Far Eastern Department Stores, Asia Cement Corporation, FE SOGO Department Stores, and Far Eastern Big City Shopping Malls have won 9 awards for corporate social responsibility in Asia

        The 2024 Annual Awards Ceremony for Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards (Area) was held on June 28 at Far Eastern Group's affiliated enterprise Far Eastern Department Stores 、 Asia Cement Corporation 、 FE SOGO Department stores 、Big City Far Eastern Big City Shopping Malls Received a total of 9 awards. Among them, Far Eastern Department Stores won the double awards of "Social Welfare Development Award" and "Corporate Sustainability Report Award", Asia Cement Corporation won the "Health Promotion Award", FE SOGO Department Stores won three awards: "Human Investment Award", "Green Leadership Award", and "Social Welfare Development Award". Big City Far Eastern Big City Shopping Malls not only won the "Social Welfare Development Award" and "Green Leadership Award", but Li Jingfang Chair also received the highest personal recognition of the "Responsible Enterprise Leader Award", becoming the first leader award winner in Taiwan's department store retail industry.

        Far Eastern Department Stores has won 5 consecutive awards and accumulated 10 AREA awards

                Far Eastern Department Stores has won the AREA for five consecutive years, and this year they have once again won the "Social Welfare Development Award" and "Corporate Sustainability Report Award". In addition, they have won the "Top 10 Most Sustainable Department Stores in the World" and "Top 3 Most Innovative Department Stores in the World" awards from the World Department Store Federation (IGDS) in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Their active implementation of sustainability has been recognized internationally and has played an indispensable role in enhancing the visibility of Taiwan's department store industry.

        Far Eastern Department Stores has entered its 57th year this year. Since its establishment, it has continuously kept up with the times, created a new business model for department stores, and created a novel appearance that has left a deep impression on the public. Nancy Hsu President stated that innovation and transformation are the foundation of Far Eastern Department Stores. The company not only needs to create good profit performance for shareholders, but also spares no effort in practicing sustainable ESG, leaving a trustworthy brand impression in the minds of consumers.

        To promote the development of enterprise sustainability, Far Eastern Department Stores has launched the second five-year ESG plan, focusing on the 100% action of "energy conservation, carbon reduction, green energy, waste reduction, and green procurement" in the aspect of environmental sustainability; In terms of social welfare, the strategy of "each store becoming a local public welfare platform" has been implemented. In 2023, all stores in Taiwan will hold 805 public welfare activities and encourage employees to invest in daily work; In terms of corporate governance, we actively build paperless offices, have completed the establishment and upgrading of digital management systems, and have implemented multiple action projects to promote 14% growth in employee productivity. In March 2024, the first stop of the "Tree Planting Year" project was launched, planting 40 unique Taiwanese species of Xiao Nan trees in Wensheng Elementary School, Banqiao District, New Taipei City, adjacent to the company headquarters, to deepen ESG in the field. In addition to tree planting, Far Eastern Department Stores is also promoting employee carbon reduction internally. It is the first department store in Taiwan to quantify employee carbon reduction benefits and systematically record carbon reduction results. In the future, it will gradually expand to partners such as counter staff, and all employees will work together to reduce carbon and achieve the net zero target of 2050.

        On the other hand, the Far Eastern Department Stores holds the "Love Sharing - Love Christmas Charity Lighting" event every year before Christmas in Tainan. For 15 consecutive years, they have integrated public welfare resources from over 20 groups such as counter manufacturers, social organizations, and local governments to raise love gifts to give to students. They have invited nearly 3500 rural area students to celebrate the holiday, and Douglas Hsu and Nancy Hsu President have all contributed to the celebration, spreading their love for rural areas.

        Asia Cement Corporation has won six international awards and certified occupational safety management

                The occupational safety and health management organization and system of Asia Cement Corporation are well-established, in line with the SDGs United Nations Sustainability Development goals. The project "Promoting Workplace Health and Safety Systems and Implementing Workplace Welfare" won the "Health and Health Promotion Award", marking the sixth time it has been awarded the AREA honor. K. Y. Lee President stated that this award is a recognition of Asia Cement Corporation. The company will continue to invest resources to improve occupational safety management and promote health and hygiene related programs to ensure that every employee works in a safe and friendly environment.

        The specific measures taken by Asia Cement Corporation include linking the salary changes of senior executives with the improvement of occupational safety and health performance, and introducing the ISO 45001 occupational safety and health management system into all bases and subsidiaries in Taiwan, and completing third-party verification with a coverage rate of 100%. As the only cement company in Taiwan that has passed the performance review of the Occupational Safety and Health Management System through the Ministry of Labor, Asia Cement Corporation, through a safety partner program, assists peers and downstream pre mix plants in improving occupational safety management efficiency. Taking 2023 as an example, members participating in the program not only reduced the frequency of disability injuries by 75%, the severity of disability injuries by 98%, but also the total injury index by 67%.

        Given the advent of the AI era, Asia Cement Corporation has established a smart work safety platform many years ago, implementing technological disaster prevention and real-time management, including biometric identification of personnel entering and exiting, control of specific construction areas, and on-site inspection and positioning checkpoints, to enhance safety with new technology. At the same time, it has developed protective equipment such as cement rotary kiln protective covers and automatic reset bars, which not only effectively reduce work safety risks but also detect and deal with potential hazards in real time.

        Asia Cement Corporation values the health management of its employees, providing free health checkups that are superior to regulations. It regularly invites professional medical specialists and nurses to provide on-site services, providing health consultations, and organizing diverse employee health promotion activities. In the future, it will continue to innovate and create a more perfect work environment for employees, giving back to society through actions, and promoting Sustainability Development.

