Taishin Launches the Net Zero Project on its 30th Anniversary Practicing “Green life” from Four Aspects.
Taishin held the “Taishin 30th Anniversary Press Conference” on March 23, 2022 and announced partnerships with important partners such as Gogoro, Taiwan Farm Industry, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi, Shinkong Textile, and Puyong Archiland. A total of 7 cross-corporate partners were present to offer their support. TFHC’s Chairman Thomas Wu announced at the meeting that the company will continue to promote environmental sustainability. In addition to the net zero project, TFHC is also committed to advocating and promoting “green life” actions for individuals and cooperate with many industrial partners. TFHC is determined to set a good example, and calls on employees and customers to make changes in their daily food, clothing, housing, and transportation to fulfill their responsibilities for sustainability.
TFHC’s President Welch Lin stated that Taishin proposed a “green life” project, and the specific actions cover four aspects, including food, clothing, housing, and transportation. Take “transportation” as an example, reducing pollution from vehicle sources is the key to reducing carbon emissions. According to Taishin's internal survey, 37% of employees commute by motorcycle. Therefore, in order to promote “low-carbon travel” and the development of the low-carbon transportation industry chain, Taishin has collaborated with Gogoro and focused on customers’ everyday lives to combine services from both parties and form a cross-border ecosystem alliance. Taishin is the first company in the industry to provide subsidies to all employees to replace old motorcycles with Gogoro electric scooters.
Taishin will also take advantage of its branches being located throughout in Taiwan to plan and set up Gogoro battery-swapping refueling stations to popularize green transportation infrastructure. YouBikes are also an important means of transportation for short-distance travel in urban environments. Taishin will also establish YouBike parking docks at suitable branches throughout Taiwan to encourage more people to travel with this low carbon option and contribute to sustainability by reducing carbon emissions.
Welch Lin added that in terms of food, clothing, and housing in daily life, Taishin has collaborated with Taiwan Farm Industry’s plant-based meat made from technology “No Meating,” Shin Kong Mitsukoshi “Good Goods” and Shinkong Textile’s recyclable and reproducible “Infinity Shirt” to encourage green consumption. In addition, Taishin expects that from April, preferential mortgage loans for green buildings, preferential mortgage loans for household energy savings, and preferential green credits for purchasing energy-saving electrical products or electrical products with water-saving labels will be given.
Notably, in 2008 Taishin International Bank took the lead in the market and issued the first GreenLife credit card for tree plantation and carbon reduction. In 2018, Taishin collaborated with DOMI Earth, Taiwan’s first B Corporation. DOMI Earth stood out from 5,000 certified enterprises around the world and won the Best for the World Award. The company worked with Taishin to encourage card users to convert to electronic bill payments, reduce their paper usage, and assist households suffering from energy poverty in replacing their appliances with energy-efficient ones. This year, Taishin collaborated with DOMI Earth once again to organize a tree planting and carbon reduction program. The project involves planting 1,000 trees in Tamsui in New Taipei City in the names of the 1,000 Taishin International Bank credit cardholders with the highest accumulated consumption amounts between May 1 and August 31. In addition, Taishin is also taking the lead in the industry by promoting the “Public Welfare Tree Planting Project” to create a circular economy and will cooperate with Green Hope Spring, a local social enterprise in Taitung. This is the first year that Taishin has purchased 4,000 saplings, which will be nurtured by 12 social welfare groups in Taitung selected by Taishin Charity Foundation through matchmaking. After the saplings are grown, the groups can choose to exchange part of the saplings for seedlings and convert them into revenues, or choose to exchange the remaining saplings for two seedlings for re-cultivation. This can increase the revenue of the social welfare groups and become a virtuous cycle of sustainability. Welch Lin explained that 4,000 saplings are expected to be planted on the Chihpen Campus of National Taitung University in the future. The trees planted can neutralize the carbon emissions produced by Taishin employees from one year's worth of business trips.
Welch Lin added that Taishin was selected in the US Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) “World Index” and “Emerging Market Index” for four consecutive years. In addition to responding to the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), signing the Equator Principles, and committing to setting science-based targets, Taishin has joined the “Association of Taiwan Net Zero Emissions” as a founding member. Taishin is committed to achieving net zero emissions at 100% of its office locations by 2030.
Meanwhile, in order to continue to promote net zero carbon emissions, Taishin will continue to improve responsible investment and financing starting from this year and assist the development of industries such as low-carbon transportation, circular economy, and renewable energy. Taishin has pledged not to undertake the financing and procurement of new coal-fired power plants and coal mine grounds. At the same time, Taishin has also pledged not to purchase or lease gasoline vehicles for its business vehicles. Taishin will continue to implement “green life” in the future and strive to achieve its sustainable development goals to create a better future.