During the summit, EPA Deputy Minister Chih-hsiu Shen, MOEA Deputy Minister Wen-sheng Tseng, and COA Deputy Minister Chin-cheng Huang shared Taiwan’s experience in promoting the cooperation between the recycling industry and businesses. They also discussed strategies concerning deregulation, cross-sector cooperation, communication between the government and society, and industrial transformation, so as to gradually achieve the national goals regarding circular economy and a zero-waste society. On the issue of plastics, Lealea Enterprise and Far Eastern New Century, two of the biggest companies that manufacture environmentally friendly textiles in Taiwan, were invited to share their experience about how to successfully enter the international supply chain. They talked about how to find more cooperation opportunities in global supply chain restructuring and environmental exchanges. Haiyong Studio was also invited to share their experience on how they organized participants for beach cleanups in Lambai Island to work towards a plastic-free island.
On construction issues, the EPA, the MOEA and the Public Construction Commission (PCC) talked about the applications of recycled construction aggregates, a topic that has raised public concern, and the treatment of incinerator bottom ash and furnace slag. They also covered implementation strategies on circular design and modular construction to reduce construction waste. An example of success is National Cheng Kung University’s rebuilding of hospital wards in response to COVID-19, using a modular construction method.
During the agriculture portion of the summit, the EPA and the COA explained government policies on circular agriculture, while Taiwan Sugar Corporation and Chao Ying-Feng Enterprise shared their experiences in the reuse of leftover agricultural resources. In addition, Fwusow Industry talked about how they practice circular economy concepts by fully reusing resources from different departments of their business, such as farming, food production, fertilizer manufacturing, and fishery.
Interministerial cooperation is crucial to achieving a circular economy, which the EPA has been striving to promote. The EPA formulated Resource Recycling and Reuse Plans to boost the implementation effectiveness of circular economy policies. Additionally, the EPA encourages businesses to exchange experiences and information on business transformation to create new supply chains and values. Business cooperation also helps reduce waste and exploitation of natural resources. The EPA urges businesses to take joint responsibility for environmental sustainability and help Taiwan move towards a green recovery and become a circular economy hotspot in Asia.
The “2020 Taiwan Circular Economy Summit” was an exceptional event featuring successful business transformation stories that revolve around the themes of plastics, construction and agriculture. The summit was broadcast live in both Chinese and English. Readers can use the links listed below to participate in this annual circular economy event.
Chinese version: https://youtu.be/jTAdZVuWqTg
English version: https://youtu.be/tIfUN7Tf4oQ