        The highest award winning record in Taiwan's department store industry, FE SOGO Department stores, has won 15 AREA awards over the years

                The FE SOGO Department stores have been recognized by the Area for six consecutive years, and this year they have won three major awards, including the "Human Resources Investment Award" for five consecutive years, the "Green Leadership Award" for the fifth time, and the "Social Welfare Development Award" for a consecutive year at the Small Farmer Exhibition. Since the first year of CSR in 2015, FE SOGO Department stores have won a total of 15 awards in the Area, indicating that their long-term promotion of Sustainability Development has been highly recognized.

        Sophia C.W. Huang Chairman stated that FE SOGO Department stores and above city level companies have standardized their own requirements, independently issued sustainability reports for 10 consecutive years, established the first "Sustainability Development Office" in department stores, communicated across departments through dedicated units, implemented sustainability strategies and projects, and hope to become a green model for the retail service industry. In 2023, the company's revenue was impressive, making it the only department store with double-digit growth. At the same time, it did not forget to exert its influence and actively solve social and environmental problems, setting four records as the top department store in Taiwan. This includes winning the National Enterprise Environmental Protection Award silver level or above five times, becoming a TCFD Supporter, consolidating sales details and reducing the use of a large amount of paper for credit card signing, and using FSC forest certified paper for gift vouchers. It will continue to promote low-carbon operations, introduce AI technology to improve energy management systems, and promote digital and green dual axis transformation.

        To provide customers with a green consumption experience, FE SOGO Department stores pioneered the sustainable selection of products, strictly selecting environmentally friendly products and achieving a net zero green life through consumption. In the same year, SOGOplus, the only comprehensive online shopping website in Taiwan with ESG as its brand spirit, was launched to support local quality products, encourage suppliers to ship original boxes, promote the OMO business model of "online purchase, offline pickup", and reduce logistics carbon emissions. In terms of human resources investment, FE SOGO Department stores have continuously increased salaries for three years to encourage colleagues, issued a sustainability declaration and human rights policies to promote DEI, strengthened maternal care measures, and occupational safety and health management has also been in line with international standards. They have been awarded the top ten annual awards and certifications, including the HR Asia Best Enterprise Employer Award and the Women's Enthusiast Best DEI Enterprise Award.

        In addition to generating revenue, FE SOGO Department stores also shape a distinct sustainable style and become a local influence base. Since 2018, hundreds of small agricultural exhibitions have been held to create the "first brand of department store small agricultural exhibitions". With a strict selection and guidance mechanism, we have trained social entrepreneurship enterprises, built a bridge for small farmers to communicate with customers, and also cultivated a growing customer base year by year.

        Big City Far Eastern Big City Shopping Malls won three AREA awards for six consecutive championships

                This year, Big City Far Eastern Big City Shopping Malls won the AREA Social Welfare Development Award and Green Leadership Award again with two projects: "Big City, Big Stage - A Stage for Youth to Shine" and "Big City, Big Green - The Road to Sustainable Operation of Big City Far Eastern Big City Shopping Malls". Li Jingfang Chair was also awarded the AREA Asia Responsible Business Leader Award. Far Eastern Big City Shopping Malls have won 9 Asian Cups for six consecutive years, and this time they have been awarded a special award at the conference, demonstrating their innovative performance and tireless efforts to exert positive influence, which has been highly recognized.

        Li Jingfang Chair stated that Far Eastern Big City Shopping Malls integrates art and cultural education into the corporate DNA of public welfare, making good use of spatial advantages to construct a diverse dream stage, and building a bridge to connect young artists from all over the world. They have organized over 630 art education activities so far, injecting artistic nutrients into cities and cultivating talents. The Far Eastern Big City Shopping Malls stage has nurtured talented players from all walks of life, among whom Sun Zhen will advance to the Olympic Hall. In the Greater Hsinchu area, Far Eastern Big City Shopping Malls is not only a shopping center, but also a fortress for dreamers to build their dreams.

        While connecting love and charity, Far Eastern Big City Shopping Malls actively introduces various energy-saving projects, leading the department store retail industry in Taiwan. Together with TPC, they launch the 100 day off light plan, independently introduce greenhouse gases, conduct carbon footprint assessments, and verify the effectiveness of electricity conservation through third-party verification. They have become the first shopping center in Taiwan to successfully apply for micro carbon rights exchange.

        Li Jingfang Chair has utilized her unique business strategy, leading her team since the preparation stage of the mall. Through analyzing and mastering the consumption trends and demographic changes of peach and bamboo seedlings, she has clearly positioned herself as a consumer group for the entire family, solved issues related to products, store routes, and transportation, fully utilized space, connected life, fashion, food, and entertainment, and provided the best service. She has become the preferred choice for all age groups of peach and bamboo seedlings to gather, and has been awarded the "Responsible Enterprise Leader Award" by the EA.

        In addition, Far Eastern Big City Shopping Malls attracts over 15 million consumers to enter the venue every year through its fully functional app and strong social power, allowing them to instantly browse product discounts and event information. With one click service, they can complete checkout, automatically deliver electronic coupons, and manage parking for multiple payments within 3 seconds, effectively reducing paper usage in each operational process. In addition, we have coached nearly 50 catering cabinets to obtain "environmentally friendly restaurant" certification, and promoted environmental protection concepts through courses and activities, leading customers and supplier partners to implement sustainable operations together. The actions of loving the Earth have made Far Eastern Big City Shopping Malls stand out and become an Asian model for the Area's Green Leadership Award. In the future, we will continue to uphold the corporate belief of diversity, fairness, and inclusiveness, lead the team to improve ESG enterprise sustainability development, practice corporate social responsibility, and work together with partners to exert maximum influence.

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