environment. The participants were encouraged to design products that can coexist with the environment.

List of 2018 Finalists and Prize Winners
Prize Design Product School of Design Team
First Prize NDWF – disaster prevention road banner Ming Chi University
Department of Industrial Design
Second Prize U BOX - Sharing box for online shopping Shu-Te University
Department of Product Design
Third Prize Aca-sl - Lamp posts that clean the air through anions Ming Chi University
Department of Industrial Design
Honorary Mentions COLLECTOR Ming Chi University
Department of Industrial Design
RECYCLOTH Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology
Department of Industrial Design Engineering
Resckage National Taipei University of Education
Department of Arts and Design
No Time To Waste DaYeh University
Department of Industrial Design
ST_OIL (Smart Tanker) Ming Chi University
Department of Industrial Design
MRAW Shu-Te University
Department of Product Design

For detailed information of the friendly product design contest please visit: https://event.gigabyte.com/CSR-Design-Contest/https://event.gigabyte.com/CSR-Design-Contest/
Corporate Volunteer Service—Go Green Club
“Corporate volunteering” is where businesses organize employees into volunteer groups and encourage employees to participate in volunteering opportunities. GIGABYTE has established such a service club called “Go Green Club.” The purpose of the club is to recruit corporate volunteers through ecological education, eco-conservation and organic planting. Volunteers realize the LOHAS ideal by taking direct action on promoting environmental and sustainability education.

The Go Green Club was founded in 2013 and focuses on volunteering for the environment. The organization of the group allowed the planning of training courses and seminars in a systematic, in-depth and strategic manner. Employees are encouraged to step beyond the office building and participate directly in environmental services. A progressive process of guidance, cultivation and practice also increased the scope and breadth of club members' exploration of environmental issues. The club members started with weekend environmental experiences then infused their environmental awareness into their positions. The influence then spread from there into their lives and families. We believe that everyone is a seed and also have the ability to sow even more seeds. Even one person can eventually influence enough people to build up a force for changing the environment. The GIGABYTE Go Green Club is an employee initiative. Members all have their own specialties and the club is organized into activities, administration, training, liaison and general administration teams. Regular meetings are held to plan annual themes and action plans. The club also actively liaises with external organizations to concentrate its resources for supporting club members and communities.


Volunteer skills must be cultivated in systematic manner complemented by a progressive hands-on practice. Go Green volunteers therefore take part in seminars and training courses that build on their interests and gradually improve their individual abilities. This in turn enables them to better serve the environment and the public. Club activities included:
  1. A Happy Corporate Volunteer
  2. Eco-Roof for Everyone
  3. How to be a Guide: Techniques and Training
  4. Build an Ecological Oasis in the Concrete Jungle
  5. G-HOME Organic Farming Lectures
  6. Reviving Rice Terraces: Handwork in Shimen Songshan community
  7. Handmade Trail
  8. Working Holiday-Meeting Mangrove
  9. Working Holiday-Habitat Conservation
  10. Sea Walkers - Documentary of Round -Island Trek to Protect Taiwan
  11. 1000-km Trek by the Sea to Open the Heart
  12. Move with G-HOME - Discover the Secrets of the Circular World
  13. Too Many Plastics! The Oceans Cannot Swallow Any More - Seminar
  14. Make Your Own Eco-friendly Body Lotion
The working holiday is a new form of leisure as well as a new form of volunteering. Simply put, people volunteer their vacations or school holidays to volunteer for manual labor that serve the community while having fun.

Working holidays aren’t all about fun or getting close to nature. It also involves physical labor such as planting trees, mountain clean-ups, rehabilitation of slope vegetation, and the construction of eco-ponds. By living and working in the great outdoors, volunteers can become a part of the local landscape and cultural environment. They get to experience nature, relax, learn how to live in harmony with nature, and how to make their own contribution to the natural environment. Working during holidays, and holidaying while holidaying; serving society and serving yourself - this is what makes working holidays so unique.

Restoring the Glamor of Century-Old Terraced Fields
A working holiday was organized in Spring with the Shimensongshan Community on the north coast. Participants had the opportunity of learning how traditional stone terraced fields were built and helping the old farmers with maintaining the field embankments. During the process, members gained an understanding of the traditional farming methods typical at the northern coast, the economic and historical background of water rice terraces, as well as agriculture issues that farmers currently face in Taiwan.

