PLANET Technology, a global leading provider of IP-based networking products, has received the highest honor of the “Platinum Award for Sustainability Reporting” at the 2023 Taiwan Corporate Sustainability Awards for active improvement in ESG performance and transparency in disclosing the sustainability report. Receiving the Platinum Award is a significant step from last year’s Gold Award, which shows PLANET’s achievement in the management of ESG targets through sustainable corporate development.

The 'Taiwan Corporate Sustainability Awards' is organized by the Taiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy and is one of the benchmarking awards to recognize the outstanding achievements and contributions of enterprises in the practice of sustainable development, ESG and the United Nations' 17 SDGs (sustainable development goals). This year marks the second time PLANET has participated in the competition which shows a huge step up from the previous year. PLANET was chosen among more than 500 companies to be recognized with the highest honor with the Platinum award for its complete disclosure of ESG information, credibility, consideration of opinions from stakeholders, establishing multiple communication channels and fulfilling corporate social responsibility.

Since 2011, PLANET has voluntarily published its sustainability report annually. The 2022 sustainability report has been verified by an independent third party and complies with AA 1000 AS, GRI Standards and SASB (Sustainability Accounting Standards Board) standards. PLANET also published the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) Report for the first time and passed through third-party verification this year. The TCFD Report allows the stakeholders to better understand the sustainability actions taken by PLANET through a financial and climate change angle such as energy, water resources, waste management, etc.

Embracing the value of altruism and sustainability, PLANET actively mitigates and adapts in response to climate change. In 2023, PLANET obtained the ISO 14064-1:2018 certification through third-party verification for reporting greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory and will introduce a carbon management platform in 2024 to complete the calculation of product carbon footprints.

To prevent air pollution and carbon emissions from burning rice straws in Taiwan, PLANET initiated the “Clean Air, Clear Mind Action” program and called upon 202 companies and 175 individuals, accumulated in 2022 and 2023, to participate in the program and combine the resources of the NPO and government in creating a sustainable environment and exerting substantial influence on society. In addition, PLANET produced a sustainability short film about this program, and the film was awarded the Silver Medal at the 2023 Taipei Golden Eagle Micro-movie Festival.

After nearly two years of hard work, a total of 7,800 hectares of rice fields have stopped the practice of rice stubble burning in Hualien and Changhua Counties in Taiwan. This helped to reduce 70,200 metric tons of CO2 emissions*, equating to the annual carbon absorption of 5.84 million trees while also increasing rice harvest by 16.4%.