From steel production to weddings, business takes net-zero goals seriously.
Situated by Huwei Creek in a rural part of western Taiwan’s Yunlin County, Da Fong Hog Producer is a family business that is doing its part to mitigate climate change. Founded in the early 1980s, the third-generation farm is currently managed by Chen Cheng-hsing (陳正鑫), who majored in animal science and technology at National Taiwan University in Taipei City. He began rolling out a series of measures to transform and upgrade the facility in 2016, starting with pigsty reconstruction. The new, sturdier roofs were vital to the next phase of Chen’s plan: solar panels. In addition to the standard benefit of saving energy, the panels lower the temperature in the sties beneath them to keep pigs healthy in the summer. Meanwhile, more than 400 fans used to further cool livestock were replaced with more efficient models that consume up to 10 percent less electricity.
“These incremental changes are valuable, but the most significant investment we’ve made—both for us and for the environment as a whole—is in equipment that captures and processes biogas from manure into renewable energy,” Chen said. “The purchase and maintenance cost of the machinery is quite high, so it only becomes a feasible option when a farm has at least 5,000 hogs.” With more than 10,000 pigs on site, Da Fong acquired the necessary technology with the help of subsidies from the Energy Administration, overseen by the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), and began to convert biogas into electricity at the end of 2020.
Solar panels on the roofs of pigsties at Da Fong generate power while keeping temperatures comfortable for livestock in the summertime. (Photo by Chin Hung-hao)
The ranch has generated power equivalent to the needs of 1,840 homes for a whole year via its solar panels, cutting approximately 9,000 metric tons of carbon emissions to date. The yield from Da Fong’s manure treatment process is even more impressive. When left alone and untreated, manure releases methane—a greenhouse gas 25 to 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide—into the atmosphere. Da Fong’s biogas capture counteracts nearly 80,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions each year and puts an agricultural waste product to good use.
Heavy Industry
Tung Ho Steel Enterprise Corp., one of the largest steel manufacturers in Taiwan, is also a pioneer in making the most of waste material. In the midst of marking its 60th anniversary last year, it won recognition for its commitment to environmental sustainability in the form of both the Taiwan Circular Economy Award and the Excellence in Carbon-Free Industrial Competitiveness Award. “We have long prided ourselves on the breadth and variety of our schemes to reduce emissions,” said Huang Bing-hua (黃炳樺), the company’s president.
All Tung Ho Steel Enterprise Corp.’s raw material is scrap steel. (Courtesy of Tung Ho Steel Enterprise Corp.)
Honoring enterprises like Tung Ho, which has reduced its carbon dioxide emissions from 830,000 metric tons in 2005 to approximately 800,000 this year, provides businesses throughout Taiwan with examples to follow as the country tackles climate change through methods including carbon fees, slated to begin in 2026. Companies that emit more than 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year, currently numbering around 280 based on data from 2022, will be liable for the fees, but preferential rates are available to those running emission-reduction projects that meet certain targets. Tung Ho’s interest in addressing the issue of emissions was sparked when the Kyoto Protocol to reduce global greenhouse gases took effect in 2005, and the company’s work began in earnest in 2009 as it calculated its annual carbon footprint from 2003 onward. The task took a year and has since been carried out annually as a key component of the company’s plans to cut emissions through analysis of pollution sources at operations around Taiwan.
Decarbonization is also achieved through the recycling of steel processing byproducts. In addition to waste steel, Tung Ho reuses electric arc furnace dust, oxidizing slag and reducing slag. Slag is used in road construction and nonstructural concrete, while the dust can be converted into crude zinc oxide and sold for use in other industries. “Tung Ho seizes every opportunity to reduce emissions, including rolling out solar-powered streetlights in our factory compounds,” Huang said. The company made further comprehensive changes to a plant it purchased in the southern city of Kaohsiung in 2022.
Oxidizing slag generated in the process of steelmaking at Tong Ho plants is used to pave roads in Taoyuan City. (Courtesy of Tung Ho Steel Enterprise Corp.)
With subsidies from the MOEA’s Industrial Development Administration, Tung Ho transformed a decades-old oil-fueled facility into a modern, highly efficient one running on natural gas. The terms of the government support required the company to shepherd its 12 suppliers through an emissions reduction process, starting with calculating their carbon footprints. “We ended up giving guidance to all partners in our production chain,” Huang said. “It was the right decision: good for both the environment and for us as a company exploring international markets.”
Green Service
The domestic market also possesses a robust appetite for environmentally conscious operations in the service industry, a fact attested by Lavender Forest’s success. Based in the central city of Taichung, the company operates 10 leisure venues around Taiwan, from restaurants to resorts and homestays. In 2015 it made a splash by hosting a certified low-carbon wedding at a venue it reserves for events seeking green features such as locally sourced ingredients and reusable items. In total, the wedding produced only 854 kilograms of carbon, compared with 14.5 tons for a typical ceremony of similar size.
After the wild success of its emissions-friendly ceremony, Lavender Forest continued to implement measures to further reduce its carbon output: charging stations for electric vehicles at selected venues, in-room slippers made using recycled tires and reusable metal admission tokens as part of a wider campaign to go paperless. Staff members teach customers how to use the company’s namesake lavender along with other plants grown at the resorts to enhance the flavor of food served on site, which Lavender Forest co-founder Tiffany Lin (林庭妃) said gives people an immediate understanding of the farm-to-table concept. “The philosophy advocates maintaining the shortest possible distance between growers and consumers, and the practice cuts emissions,” she said.
Meals at Lavender Forest facilities are prepared using fresh, locally sourced ingredients. (Courtesy of Lavender Forest)
In 2022 Lavender Forest took a sizable step toward carbon-free operations by performing its first emissions calculation, a task subsidized by the MOEA’s Administration of Commerce. “The government support feels especially significant because it shows me we’re not alone on the path to a planet-friendly tomorrow,” Lin said. A team of experts guided company staff through on-site surveys and the calculation, which was completed the following year. As a result of the process, Lavender Forest has replaced the stockpots in its kitchens with versions that save energy by cutting cooking time by 38 percent and intends to purchase equipment for recycling food waste. Lin added that the company also plans to calculate the carbon generated by employee commutes to assess the need for increased videoconferencing and remote working.
Meanwhile, Chen anticipates a threefold increase in yield at Da Fong through more efficient biogas production with upgraded equipment. Tung Ho will also continue to invest in equipment upgrades to drop emissions 30 percent below its 2005 levels by 2030. “Compared to other companies around the country, we started to decarbonize early,” Huang said. “We’ve built excellent momentum, and like any responsible enterprise, we don’t slow down when we know we’re moving in the right direction.”
Write to Oscar Chung at mhchung@mofa.gov.tw