Taiwan is the first and only Chinese-speaking democracy, experienced three peaceful party alternations, and legalized same-sex marriage in 2019. It is a country where impossible things can become tangible, and that is why I believe Taiwan has the ability to transit into a sustainable economy.
Back in 2010, I was a university student studying Economics. I learned a lot about maximizing utility and profit. I was diving into the curves of demand and supply without understanding I missed something in the equation. It was when I learned about sustainability management in the UK four years later that my eyes opened to the triple bottom line— environmental impact and social impact are just as important as financial impact. Companies have the responsibility of eliminating negative, operational impact.
At a supermarket in the UK, I discovered that there were more options offered to consumers, such as fair trade, organic, humanitarian, and plant-based products, most of which I hadn’t seen in Taiwan. It implied that the British consumer had a better sense of making their purchasing decisions. While experiencing all this, I started to reflect on our lives in Taiwan, where the idea of sustainability was highly underrated.
Businesses don’t take it seriously enough, as we see with all the scandals in the news. We as consumers put too much focus on price and neglect the hidden truth behind the price tag.
I thought Taiwan could do better than this, so I was determined to become a sustainability consultant and promote the idea of sustainable business. Luckily, I was not the only one with this aspiration on the island. Ever since I started my journey, I have met so many like-minded people. I also noticed that the younger generation is passionate about this issue more than ever.
Taiwan’s stance towards sustainability has improved a lot in the last five years, thanks to many endeavoring people. It is now one of the top countries in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosure in Asia. Yet, we have to recognize there is still a long way to go. I will continue to put efforts into pushing corporates in Taiwan to care for this island. I will assist younger sustainability practitioners and share my experience where needed. Together, we will make Taiwan remain the beautiful island worthy of the name Formosa.
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