Apart from learning through rural labor, we chose water terraced fields in the shallow mountain region as the location of the holiday. Their unique geography as well as eco-friendly farming practices that shun the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides helped nurture an environment rich in bio-diversity. The local settlement is of both cultural and ecological significance so conforms to the definition of the “Satoyama Landscape” proposed by the Japan at the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity. This complex farm village ecosystem was formed by long-time interaction between human activity and natural forces. It is therefore of tremendous heritage value as an example of how biodiversity can be balanced with sustainable use of resources.

Working Holiday - Aquatic Habitat Maintenance
The eco-diversity of wetlands is second only to tropical rainforests. They also help with mitigating floods, improving water quality, providing habitats, supporting the economy, regulating ground water table, preserving species, giving natural education and other functions. At the end of 2014, members of the Go Green Club visited the aquatic vegetation pool at the “Luodong Natural Education Center”. There, a course and actual hands-on maintenance taught them more about natural habitats and the importance of ecological conservation. Volunteers learned more than just the maintenance and management of aquatic regions during this habitat maintenance session. Outdoor tours and hands-on practice also taught them about many unusual creatures and how to take care of aquatic vegetation ponds. It also fostered a positive relationship between the volunteers and nature.

Knock, Knock - Trail-Building Working Holiday
Many shallow mountains and foothills of Taiwan offer a perfect place for weekend trips. However, many suburban and park trails built in earlier years did not take their surrounding environment and geology into account. This led to many trails being built out of concrete, bitumen, rubber tires or improperly spaced wooden trestles. These not only prevent the free movement of animals but also suffer from poor design, making them look bad and feel uncomfortable to walk on.

The Taiwan Thousand Miles Trail Association follows the “hand-built trail” concept of the Appalachian Trails in the US. Suburban and park trail systems are surveyed to collect data on the geology, natural ecology, geography, cultural significance and local resources before a design tailored to local conditions is developed. The power of the community is then used to jointly maintain and refurbish trails using eco-engineering techniques. Such a sophisticated approach not only corrects the flaws of the original trail but also allows mankind and wildlife to share the same space without conflict. Volunteers from GIGABYTE learn how to observe and understand the land during the construction process.

An Encounter with Mangroves
In 2014, Go Green Club expanded its environmental action by cooperating with the “Yongxing Township Community Development Association of Xinwu District” and “Taoyuan Local Alliance” to protect Guanxin Algal Reef. “Working Holiday- An Encounter with Mangroves” and “Fall in Love with Algal Reef Workshop” served as the start of our protection efforts. The algal reef at Guanyin and Xinwu District is made up of calcareous material secreted by calcareous algae. On average, it grows less than 1cm every 10 years. This unique coastal landscape used to stretch along more than 27km along the west coast. Land development, seawall construction and pollution means only 4km of natural algal reef now remain around Guanyin and Xinwu. Lobbying by the local community eventually led to the area being designated by the government as the “Guanxin Algal Reef Ecosystem Wildlife Refuge.” All develop is now banned within the refuge and restrictions will be placed on fishing as well.

Embracing the Nature and Exploring the Countryside
In April, 2015, GIGABYTE employees visited the first successful example of a non-profit environmental protection trust in Taiwan - the "Natural Valley Environmental Education Base.” Environmental trusts were originally intended as a way to protect natural forests. The threat of drought conditions however means that we must protect the forests in order to guarantee our water supply because. This is because water makes its home in the forest. GIGABYTE employees used eco-engineering techniques to rehabilitate the stream and build homes for fish. Wild grass and rocks were removed from the stream to give the fish and shrimp room to move. Other employees helped weed a plot of land being cultivated using the natural farming method. During the process, they learned how to tell the difference between crops and weeds. Observing and identifying crops in the fields was a far more rewarding experience than purchasing vegetables in supermarkets that have already been harvested and bagged. This working holiday showed the local people the dedication and enthusiasm of GIGABYTE employees. It helped build trust between people and their love of nature. This will in turn encourage more people to continue fighting for their own living environment and pass on the beauty of nature to their next generation.

Guarding Leopard Cats and Forest Protection
GIGABYTE began supporting environmentally friendly Leopard Cat Rice in 2015. In June 2016., we hosted the “Guarding Leopard Cats and Forest Protection” working holiday where nearly 40 GIGABYTE employees traveled to the Fengshu Village community in Tongxiao, Miaoli, to learn about the environmentally friendly rice-growing technique of the local people. The local people insist on not using chemical fertilizers and pesticides in order to increase biodiversity around their fields. This in turn provided the Leopard Cat with a safe area to move and hunt in. Fengshu Village is also home to the only intact charcoal kiln in Taiwan. The area was once home to a thriving charcoal industry but changes in the economy meant the kiln became abandoned and was in danger of collapsing. GIGABYTE employees joined old local craftsmen in learning how to repair the charcoal kiln. They also helped the residents with thinning the forests to give trees enough space to grow their canopy. The space will also be used by the community to teach local history and environmental education in the future.

