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EPA certifies Geant as the nation’s first ‘Green Store’

A group of models promote battery recycling at Geant’s store in Taipei’s Dazhi area yesterday. The store is the first store to be given “Green Store” certification by the Environmental Protection Administration. PHOTO: CHANG CHIA-MING, TAIPEI TIMES

People can now opt to shop at “Green Stores” and buy home appliances and groceries in a more eco-friendly way, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said yesterday.

“‘Green stores’ are certified for stocking a certain number or percentage of Green Mark products and labeling them as environmentally friendly for consumers,” director-general of the EPA’s department of supervision evaluation and dispute resolution Yang Ching-shi (楊慶熙) said.

Unveiling the nation’s first “Green Store,” Geant in Taipei’s Dazhi area, Yang said though currently only one store had obtained the certification, many others were planning to follow suit.

“Geant’s rival RT-Mart, some government-owned supermarkets, as well as DIY store B&Q are all applying for certification,” he said.

Currently, Geant stocks 39 Green Mark products and has a “Green Section” that displays them, Yang said.

“Green mark products are those certified by the EPA for energy, water and resource conservation. They cause low levels of pollution and are non-toxic,” he said.

In the Geant store, each product’s label clearly describes the amount of electricity or water the product saves, as well as how many trees would need to be planted to produce the same reduction in carbon, he said.

For example, a tonne of recycled paper products could save 4,400 units of electricity, which is equal to the effect of planting 19 trees; while using a variable speed air conditioner can save up to NT$10,000 in electricity bills a year, the same effect as planting 120 trees.

Asked what types of green products were most neglected by consumers, Yang said most people were not aware that there were more eco-friendly options on the market in air conditioners, detergents and cleaning products, washing machines and stationery.

Green consumerism would become more popular in the near future as more “Green Stores” come onto the market, Yang said.

“[The EPA] is hosting a press conference in honor of the first ‘Green Store’ so that the nation’s other merchants will be inspired to do the same thing,” Yang said.

“At the end of the year, with more ‘Green Stores’ certified, the EPA plans to host a Green Marketing contest and commend stores that sell and market the most Green Mark products,” Yang said.
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