The Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards (AREA) 2023 is pleased to honor 78 outstanding business leaders and enterprises for championing sustainable and responsible business practices. Presented by leading regional NGO Enterprise Asia, the AREA is the most reputable award recognition program recognizing organizational efforts in creating a culture of compassion, integrity, and in being socially responsible corporate citizens. The AREA serves as a badge of excellence to spur further innovation and best-practice sharing for sharing about the organization and the world at large. The awards event is also preceded by the International CSR & Sustainability (ICS) Summit 2023 which was themed “Sustainability as the Great Equalizer”.
Apex Circuit (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (Apex), the subsidiary of Apex International Co., Ltd (TWSE:4927) was among the recipients who were conferred with the Social Empowerment Award. As a professional manufacturer of printed circuit boards (PCB). Apex has been focused on single-to-12-layer rigid production since the year 2001. The company is ranked as a major high-revenue rigid PCB manufacturer in Thailand, and its products are being sold internationally to Japanese, Korean, European, and USA customers.
Apex chose to carry out public welfare construction in the village of Uttaradit in northern Thailand, assisting the local village to install solar panels and improve the water supply system. This project brings the concepts of clean energy and sustainability to rural areas and takes root in local communities to establish a win-win relationship with society.
Apex has worked on many initiatives including cooperating with the local government to disseminate the policy of reducing straw burning and also introducing the solar-powered system to vocational school students.
The company executed this initiative under the concept of “Young Generation Returns Home” by using the domiciles of successful and long-term Apex employees to develop the project. 90% of these employees have their domiciles in upcountry provinces.
For this project, the Apex team developed a complete plan to supply power for the pumping equipment. The company built a 5kW solar-powered module to supply a portion of electricity for the water supply system. Besides that, the water cistern was expanded, the pipeline was renewed, and the filter was cleaned out. These improvements extended the lifespan of the original water supply system and saved on electricity expenses for the residents.
After the system was launched, the survey metrics showed that the solar-powered system reduced about 30% of the consumption of non-renewable energy every month, as the plan had proposed.
The project’s influence led to a total of 121 households signing a memorandum that they would use renewable energy and promise to avoid straw and agricultural waste burning to reduce CO2 emissions, the impacted area is estimated to be around 1,880,000 square meters. The local government also provides straw balers to assist residents in dealing with the straw to reduce the harmful impact on the environment.
Thanks to Apex’s efforts, the use of sustainable energy has entered the lives of residents, and a green mindset has been implanted in the hearts of many students. Adding to this is the government’s endorsement of improving waste disposal methods and promoting the concept of sustainable development of the environment in more regions.
Apex also intends to assist in the implementation of sustainability catered to local conditions, so that environmental friendship is not just a concept but also enters becomes a way of life.
About Enterprise Asia
Enterprise Asia is a non-governmental organization in the pursuit of creating an Asia that is rich in entrepreneurship as an engine towards sustainable and progressive economic and social development. Please visit https://www.enterpriseasia.org/ for more information.
About Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards
With a presence across 19 countries and markets, the Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards is the region’s most prestigious award recognition program for organizational efforts in creating a culture of compassion, and integrity and in being socially responsible corporate citizens. For more information, visit enterpriseasia.org/area.
