Pacific SOGO Department Stores Co., Ltd. Honored at the Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards 2020

SINGAPORE-�Media OutReach - 7 October 2020 - A total of 81 projects and business leaders across Asia were selected as
recipients of the Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards 2020 (AREA),
which was an increase of 27% from last year. Widely regarded as the gold
standard for CSR and sustainability practice, this year’s award ceremony was
organized virtually due to the unprecedented global healthcare crisis. A diversity
of industries and leading organizations from all over the region received the
AREA, demonstrating a continued dedication to responsible business practices
despite the pandemic.

Organized by
Enterprise Asia, the leading non-governmental organization for responsible
entrepreneurship in Asia, the AREA aims to recognize and honor Asian businesses
and leaders for championing sustainable and socially responsible business
practices. The award categories are Social Empowerment, Investment in People,
Health Promotion, Green Leadership, Corporate Governance, Circular Economy
Leadership and Responsible Business Leadership. Through the award ceremony,
this unique opportunity has provided over 600 attendees to interconnect and
celebrate virtually.

Company Introduction

 

SOGO was established in 1987 and
joined the Far Eastern Group in 2002. The Company actively develops digital
marketing and omnichannel platform as its operational goals, hoping to meet the
needs of customers to keep up with the rise of diversified retail malls,
e-commerce and mobile consumption.

 

New Era of Tableware

 

Disposable tableware has been a convenient and affordable choice for
food services. However, cups, plates, bowls and other utensils made from paper,
plastic or styrofoam has a negative impact on the environment. In Taiwan,
60,000 tons of disposable tableware are consumed each year and throughout the
process of manufacturing and disposing of these tableware, natural resources
are continually depleted and the burden of waste management increases, causing
serious damage to the environment overtime.

 

Well-Being of Employees and Community to Create Happiness

 

Employees are invaluable assets and enterprises must provide happy
workplaces to ensure employees’ health and well-being are being looked after.
Many enterprises primarily focuses on providing training for employees to
improve their professional skill but Pacific SOGO Department Stores Co., Ltd.
discovered that employees’ mental stress is closely related to their work
performance. Therefore, the Company is committed in providing mental
development training, guaranteeing well-being of employees’, creating safe
workplaces and hiring professional instructors to design health management
programs.

 

Both CSR programs corresponds to the United Nations’ Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs).

 

Raising Awareness on
Global Warming

 

The Company launched the project by targeting to change consumers’
behaviour on tableware consumption, to ultimately encourage consumers’ to
abandon disposable tableware, to reduce waste and to relieve Mother Earth’s
environmental burden. In order to achieve that, in 2017, melamine tableware
were disposed in food courts, restaurants and staff canteens while imposing a
ban on disposable tableware for dine-in customers. To further encourage this
project, the Company invites customers to join “Zero Waste Eating” by
encouraging customers’ to bring their own tableware to leave as little waste
behind as possible. Additionally, in May of 2019, the Company imposed a ban on
plastic straws and also stopped providing disposable utensils for take-away
customers’.

 

Well-Being for Greater Happiness

 

The Company focuses on workplace safety, healthcare, mental development
and employee benefits. With this framework, the Company ensures that the
well-being of their employees and the community is being looked after.
Moreover, through persistent and rigorous safety checks with in-depth employee
training, the Company creates a safe and happy workplace for employees to
better provide high-quality service. The Company has long promoted
comprehensive workplace safety and the Company even held an “AED & CPR
First Aid Training” that was participated by thousands of people. To add on to
that, the Company received the Exercise Enterprise Certification Award by
prioritizing healthcare, in which they hired professional fitness instructors
to design health management programs and provide personal training. Not only that,
the Company also arranges different courses on a quarterly basis to fulfill
employees’ mental needs and as for employee benefits, the Company would have
domestic and international trips to show gratitude to their employees.

 

Achievements and Impact

 

In
an attempt to increase the awareness of global warming, recycling and reusing,
the Company fully banned disposable tableware for both dine-ins and take-away,
reducing 200 tons of waste annually. An estimated 4.5 billion pairs of
disposable chopsticks are consumed annually in Taiwan and with a total length
exceeding 20 times of Earth’s perimeter. Furthermore, the Company collaborates
with the Environmental Protection Administration and non-governmental
organizations to share their experience on banning disposable tableware.
Moreover, the Company encourages customers’ to bring eco-friendly bags by
offering discounts, thus making every purchase as environmentally friendly as
possible. In 2019, the supermarket in Zhongxiao Store saw a reduction in 55,000
plastic packages, a 88% reduction compared to 2018. With over 2 years of
experience, the Company has helped retailers all over Taiwan to painlessly
reduce waste and customer satisfaction survey shows that more than 88% of
customers are highly satisfied with the “New Era of Tableware” project.

 

To enhance employees’ well-being, the Company
believes that a safe workplace is the foundation of business development and in
2019, the Company held 82 “AED & CPR First Aid Trainings” which was
participated by over thousands, thus receiving the “Safe Location
Certification”. To add on to that, the Company is the first retailer in Taiwan
to provide on-site healthcare service while further benefiting the community by
inviting residents to screen for four major cancers. The Company received
numerous awards for their workplace safety, including the first among other
departmental stores to receive the “Occupational Safety Award” for seven
consecutive years, the only departmental store recommended by Taipei City
Government to receive the national award of “Outstanding Occupational Safety
and Health Entities” and the first to receive the “Exercise Enterprise
Certification Award”.

 

Future Direction

 

Being the leading departmental store in Taiwan for
over 33 years, the Company believes that they have the responsibility to set
higher standards and to continuously increase public awareness on global
warming, recycling and reusing before any government intervention. Therefore,
the Company puts itself in all stakeholders’ shoes to come up with various
ideas for the betterment of the society, customers, employees, vendors and the
Company itself. As far as the Company is concerned, establishing green
departmental stores is as important as profiting and they are committed to
reduce daily waste while also increasing customer acquisition. Additionally,
the Company will make full use of their advantage to invite customers to
participate in being environmentally friendly throughout their customer journey
and continue to practice green and sustainable lifestyles.

 

Under the ongoing sustainability trend, the Company values the
importance of professional empowerment training and career development.
Moreover, employees and staff of partnering vendors have access to the
healthcare services and the Company plans to cooperate with professional
doctors, nutritionists, fitness instructors, and counseling psychologists to
design personal health promotion plans according to each individual’s health
examination results. The Company will continue to extend the healthcare project
to local communities and disadvantaged groups while enhancing healthcare
education to create healthy and energetic communities.

 

About Enterprise Asia

Enterprise
Asia is a non-governmental organization in pursuit of creating an Asia that is
rich in entrepreneurship as an engine towards sustainable and progressive
economic and social development within a world of economic equality. Its two
pillars of existence are investment in people and responsible entrepreneurship.
Enterprise Asia works with governments, NGOs and other organizations to promote
competitiveness and entrepreneurial development, in uplifting the economic
status of people across Asia and in ensuring a legacy of hope, innovation and
courage for the future generation. For further information, visit www.enterpriseasia.org.

About Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards

The Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards program recognizes and honors
Asian businesses for championing sustainable and responsible entrepreneurship
in the categories of Green Leadership, Investment in People, Health Promotion,
Social Empowerment, Corporate Governance, Circular Economy Leadership and
Responsible Business Leadership. For more information, visit: https://enterpriseasia.org/area/.