HSINCHU, Sept. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AU Optronics Corp. ("AUO" or the "Company") (TAIEX: 2409; NYSE: AUO) today announced that the Company has been named to Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World) and also headed the Computer Hardware & Electronic Office Equipment (THQ) sector of DJSI World for three consecutive years. AUO has once again set a new environmental benchmark for the industry in sustainable development and green innovation.
Noteworthy is that amid the more stringent criteria in the 2012 DJSI assessment, special focus has been devoted to the integration of economy and sustainability issues. AUO managed to achieve the "best scores" against its industry peers in terms of criteria including environmental policy/management system, environmental reporting, hazardous substances, social reporting, stakeholder engagement, customer relationship management, supply chain management, and product stewardship, with particular attention devoted to the latter three this year. AUO stood out again among the world's 2,500 largest companies evaluated, demonstrating that AUO has not only devoted to product innovation, but also collaborated with all its partners to protect the environment and strive toward the goal of sustainability.
AUO has been a dedicated practitioner of green and sustainable operations and launched AUO's Green Ark project by targeting a 25% reduction of carbon emissions in all fabs by 2015. AUO continues to practice green innovation, and obtained the world's first ISO 14045 eco-efficiency assessment of product systems verification. Moreover, AUO is the only company in the global TFT-LCD industry to have received A+ certificate in CSR Report for five straight years, and listed among the top 100 green companies in China for three consecutive years. All these are great honors and fit recognition of the Company's efforts.
Launched in 1999, the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes are the first global indexes tracking the CSR performance of leading companies worldwide and are now some of the most important globally-accepted indicators in reviewing corporate sustainability. The Indexes serve as a driving force to companies in fulfilling their corporate citizenship and offer benchmarks in corporate sustainability for global investors.
ABOUT AU OPTRONICS
AU Optronics Corp. (AUO) is one of the world's leading providers of display and solar total solutions. AUO offers a full range of panel sizes and comprehensive applications ranging from 1.2 inches to 71 inches. Based on its profound R&D and manufacturing experience, AUO continues to develop advanced display technologies of the next generation. AUO extended its market to the green energy industry in 2008. By building a vertically integrated high-efficiency solar value chain, AUO provides its customers with high-efficiency solar solutions. AUO now houses a staff of more than 45,000 employees, with global operations in Taiwan, Mainland China, the U.S., Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, Czech and Slovakia. Additionally, AUO is the first pure TFT-LCD manufacturer to be successfully listed at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). AUO has also been named to Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for three consecutive years from 2010 to 2012. AUO generated NT$379.7 billion (US$ 12.54 billion) in sales revenue in 2011. For more information, please visit AUO.com.
* 2011 year end revenue converted at an exchange rate of NTD30.27: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 April 27th, 2012.
