Lin Hsiao-ting is 35, happy and healthy. This was not the case five years ago. Now she can talk easily about the disease that she was stricken with at that time, and even feel grateful for it. "I was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer and it certainly was a big shock," she recalls. "After receiving medical treatment, I decided to change my life in every way."
Lin says she used to work under intense pressure with little time for recreation. Her comfort foods were fried and spicy. The breast cancer made her review her eating and lifestyle habits. She reduced her fat intake and greatly increased the proportion of organic food in her diet. In addition, she began to exercise more regularly and fell in love with nature as well as yoga, which she feels nourishes both her body and soul.
At the same time, her choices have made her more attuned to environmental issues. "To maintain health, we need to pay attention to diet and exercise. And to ensure the sustainable utilization of various resources, we must shoulder responsibility for protecting our environment," she explains. "My life has been more enjoyable and meaningful since I took action to address these issues."
Lin identifies herself as a "Lohasian," which derives from the acronym LOHAS, meaning lifestyles of health and sustainability. US sociologist Paul Ray and psychologist Sherry Anderson coined the acronym in a 1998 study. Ray and Anderson called practitioners of LOHAS values "cultural creatives," consumers who are educated and make conscientious purchasing and investment decisions based on social and cultural values.
The most surprising assertion made by Ray and Anderson in their book, The Cultural Creatives (2000), is that some 50 million cultural creatives live in the United States. Once the trend had a name, its momentum increased. More and more people worldwide are either identifying themselves as longstanding Lohasians or embracing LOHAS values. LOHAS is both a lifestyle and a marketing phenomenon, contributing to the popularity of a set of goods and services such as organic and health foods, yoga classes and environmentally friendly products. The movement has arrived in Taiwan and businesses are taking notice.
Selling to Lohasians
Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) was commissioned by the Bureau of Foreign Trade to organize LOHAS Taiwan Forum 2007 in July to promote LOHAS concepts and related business development.
Specialists, including Ted Ning, executive editor of the US-based LOHAS Journal, Kazumi Oguro, editor-in-chief of Japanese monthly Sokotoko, and Eli Hallwell, chairman of Jurlique, an Australian producer of organic personal care products, were invited to share their observations on market developments in their respective countries.
While lectures were held at the Taipei International Convention Center, TAITRA also set up an area where Taiwanese and foreign manufacturers showcased products that emphasize health, energy conservation and environmental friendliness.
"LOHAS will definitely become a market trend in Taiwan. It's one of the few social movements that do not encounter any resistance," says Peter Huang, executive director of TAITRA's Market Development Department. "Plus, it offers a new, positive direction for Taiwan's industrial development."
Huang says the LOHAS market worldwide currently is estimated to be US$440 billion. Japan and Taiwan are seen as the fastest-growing LOHAS markets in Asia. According to a 2006 survey jointly conducted by National Cheng Chi University's Department of Business Administration and a private market research firm, about one in three Taiwanese aged 13 to 64 (about 5.7 million people) have adopted LOHAS concepts.
"Currently, bestselling books [in Taiwan] often are those pertinent to the body or mind. Also, in recent years, organic food stores and fitness clubs have proliferated on the island," Huang says.
Given that Taiwan can no longer compete with other Asian nations on product prices, Huang encourages domestic firms to create products with LOHAS characteristics that can boost product value as well as corporate image.
Yuen Foong Yu Biotech Co. is a Taiwanese company dedicated to the research and development (R&D) of environmentally friendly materials like organic fertilizers and plant nutriments. The company also runs an organic farm in Yilan County in northern Taiwan.
"'Promoting the health of humans and the environment' has been our mission statement since we established our R&D center in 1996," says Shelley Chang, vice president of Yuen Foong Yu. "We're glad to see our longtime practices happen to correspond with the now popular LOHAS ideals."
Organic foods range from fruits and vegetables to meat and seafood. Producers share a concern for health and environmental sustainability. (Photo by Huang Chung-hsin)
Yuen Foong Yu delivers various combinations of organic fruits, vegetables, eggs, aquatic products, meat, rice and noodles to customers on a weekly basis.
The packages, carefully planned for a balanced diet, are designed to be consumed by two to four persons, with seven-dinner packages ranging from NT$2,500 to $6,000 (US$75-$180).
Slow Food
"'We are what we eat!' This kind of perception motivated us to venture into organic cultivation for the production of fresh, seasonal produce," Chang says. "Taiwan's agricultural sector should aim in this direction to fetch higher sales prices and ensure sustainable utilization of our limited farmland."
The biotech company uses "Green & Safe" as a brand name to highlight the fact that its products are safe to eat and that the entire process from production and packaging to distribution is free of contaminants.
Chang says production costs for organic produce are high and yields are low. But the price of organic produce is small compared to the savings in terms of environmental degradation associated with the alternative--chemical agriculture. She says she is pleased to see how many growers and poultry farmers have identified with Yuen Foong Yu's ideals and joined its supply network.
Chang says many people begin eating organic foods either for religious or health reasons. Many of them equate organic foods with vegetarianism. She wants to explode this myth.
"The essence of organic foods is that they are conducive to good health and environmental sustainability. And there is actually great diversity among them, including vegetables, meats and aquatic products," she maintains.
What Yuen Foong Yu wants to promote, Chang continues, is the slow food movement--the foods that people eat should taste good; they should be produced in a clean way that does not harm the environment, animal welfare or human health; food producers should receive fair compensation for their work; and all people should have access to good and clean food.
To this end, in addition to packaging recipes with its produce, the company hires well-known chefs to host cooking classes to teach consumers how to prepare simple, tasty dishes.
"We also invite customers to visit our farm to learn how plants are cultivated," she says. "It's our hope that such tours can arouse their concern for the environment and their appreciation for the hardships endured by farmers so they will cherish their food more."