Hugging the Nature. Connecting Humans with Leopard Cats
In July of 2017, 45 employees visited the Fengshu Village again. This time they worked in the rice field and participated in the production process of the “leopard cat rice” using ancient agricultural machinery and harvesting skills. In addition to the harvesting work, we helped the residents of the community to build “hotels” for solitary bees to make the surroundings of the leopard cat field friendlier to the ecology. Employees perceived the philosophy of “friendliness” through personal participation in this activity and understood that every creature has its value. As a part of the nature, humans should not think only from the perspective of the “human”. Rather, we should expand our horizon to all things in the nature. Being friendly to the human, to the environment, and then to the society, we learn how to co-exist with nature and find a way for coexistence and mutual prosperity.

Love the Land. Gard Leopard Cates
In the spring of 2018, employees of GIGABYTE entered the Fengshu Village for the third time. To help farmers alleviate the harm of snails to rice fields, everyone rolled up their trousers, stepped into the fields and picked up snails. Good harvest needs a healthy ecosystem around the field, and also can encourage the farmers to continue preserving a safe habitat for leopard cats. GIGABYTE has supported environmentally-friendly “leopard cat rice” since 2015 and organized working holiday activities at the Fengshu Village for 3 consecutive years. We hope that all employees involving in the activities will keep supporting environmental-friendly products especially after participating in the process of growing environmental-friendly rice personally.

Plastics are a petroleum side-product that does not break down for a thousand years so must be used with care and recovered for disposal. American scientists estimated that in 2010, coastal countries dumped 8 million tonnes of plastic waste into the oceans. This figure may increase to 16 million tonnes a year within the next 10 years. Another international research team found that there are more than 5 trillion pieces of plastic waste floating in the ocean. These have a total weight of around 269,000 tons.

80% of marine plastics come from terrestrial sources.
The gyres of trash pose a threat to human health as well. When the plastic trash turns into small fragments and is swallowed by marine organisms, the toxic ingredients in the plastic gradually accumulate inside the organisms. Hundreds of millions of pellets that make up plastics are washed into the sea every year. Marcus Eriken, the director of Al-galita Marine Research and Education described how plastic trash "absorbed man-made chemical toxins like hydrocarbons and DDT like sponges" before entering animal bodies. Eventually, they end up on people's dining tables to impact on our health and the health of our next generation.


In 2015, a group of Earth lovers at GIGABYTE decided to express their love for the land through action. The Sustainable Development Office launched the "Thousand Mile Trek - Go Green Taiwan " to walk on foot around Taiwan in sections over 4 ~ 5 years. The trekkers would pick up plastic rubbish along the way. Don't understand the power of these small changes in our daily life because have the power to change the future right here in our hands. As long as we are ready to take action and make the sacrifice, then no matter how tiny our effort is, if everyone goes the extra mile then all kinds of possibilities open up.

