What happens when HR owns the sustainability agenda? Acer HR Chief shows the way

Sustainability is no longer a siloed function—it’s becoming a cornerstone of business strategy, and forward-thinking organisations are embedding it into every facet of their operations. Acer India is leading by example, particularly in how it aligns its human resources strategies with the company’s broader environmental goals. In an exclusive interview with People Matters, Bhasker Bhandary, Senior Director – Human Resources at Acer India, shares how sustainability is influencing hiring, workplace culture, leadership development, and more.

“At Acer India, sustainability is embedded into the fabric of our business strategy, and HR plays a critical role in translating that vision into culture, capabilities, and conduct,” Bhasker states. He believes that sustainability should not be confined to a department or initiative but should be an enterprise-wide mindset. Acer’s goals—ranging from reducing environmental impact to advancing ethical sourcing—are reflected in how the company hires, trains, engages, and retains talent.

Acer’s global commitment to sustainability is anchored in its ‘Earthion’ platform—a mission to leverage innovation and collaboration for environmental good. The company has pledged to use 100% renewable energy at all global operations by 2035, and its Vero line of eco-friendly laptops showcases its intent to rethink product design through a sustainable lens.

This broader agenda finds a tangible form in Acer India’s HR practices, where green thinking permeates everything from office infrastructure to learning modules and leadership KPIs.

Catalyst and enabler of green transformation

“HR is both a catalyst and an enabler,” Bhasker says. “We design programs that promote environmental awareness, integrate sustainability KPIs into leadership evaluations, and engage employees through initiatives like tree plantation drives, eco-conscious volunteering, and green workplace challenges.”

Acer’s Earthion mission is particularly central to its engagement strategy. Employees participate in annual Earthion Day events, local sustainability projects, and educational workshops. These aren’t one-off campaigns—they’re ritualised, recurring, and embedded into employee value propositions.

One standout initiative is Acer’s ‘Green Pledge’ challenge, where teams compete to adopt sustainable habits—reducing paper use, choosing low-emission travel options, or initiating zero-waste drives. These actions, small in isolation, generate powerful behavioural shifts over time.

“We’re also working closely with procurement and vendor management to ensure that our partners adhere to environmental and ethical standards,” adds Bhasker. “It’s an ecosystem effort.”

When it comes to recruitment, Acer looks beyond traditional qualifications. “We assess mindset,” Bhasker explains. “Candidates who demonstrate curiosity about global challenges, a systems-thinking approach, and a track record of responsible leadership stand out.”

Hiring panels at Acer are trained to identify subtle signals—like a candidate’s involvement in community projects, their passion for climate advocacy, or evidence of cross-functional collaboration with a sustainability impact. “A good resume gets you noticed,” he adds. “But a purpose-driven mindset gets you hired.”

This shift toward value-based hiring aligns with global trends. According to LinkedIn’s 2023 Global Green Skills Report, the demand for green talent is outpacing supply—hiring for green jobs grew at a rate of 8.5% annually between 2016 and 2021. Companies like Acer are ahead of the curve, embedding sustainability into recruitment, not just CSR.

Leadership development: Building climate fluency

Bhasker points out that Acer’s leadership development framework has been redesigned to support the sustainability agenda. “We’ve embedded climate literacy into our leadership journey through curated learning modules, expert-led sessions, and exposure to global frameworks like the UN’s SDGs and the GRI standards,” he shares.

Leaders are encouraged to set environmental goals, mentor cross-functional teams, and present green innovation pitches during quarterly reviews. Climate performance, in other words, is not an afterthought—it’s a leadership metric.

“We evaluate leaders not just on what they deliver but on how responsibly they deliver it,” says Bhasker. This sentiment is echoed by Deloitte’s 2024 Human Capital Trends report, which identifies environmental stewardship as a rising domain of leadership accountability.

“We believe culture is built in the small moments,” Bhasker says. From paperless workflows and energy-efficient lighting to sustainability-themed townhalls and gamified behaviour nudges, Acer is embedding green consciousness into daily operations.

Managers are trained to lead by example. “If a team leader chooses public transport or electric vehicles, that sets a tone,” he adds. Sustainability checkpoints are also integrated into project management frameworks—ensuring every milestone review includes a reflection on environmental impact.

Flexible work models play a part too. By encouraging hybrid and remote work, Acer reduces the carbon footprint of daily commuting. As per Global Workplace Analytics, remote work in the U.S. alone could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 54 million tons annually. Acer’s approach aligns with this trend.

One blind spot that Bhasker acknowledges is “mental sustainability.” “While we talk a lot about environmental sustainability, the conversation around human sustainability—burnout, digital fatigue, and psychological safety—is still catching up,” he says.

Acer is now exploring regenerative workplace practices—offering digital detox sessions, mental wellness breaks, and awareness campaigns that go beyond stress management. “A burnt-out workforce cannot sustain any green agenda. Resilience has to be holistic,” he argues.

This echoes a growing industry recognition that ESG must include psychological and emotional health. In fact, a McKinsey study noted that 60% of employees say mental health has become more important to their organisation since the pandemic.

Reinventing HR through a sustainability lens

“If I could redesign HR from scratch,” Bhasker says thoughtfully, “I’d keep our purpose-driven leadership and inclusive hiring. I’d reinvent performance management to integrate ESG goals more deeply, and I’d eliminate legacy practices that prioritise short-term efficiency over long-term impact.”

He believes traditional learning models need to evolve—less classroom, more experiential. “Green innovation sprints, virtual reality immersion into environmental crises, simulations—these should become the new norm,” he adds.

One of Acer India’s newest projects is an internal platform where employees can propose sustainability solutions tied to business metrics. The best ideas are funded as micro-projects and showcased company-wide—an innovation incubator with a green purpose.

Globally, Acer’s ESG ambitions are notable. In its 2023 Corporate Sustainability Report, Acer shared that it had reduced carbon emissions by over 60% compared to its 2009 baseline. The company has increased use of PCR (Post-Consumer Recycled) plastics in products, with the Aspire Vero laptop using up to 30% PCR materials.

Moreover, Acer was listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for the ninth consecutive year and received an “A” score from CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) for climate change disclosure.

These achievements create a halo effect that supports employer branding. “When young professionals see that Acer isn’t just selling tech—but also investing in the planet—they’re more inclined to want to be a part of our story,” Bhasker adds.

Bhasker envisions a future where HR becomes an architect of sustainable business transformation. “We need to move from compliance to conviction,” he says. That means predictive hiring using green skills analytics, integrating AI for environmental impact tracking, and collaborating across industries for systemic change.

Acer is currently exploring blockchain for sustainability reporting and experimenting with AI-driven workforce planning that minimises ecological impact. “These are early days, but the intention is clear,” he says.

The journey is far from over, but Acer’s example offers a compelling case study for how sustainability can be lived, not just preached, in HR. It’s a blueprint for other companies seeking to integrate planet-positive practices into the pulse of people management.

By aligning purpose with process, and metrics with meaning, Acer is not only building an eco-conscious workforce but is also contributing to a regenerative planet. In doing so, they’re answering a question that more HR leaders must now ask themselves: How can we become architects of sustainable transformation?