Chang says the educational campaigns her company has launched have paid off. More customers are willing to pay higher prices to adopt slow food practices. Her company's 2007 sales tripled compared to 2006. To tap into growing market demand, Yuen Foong Yu also runs a restaurant that offers gourmet organic and natural cuisine in a casual environment.
"We believe that the slow food movement is complementary to the promotion of the LOHAS philosophy in that it aims to create a more harmonious pace of life and a sustainable food system. Hopefully, these concepts can soon be widely incorporated into the daily lives of Taiwanese people," she says.
President Chain Store Corp. (PCSC), the operator of 7-Eleven stores, is another active promoter of LOHAS ideals. In 2006, the company organized a series of lectures and published My LOHAS magazine, circulating 60,000 copies per issue. President has also organized large-scale events, including the Simple Life Festival that featured music, arts and lectures.
The convenience store chain has also launched a healthy-lifestyle website and introduced more than 180 fresh foods to its shelves, foods that contain neither artificial preservatives nor monosodium glutamate. It has also added a variety of health food products, including organic mineral water, green tea, vitamins and essence of chicken.
"The hallmarks of LOHAS--loving yourself and the earth as well as coexisting harmoniously with the natural environment--are poised to become mainstream values in the days to come," says Hsu Chung-jen, president of PCSC. "We want to promote LOHAS not only as our corporate culture but also as a new movement nationwide through our numerous sales outlets."
In addition to introducing LOHAS concepts and products to consumers, Hsu says his company has been operating internally under the principles of reducing, reusing and recycling. It also rewards employees it deems to exemplify LOHAS ideals--giving cash awards to 10 model employees in 2006.
Moving in Harmony
While many people might try yoga purely for the sake of physical fitness, most practitioners stay with it for its holistic properties, saying yoga helps maintain balance in the body, mind and spirit. As such, yoga and LOHAS are two peas in a pod. "I believe in a sound mind and a sound body, and find that practicing yoga is a good way to achieve a state of both mental and physical health," says Chang Mei-hua, an accountant. "Besides, all I need to do this workout is a mat. That's economical."
7-Eleven stores are stocking some 200 fresh and organic food items as part of a commitment to LOHAS principles. (Photo by Huang Chung-hsin)
Indeed, the domestic yoga services market has grown exponentially over the last few years because of people like Chang, who are health-conscious and value simplicity. Alexander Group, the island's largest fitness club chain, has seized upon this trend.
"Supply is always driven by demand. In view of the rising popularity of yoga, we've singled it out from among our various workout programs for enhanced planning," says Lilyan Wang, vice president of Alexander's Corporate Marketing Division.
She explains that her group caught wind of the trend early and has been offering yoga classes for seven years. In recognition of yoga's increasing momentum, the group made a sizeable investment in purpose-built classrooms for yoga at its three flagship stores two years ago. They went into use in July.
Furthermore, Alexander invites specialists from Australia, India, Canada and the United States to come to Taiwan to demonstrate the latest techniques. In May, the company also signed a five-year contract with the India-based Vivekananda Yoga University to exchange instructors and cooperate on curriculum planning.
People of all ages and at various levels of fitness are interested in yoga. In light of this, Alexander teaches a variety of yoga styles, ranging from beginner to intermediate and advanced levels.
"Besides offering classics like Hatha, Ashtanga Vinyasa, Meditation and Pranayama, we also design courses that integrate Chinese systems of movement like Chi Kung and Tai Chi," she says. "And we have yoga courses suitable for couples, parents and children, people who require rehabilitation as well as personally customized sessions."
Wang says increased awareness of LOHAS among consumers has facilitated her group's promotion of workout programs--yoga, in particular.
"Nowadays, most people are under pressure from work and family and thus in need of emotional outlets. To address this demand, the emphasis of our yoga lessons has been shifted from body to mind," she adds. "We're glad to be in the LOHAS business to enhance people's mental and physical wellness."
Constructing Sustainability
Denny Kung, managing director of Da Sen International Interior Design Co., is a proponent of LOHAS concepts. He thinks what is most significant about LOHAS is its altruistic emphasis on environmental sustainability.
The government, Kung maintains, should play a more active role through policymaking. For instance, it needs to clearly define the LOHAS industry in terms of what business fields it covers and offer incentives to businesses that commit themselves to R&D of related products.
As an interior designer, Kung likes to use environmentally friendly materials like organic paints, heat-insulating tiles, UV-blocking glass and energy-saving light-emitting diode (LED) lamps, as well as wooden furniture made of teak, rattan and bamboo.
The relatively higher cost of such materials, however, has discouraged some homeowners from adopting them. Kung hopes the government will grant subsidies on the use of such materials to increase their market acceptance.
Taiwan's Ministry of the Interior has set up an evaluation and labeling system for green buildings, but Kung says such structures are so far limited to a few public and commercial buildings. Very few private dwellings in Taiwan have incorporated green-building concepts, in stark contrast to the situation in Germany. Cost, again, is the primary obstacle.
Kung says wooden structures using solar cells and water recycling systems make for the most ideal green homes. "In addition to being earthquake-resistant, wooden structures make inhabitants feel cool in the summer and warm in the winter," he says. "The problem is the government has not yet drafted guidelines for related construction. Plus, the supply of timber largely relies on imports, due to the government's ban on logging here."
If the government conducted comprehensive surveys of Taiwan's forest resources, Kung says, it could identify which forests could be developed commercially without negatively impacting ecosystems, the water table or soil conservation.
"We need to work on how to effectively utilize our forest resources rather than leave them unattended," he says. "Sourcing from nature while exercising appropriate environmental management--that's the spirit of LOHAS."
Write to Kelly Her at kelly@mail.gio.gov.tw