Trek Theme Date Walking Distance Weight of Collected Waste
1 Maiden Voyage- Qingshui Temple in Sanxia 31 AUG 2015 43.9 km 19.2kg
2 Caoling Historic Trail 31 OCT 2015 15.5 km 15 kg
3 Hexing Railway Station 6 DEC 2015 26.5 km 60 kg
4 South of Border- Kenting 27- 29 FEB 2016 41.4 km 36.85 kg
5 Pilgrimage to Dajia Matsu 9 APR 2016 24 km 30.62 kg
6 Emei Lake 6 AUG 2016 19.93 km 20.35 kg
7 South-Link Cross-Island Mountain Trail 8-10 OCT 2016 32.6km 256.41kg
8 Discover the Cape of Good Hope 12 NOV 2016 20.8km 150.38kg
9 Tour of Historic Capital 25-27 FEB 2016 52km 91.05kg
10 Matsu Heritage Trek 1 APR 2017 17.52km 44.38kg
11 Beauty of Lanyang Plain 3-4 JUN 2017 32.2km 109.58kg
12 Exploration of Mountain City (Miaoli) 7 OCT 2017 25.6km 42.77kg
13 Far Travel to Kebalan 18-19 NOV 2017 31.1km 146.9kg
14 Strolling along Baishatun 10 MAR 2018 16.1km 483.44kg
15 Grand Tour to Suao -Hualien 6-8 APR 2018 49km 241.45kg
16 Following Railway along East Coast 16-18 JUN 2018 50km 269.93kg
17 Intellectual journey to Tainan and Kaohsiung 29-30 SEP 2018 34.36km 232.26kg
18 Visit to Dajia Praying for a Good Luck 10 NOV 2018 17km 844.76kg
19 Trek Together and Welcome New Year 30 DEC 2018 – 1 JAN 2019 50.8km 438.38kg
20 Walking through Kaohsiung 28 FEB – 2 MAR 2019 55.9km 438.81 kg
21 Amazing Longdong Bay 13 APR 2019 19.5km 1,034.52kg
22 Escape from Marine Waste 18 MAY 2019 2km 417.46kg
23 Goodbye to Port of Taichung 21 SEP 2019 20km 1,036.73kg
24 Celebrate Double Ten with Double Legs 10-12 OCT 2019 48.2km 403.23kg
25 Scenes along the West Coast Expressway 19 SEP 2020 17km 1,024.02kg
26 Drive through Fangliao 9-11 OCT 2020 46.3km 1,138.11kg
27 Roam through the North Coast 7 NOV 2020 20.3km 413.83kg
As a corporate citizen and a member of the global village, we not only actively reduce carbon from our operations but also call for the public to respond to climate change hand in hand. Continuing the philosophy of “returning trees to the planet” of the G-HOME Sustainable Eco-roof and the support of tree planting action by Mr. Lai, we cooperated with the Plant-for-the-Planet Foundation to launch the “Make Earth Green Again” project in 2017. With the tree planting actions and local climate literation education, we hope that we can use our influence to be a source of enlightenment when Taiwan is fighting the issues of climate change and global warming internationally. We also want to push the visions and philosophy of planting for the planet further to be an important action to respond to the UN’s sustainable development goals.
Planting a Tree of Hope with You and Realizing a Dream of Hero in Mind
“We hope to arouse the sense of missions in everyone’s mind to make the problem of climate change no longer other people’s business.” The philosophy of the project we promote, Make Earth Green Again, is not only to plant trees for the earth but also to let everyone realize that we all can use our influence to let hope sprout in everyone’s mind. We promise to plant at least 75,000 trees in 3 years. We take the lead in response to government’s call for urban forestry and plant trees in Mexico in the name of our employees, consumers and of any person concerned with the sustainability of the earth. The tree planting action not only is to cool down the earth, but also to create job opportunities for local people around the forest area. That is, it is also a spark of realizing climate justice.
You buy a laptop, we plant a tree for you
Responses from our employees
Planting trees in response to the urban greening policy of the New Taipei City Government
• Let’s go plant a tree:https://csr.gigabyte.com/make-earth-green-again/index.html
Stop Talking. Start Planting
In addition to supporting the goal of the United Nations to plant 1 billion trees for the environment by planting 75,000 trees, the local climate literacy education is one of our important missions to train “Climate Justice Ambassadors” among children and promote the climate education of the Plant-for-the-Planet to everywhere in the world. We not only want to help the future generation understand the climate crisis attacking the world, but also give them the strength and courage to eliminate the crisis. We commit to carrying out 5 Plant-for-the-Planet Academies and training as more as possible Taiwanese Climate Justice Ambassadors. Moreover, we also cooperate with USR (University social responsibility) projects that youths from universities are also welcome to participate in the Academies to serve as co-moderators and administrative assistants. By doing so, not only children but also youths understand the issues as well as the impacts that climate change has brought to society.

Plant-for-the-Planet Academy by GIGABYTE

Date Location Number of Climate Justice Ambassador Photo
14 OCT 2017 GIGABYTE Headquarters 37
Event reported by Plant-for-the-planet: News and Album
22 APR 2018 Shih Hsin University 78
Event reported by Plant-for-the-planet: News and Album
20 OCT 2018 Taoyuan Chungping Elementary School 92
Event reported by Plant-for-the-planet: News and Album
20 APR 2019 National Chengchi University 114
Event reported by Plant-for-the-planet: News and Album
19 OCT 2019 National Chengchi University 84
Reports of the event are in progress.
 GIGABYTE Milestone of Tree Planting 
 
Since 2009, we have planted 88,039 trees.
The accumulative CO2 absorbed by the trees are 440,195~880,390 kg-CO2e



Note:
1.The carbon absorption of a tree refers to the data used by the official website of Forestry Bureau, Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan. The average carbon absorption capability of a tree is 5 to10 kg-CO2 per year.
2.The data used by Forestry Bureau consider various research results from the Taiwan Forest Resources Survey by Forestry Bureau, the Plant-for-the-Planet Foundation, which is also the partner of GIGABYTE’s tree planting program, as well as other academic surveys in Taiwan。