The Taiwanese have learned the value of “Reduce” and “Reuse” in dealing with the trash households produce. Each night at a designated time in Taipei neighborhoods, a bright yellow garbage truck makes an appearance, its arrival signaled by a sound system playing a familiar tune such as Beethoven’s Für Elise. Trailing close behind are one…
Given the right government policy and smart marketing by local manufacturers, Taiwan’s love affair with scooters could help the environment. It’s a daily commute for tens of thousands of people, but it has also become an annual pilgrimage for electric motorcycle owners. In what is known as the “motorcycle waterfall,” scooters jostle for position like…
What used to be known as the “Petrochemical Kingdom” is now leading the fight against the production and use of plastics, or coming up with clever alternatives There was a time not so long ago when simply having a shower would typically release hundreds of thousands of plastic microbeads down the drain. Eventually they would…
Chemical manufacturers in Taiwan are concerned that new rules requiring the disclosure of hazardous substances in their products could compromise confidential business information (CBI). In November 2018, the Ministry of Labor (MOL) published an amendment to the Regulations for the Labeling and Hazard Communication of Hazardous Chemicals that requires disclosure of the substance’s Chemical Abstract…
Despite global economic headwinds, some makers in the sub-sector are continuing to perform well. Taiwan has been steadily moving into specialty chemicals in a bid to move up the global industry value chain. Specialty chemicals are sold based on their function or performance instead of composition. They often are designed to impact one specific aspect…
Given environmental pressures and limited scale, the sector sees just two options: move into specialty chemicals or invest overseas. Despite environmental and other challenges, Taiwan’s chemical sector continues to thrive. In 2018, the industry was forecast to grow by 4.88% – the highest growth rate of any industry in Taiwan – to reach NT$4.68 trillion…
The state-owned company looks to invest in high-value-added chemicals and green projects at home while exploring upstream opportunities overseas. The CPC Corp. was established in Shanghai as the Chinese Petroleum Corp. in 1946 and relocated to Taiwan three years later. The state-owned firm plays a crucial role in ensuring Taiwan’s energy security, and is also…
Increases to the minimum wage, lower birth rates, and an aging population are leading to higher costs and labor shortages for retailers. Will automation save the day? There’s a rather whimsical image of Taiwan floating around online. Entitled “Actual View of an Average Taiwanese Street,” it shows a few cartoon figures walking around a landscape…
As retail sales spike upward, new-style outlets and malls cater to millennial shoppers who want entertainment and Instagram-friendly backdrops more than bargain-basement prices. It’s a golden age for outlets and malls in Taiwan, with a number of brassy mega projects completed and more developments on the horizon. Despite the rapid growth of online retailing, people…
Regulating STOs could provide a new equity fundraising channel for startups, but questions remain about the utility of the new rules. Just a few years ago, some virtual currency advocates were suggesting that Taiwan could become a hub for all things crypto in Asia. Given the conservative nature of Taiwan’s financial industry, the thought of…
