In a statement delivered at the 2022 UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon, Portugal, Surangel Whipps Jr., President of Palau, called for universal cooperation to solve the challenge of marine pollution, and asserted that Taiwan and its 23 million citizens should not be forgotten when tackling this crucial challenge. As part of the conference, the President wore a shirt made from recycled plastic bottles collected in Palau through Taiwan’s help to showcase an innovative design philosophy of "eco-friendliness + marine sustainability", for which he received thundering applause from the audience.
Indeed, the island shirt that President Whipps Jr. wore at UNOC was made by Shinkong Synthetic Fibers Corp (SSFC), founded by late Chairman H.S. Wu and partners in 1967. The Palauan-style shirt was made from plastic waste retrieved from the coastal waters of Palau, which is then turned into the company’s “SIGMA” branded textile to manufacture these shirts. Each shirt is made from 8 recycled bottles, and compared to virgin PET textile, this recycled PET textile produces less carbon emissions (54.6%) and uses less water (21.6 liters). In the future, SSFC will continue to collaborate with Palau to collect offshore PET bottles, helping to sustain Palau's unique seascape.
SSFC remains dedicated to practicing Corporate Sustainability and Social Responsibility. In 2021, it saved 4,213,000 Kwh of electricity, reduced up to 9.37 million NTD in costs, conserved up to 406,000MT of water, and reduced air pollutant emissions by 3%. Through third-party systems (ISO 14001 and 45001), SSFC was verified to have reused 4,404MT of plastic materials and 2,187MT of recycled materials. In terms of social responsibility, the company maintains a clean record regarding labor and human rights, with no incidents of ethics nor business conduct violations. SSFC achieves good results on these key performance indexes.
The outbreak of COVID-19 has had a tremendous impact on industries worldwide. Thanks to rapid and accurate epidemic prevention measures from government authorities together with our staff’s cooperation and resilience, the company has weathered this challenging period. As part of company policy and in alignment with Taiwan’s government policy to stimulate the economy, all foreign employees received NTD one million bonus in total as an appreciation for their hard work.
In 2022, Taiwan's fight against COVID-19 has been universally praised, and the pandemic is well under control compared to in other countries. While SSFC continues to prioritize staff safety, it has also responded to the specific needs of its foreign staff by offering additional variety in local cuisines, establishing exercise and recreation centers, and hosting relevant cultural events. SSFC has also hired foreign administrators to assist staff from various countries in navigating daily life and provide translation services to increase cross-cultural understanding. As for healthcare needs, foreign staff have access to Taiwan’s top-tier healthcare system.
SSFC maintains four core business values: pragmatism, methodicalness, transparency, and teamwork. SSFC actively responds to climate change by promoting energy transitions, industrial transformation, quality of life improvements, and social progress. We take a proactive and innovative approach to promote industry intelligence and Al transformation while implementing our ESG policy to create shared value and a sustainable future for the next generation.
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https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/politics/breakingnews/3981138
穿MIT環保花襯衫演講 帛琉總統：守護海洋不應遺漏台灣！
帛琉總統惠恕仁（Surangel S. Whipps, Jr.）近日在「2022年聯合國海洋大會」上，親自穿著由台灣協助帛琉蒐集廢棄寶特瓶製作而成的環保花襯衫。惠恕仁強調，全人類需要共同保護海洋、包括台灣2300萬人，生動發言獲得全場掌聲。（截圖自推特）
2022/07/04 18:32
〔記者呂伊萱／台北報導〕帛琉總統惠恕仁（Surangel S. Whipps, Jr.）近日在「2022年聯合國海洋大會」上，親自穿著一件特別的花襯衫，由台灣協助帛琉蒐集廢棄寶特瓶製作而成。惠恕仁強調，全人類需要共同保護海洋、包括台灣2300萬人，就如同這件襯衫，是台灣和帛琉共同的創新解決方案，「我們必須一起行動」！生動發言獲得全場掌聲。
聯合國海洋大會6月27日至7月1日在葡萄牙里斯本舉行。帛琉總統惠恕仁在會議演講當天，特別穿著一件深藍色花襯衫，他聲動介紹，這件春夏襯衫是應對海洋污染的創新解決方案的一個例證，它的材料來自在帛琉回收的寶特瓶，並在台灣變成這件漂亮的襯衫。
惠恕仁強調，要解決海洋汙染，不應該遺漏台灣2300萬人，全人類需要共同合作來守護海洋。
外交部今天在臉書上介紹這件襯衫，設計概念很簡單，就是「環保 + 海洋永續」，由台灣協助帛琉蒐集廢棄寶特瓶操刀製作而成。帛琉總統親自展示襯衫、說明製程，讓現場與會者了解台灣絕對是國際社會處理海洋汙染不可或缺的夥伴，語畢獲得全場的熱烈鼓掌。
外交部在社群媒體上感謝惠恕仁為台灣發聲。外交部說，此次聯合國海洋大會，中國蠻橫施壓我國友邦吐瓦魯及帛琉，要求撤換友邦代表團中的台灣成員。不過帛琉總統用最環保、最海洋的方式，讓台灣的聲音還是以另一種方式被國際社會聽見。
除了此次聯合國會議，今年4月「我們的海洋」國際大會在帛琉舉行時，70多國與會代表、官方工作人員制服和大會伴手禮的「島衫」，也是來自帛琉海域與社區的廢棄寶特瓶，再由台灣廠商透過特殊工法與製程，製成機能性環保布料的衣衫。
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