The Ministry of Environment today gave environmental protection awards to 64 companies from diverse sectors spanning semiconductors, tourism, finance and healthcare.
The ministry hosted the seventh National Enterprise Environmental Protection Award ceremony in Taipei today.
The diversity of the awarded firms shows that sustainability has become a shared goal across industries, Minister of Environment Peng Chi-ming (彭啟明) said.
Photo: CNA
Of the 125 companies nominated, only 64 received awards after the judges carefully reviewed each one, he said.
In the past, environmental efforts focused on addressing pollution, but now there are added requirements for sustainability and achieving net-zero emissions, Peng said.
Regarding carbon fees, Peng said that 90 percent of companies required to pay the fee have submitted voluntary emission reduction plans and could enjoy discounted rates if approved.
In addition, 67 factories have applied for stricter carbon reduction targets equivalent to cutting 40 percent of emissions by 2030, which exceeds the national carbon reduction goal, he said.
However, while the government remains firm in its net-zero goals, recent events such as the US tariffs could severely impact companies, the minister said.
If a business suffers significant losses and meets the criteria for high carbon leakage, it would be eligible for carbon fee reductions, he said.
Taiwan may also face pressure from the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism in the future, but “negotiations are going smoothly” and some offsets are expected, he added.
Taiwan needs Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), and it also cannot go without its sanitation workers, he said, adding that environmental efforts used to focus on handling waste, but now focus on the circular economy.
Last year, the ministry signed a memorandum of understanding with TSMC to work on carbon capture and fully circular technologies, he said, adding that the ministry also plans to create fully circular industrial parks in the future.
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