The public and private sectors come together to encourage a low-carbon lifestyle.
Taiwan is taking significant strides toward a low-carbon future as environmental awareness gains momentum. Across the country, both the public and private sectors are embracing sustainable practices from eco-friendly architecture to circular economies, reflecting a growing commitment to protecting the planet.
Architecture has reflected Taiwan’s low-carbon vision for over 30 years. In 1995 the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) established the Architecture and Building Research Institute (ABRI) to promote environmentally conscious design. Four years later it revealed nine key metrics for evaluating structures, making Taiwan the fourth country in the world to implement a national sustainable building standard.
In 2001 the government required all new public buildings costing NT$50 million (US$1.52 million) or more to be certified as green. “It was a major step for the industry,” said ABRI Director General Wang Rong-jing (王榮進). “The government set an example that helped guide the private sector, which quickly began exploring ways to implement the concept.” In 2007 a five-tier ranking system was established, and about 1,000 buildings are now certified annually, with over 13,000 having received the official designation to date.
Another milestone was reached two years ago, when the government rolled out an energy performance rating system to encourage net-zero carbon architecture. The scale ranges from 1+ to 7, with 1+ denoting the greatest efficiency. This concept is also being applied first to new public buildings, which must be assessed during the design phase as of July 2023. Eighty public and private projects have applied for evaluation, and of the 41 certified so far, 22 have achieved the 1+ level that marks them as nearly carbon-neutral structures.
A consumer purchases an LED light at a Taipei retail outlet partnering with the RECA to improve residential energy-efficiency. (Courtesy of Resource Circulation Administration, Ministry of Environment)
To advance individual consumer awareness, the Ministry of Environment (MOENV) leads initiatives to motivate the public to adopt sustainable habits. One is the ban on disposable plastic cups at food and beverage establishments, which offers customers discounts as incentives to bring reusable cups. It was announced in July 2022 by the ministry’s Resource Circulation Administration (RECA) and took full effect in September this year. Another RECA project launched in September prompts consumers to upgrade to energy-efficient LED lighting. “Participants can enter a raffle for prizes,” said RECA Deputy Director General Hsi Chih-lun (許智倫). “The goal is to get people to examine their daily lives and identify areas where they can save both money and energy.”
Local Action
With government guidance, communities across the country are also rolling out strategies to foster eco-conscious living. In 2015, the MOENV’s Climate Change Administration (CCA) began recognizing standout decarbonization projects under its Low Carbon and Sustainable Homeland initiative. To date 137 villages and boroughs, as well as over 30 townships and districts, have received a silver certification, currently the highest level.
Last year Datong Township in northeastern Taiwan’s Yilan County received certification for its work to combat the effects of extreme weather like heat waves and torrential rain, which can cause harvest losses of up to 30 percent annually. According to Ho Sheng-li (何勝立), head of the township office, these challenges prompted the push for carbon-reduction measures. In recent years, solar panels and LED lights have been installed on public buildings, and public transportation services have been expanded during major events to reduce the use of private vehicles by tourists.
Datong residents grow millet on disused land to sequester carbon. (Courtesy of Datong Township Office)
At the same time, Datong harnesses local resources to capture carbon and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. The township now hosts two thermal power plants and has reintroduced millet, a traditional crop once central to the area’s Indigenous agriculture, on fallow land to act as a carbon sink. Additionally, locals have adopted sustainable tourism practices, using natural materials like rocks and fallen trees to maintain footpaths and wrapping food in locally sourced laurel leaves.
Tainan’s Guantian Township is recognized for repurposing agricultural byproducts to reduce carbon release. (Courtesy of FanC Recycling International)
Another location recognized by the CCA is Guantian District in southern Taiwan’s Tainan City, which was certified in 2018 for its campaign to recycle and reuse water caltrop shells. The initiative began in 2016 when the district office solicited alternatives to burning or decomposing crop residue, both of which expel large amounts of greenhouse gas into the atmosphere. Research institutions began transforming the shells into biochar to sequester a portion of the carbon in a stable solid state. The charcoal can then be mixed into soil, where it helps fertilize, purify water and raise agricultural output.
Industry Ventures
The founding of FanC Recycling International by Louis Lee (李政憲) in 2019 further strengthened Guantian’s burgeoning circular economy. The social enterprise sells locally produced charcoal for use in manufacturing air purifiers and textiles and markets its own biochar-based products under the brand Guantian Black Gold. The company also organizes educational trips to water caltrop fields to teach visitors about the sustainable production and consumption cycle. FanC is now working to convert other agricultural waste, such as longan shells from Tainan’s Dongshan District, into high-quality biochar. “Biochar can come from a range of organic sources, and it has huge potential for everyday applications,” Lee said. “It’s an area worth deeper exploration.”
UKL’s conversion of pineapple leaves into textile fibers reduces waste and emissions while providing alternatives to petrochemical-based fabrics. (Courtesy of UKL Enterprise Co.)
The RECA has been instrumental in encouraging more firms to join the circular economy, providing financial support to those that modify industrial processes to minimize waste and pollution since 2012. One such entity is New Taipei City-based UKL Enterprise Co., which has made its mark by turning pineapple leaves into textile fibers. Founded in 1987, UKL has recently redirected its focus from contract garment manufacturing to collaboration with yarn and fabric producers. By utilizing an agricultural byproduct that would otherwise be burned, UKL simultaneously addresses harmful emissions, waste reduction and global demand for alternatives to petrochemical-based fabrics.
“Our approach moves Taiwan’s textiles up the value chain while offering products that facilitate a low-carbon life,” said UKL Executive Vice President Gary Hsieh (謝煥麒). The company’s transformation has not gone unnoticed. UKL received NT$2 million (US$62,500) from the RECA last year, and this fall it won London-based Sustainability Magazine’s Global Sustainability & ESG Awards in both the Sustainable Supply Chain and Social Enterprise categories. “The worldwide shift toward a low-carbon future is not just a trend—it’s an imperative,” Hsieh said. “Our commitment to the circular economy is about more than staying ahead; it’s about leading the way in creating sustainable solutions to improve the lives of present and future generations.”