HSINCHU, March 21, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Following the acknowledgement of the world's first LEED gold-certified TFT-LCD facility in 2009, AU Optronics Corp. ("AUO" or the "Company") (TAIEX: 2409; NYSE: AUO) announced today that its G8.5 facility located in Central Taiwan Science Park has passed ISO 50001(*) standard for energy management. AUO is the world's first TFT-LCD manufacturer to have obtained this certification, again demonstrating the Company's extraordinary achievements in green practice.
ISO 50001 is developed by the ISO/PC 242 energy management project committee of International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The standard establishes a framework for industrial plants or commercial facilities to manage energy, so that energy efficiency increases, costs are reduced and less impact is made on the environment.
AUO has introduced ISO 50001, the latest international standard on energy management, to front-end TFT and back-end module facilities based on its obtained certifications such as ISO 14001, ISO 14064 and LEED. The goal is to achieve 25% energy savings in 2015, with 2010 as the base year. The focus of the ISO 50001 certification is on production energy management. A total of sixty-six energy-saving measures are raised in 2011, aiming at 10% energy conservation. An estimated 55 million kWh of electricity will be saved, and 35 thousand tons of carbon emissions reduced, the equivalent effect of the afforestation of nine New York City's Central Park.
AUO has initiated AUO Green Solutions since 2008, and led the industry by developing the "Green 2010" eco-efficiency indexes (**), both of which formed important basis for the ISO 50001 certification. The "Green 2010" goals that included an 80% waste recovery rate, 70% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and 70% reduction in water consumption were successfully reached within the timeframe. In addition, AUO has also achieved the "carbon balance" milestone at the end of 2010. The accumulated potential carbon emissions reduced by the greener products (***) from 2009 to 2010 far exceeded the actual emission amount of 1.41 million tons, approximately the consumption amount of 610 thousand households in one year (****).
In the future, AUO plans to advance the ISO 50001 energy management system to each fabrication. By means of energy source management, energy performance will also be taken into account in procurement to enhance value chain energy management. As an all-round, leading green solutions provider, AUO will dedicate itself to continuous innovations for better green competitiveness. Meanwhile, the Company will continue to practice energy savings and carbon reduction to lead the industry by creating infinite green business opportunities.
* ISO 50001 is an evaluation standard for energy management systems. The standard enables organizations to establish, operate, maintain and improve energy management systems, so that continuous progress could be made to increase energy performance, efficiency and savings. ISO 50001 was approved as a Draft International Standard (DIS) in July, 2010, which is the current version available. The International Standard (IS) is expected to be published in Q3-2011.
** The "Green 2010" eco-efficiency indexes take 2004 as the base year for comparison.
*** The greener products refer to ones that were produced after 2008, which were more energy-saving.
**** The figure is calculation based on the annual electricity consumption of 306 kWh per household on average in 2009, as published by Taiwan Power Company.
ABOUT AU OPTRONICS
AU Optronics Corp. (AUO) is a global leader of thin film transistor liquid crystal display panels (TFT-LCD). AUO is able to provide customers with a full range of panel sizes and comprehensive applications, offering TFT-LCD panels in sizes ranging from 1.2 inches to greater than 71 inches. AUO generated NT$467.2 billion in sales revenue in 2010 (US$16 billion) and now houses a staff of more than 42,000 employees, with global operations in Taiwan, Mainland China, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, the U.S., and Europe. Additionally, AUO is the first pure TFT-LCD manufacturer to be successfully listed at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). AUO extended its market to the green energy industry in late 2008. The Display and Solar businesses were established respectively as the Company's two core businesses in October, 2010. For more information, please visit AUO.com.
* 2010 year end revenue converted at an exchange rate of NTD29.14:USD1.
Safe Harbour Notice
AU Optronics Corp. ("AUO" or the "Company") (TAIEX: 2409; NYSE: AUO), a global leader of TFT-LCD panels, today announced the above news. Except for statements in respect of historical matters, the statements contained in this Release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements were based on our management's expectations, projections and beliefs at the time regarding matters including, among other things, future revenues and costs, financial performance, technology changes, capacity, utilization rates, yields, process and geographical diversification, future expansion plans and business strategy. Such forward looking statements are subject to a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties that can cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements, including risks related to the flat panel display industry, the TFT-LCD market, acceptance of and demand for our products, technological and development risks, competitive factors, and other risks described in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in our Form 20-F filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on May 11th, 2010.
