Climate change is a real threat and while we can spend days and even weeks talking about what needs to be done, actions speak louder than words! At the recent event in Dubai, Acer unveiled its “Conscious Technology” Vision to help tackle climate change. Let’s break the announcements down into two parts – products and partnerships.
Carbon Neutrality for Vero Laptop Line
Acer says, “Since the inception of the series, Aspire Vero laptops have been eco-consciously designed with the goal of minimizing their carbon footprint throughout their lifecycle. From manufacturing to packaging to end-of-life recycling, each process has been examined and continuously fine-tuned to help contribute towards less emissions”.
The chassis of the Vero laptops is made from a blend of more than 60% recycled plastic (vs. 30% in the first generation), and its surface contains no volatile organic compounds, paint, or additives. The touchpad uses ocean-bound plastic on the surface. When it comes to packaging, steps are taken to reduce the carbon footprint by recycling the scrap material generated during production and using 100% recyclable packaging. Thoughtful designs allow the 100% recycled FSC-certified paper box to be easily repurposed. AcerSense battery management software focuses on energy efficiency with four performance modes: Eco+, Eco, Balanced and Performance to ensure longer battery life and better power management. The Vero laptops are also easily repairable and upgradable by the user to ensure they can get the longest life possible from the device. You can learn more about the Vero laptops here.
Going beyond computing devices
At the Acer event in Dubai, we saw a bunch of devices that were not related to computing to show that Acer is committed to its “Conscious Technology” vision.
Acer eKinekt BD3
The Acer eKinekt BD3 is a traditional exercise bike with one key difference. The electricity you generate from the bike not only charges the bike but also helps you charge your gadgets as well. It has one USB type C port and 2 USB A ports to help you keep your gadgets charged, your electricity bill down and your fitness up. Needless to say, the bike desk incorporates PCR2 Plastic in its desktop and casing.
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E-bikes
While the international variant of Acer’s e-bikes was on display at the event, it must be known that Acer has launched the MUVI-125-4G bike with eBikeGo in India. The bike has been designed with Indian conditions and the market in mind and designed by eBikeGo. The MUVI 125 4G is priced at Rs 99,999. There are several auto brands launching e-bikes and cars in India and how this market grows in the future will be interesting to see.
Portable power station
Acer also showcased some cool power stations that come with a wireless charger on top to charge your phone or any other accessory that supports wireless charging. It comes with four USB Type-A ports in the front (two supporting 12W and 2 supporting 24W) and two Type-C ports with support for 100W. It also has a bunch of 3-pin ports at the back to charge your laptop or any other device.
Air purifiers
Acer also showcased its air purifiers at the event. One showcased and available in India is the Acerpure Cool 2-in-1 Air Purifier and Air Circulator for Home. It is an air purifier with a small fan on top to circulate the purified air throughout your room. The Air purifier features a 4-in-1 HEPA filter. The air purifier claims to effectively eliminate 99.99% bacteria, 99.9% anti-coronavirus (229E) 2 and influenza A (H1N1)3 virus activity.
Partnerships and Services
While Acer has a strong portfolio of products to help with its environmental endeavours, some of it would not be possible without support from its partners. At the event, Jason Chen, Chairman and CEO of Acer, along with Gokul V Subramaniam, Intel India President and Vice President, of Client Computing Group, Platform & Systems, Sustainability Strategy at Intel Corporation and Shelly Blackburn Vice President of Microsoft Cross Solutions took the stage to highlight the partnership between chip maker Intel, software maker Microsoft and hardware maker Acer to achieve an eco-friendly sustainable future while still offering devices that meet the computing requirements of customers. Put simply, as a part of its responsibility to the environment, Intel is working at ensuring better yield from its chip manufacturing while also ensuring its chips perform in an environment-friendly manner. Windows on the other hand is optimised to a point where it can run on low-power chips when less intensive tasks are being executed, ensuring the OS is optimised for battery life and performance.
Depending on the workload, the Acer laptop can switch between Eco+, Eco, Balanced and Performance to ensure the user is not only getting the best performance based on the workload but also the best battery life and longevity from the machine.
A sustainable supply chain
Acer also highlighted the ethical practices through its supply chain. Acer works at educating their supply chain on “the right thing to do”. Acer says that there has to be pressure to set the rules to do the right thing. Acer incentivises their supply chain to follow protocols that will help with their climate change vision ensuring they are not only taking care of environment-friendly practices themselves but also trying to get others they are associated to do the same.
At the end of my days with Acer at the “Conscious Technology” event one lingering question bothered me. Will the desire for sustainability hinder the innovation these brands have been working on? Team Acer tells me that the technology innovation is not affected but the ability to make the innovation sustainable can pose a challenge. But in the end, the mission is that there should be no burden to the planet. They want to drive a business while being eco-friendly. So, there is no easy answer to the question I posed. While devices like the Vero are a step in the right direction for the environment, a gaming notebook is a challenge. Acer told me that for gaming, they still want to do the best they can to protect the earth. There is still room for optimization. Things like power management systems, AI for better power management, etc. are key areas. While gamers want maximum performance, Acer wants to make it consciously.
