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international

Promoting a Circular Economy

Interview with

Charles Y. Huang

Chairman of Taiwan Sugar Cooperation

Have you even heard about the circular economy? Mr Huang a successful Taiwanese business executive,
educated at the prestigious Wharton Business School, was the first one to introduce us to the concept of the
circular economy during a recent visit to Taiwan.

Mr Huang is the chairman of Taiwan Sugar Cooperation, a are excited by philosophical values. For instance having a
rich, state-owned company. The sugar trade, which flourished car is pleasure. To me, exciting things and pleasure are two
for almost 400 years, is now an industry in decline, and different things. What I find when I talk to people is that if
the company needed to diversify its activity into many other you are able to elevate them to a certain philosophical level
economic areas, and several of them are within the concept about the joy of life, people are actually more open to what
of circular economy. our purpose and strategy should be. So, I focus a lot on what
As soon as Mr. Huang took up his post, he started to promote I call philosophical mind change.
the creation of the first modernized pig farm in Pingtung, Q: Some of the values you promote are quite ideological, close
with a biogass facility producing green energy by using the to, may I say, communist values of sharing, no real ownership
pig wastes co-digested with agricultural wastes as well as etc.
recycling the water and using it as a circular resource, with I do not like to use the word communism, per se. I do think,
the goals of zero waste, zero pollution, and zero accident. As actually, that it is humanistic. It is a question: do I need all
he said, it is important to bear in mind that resources are that much? It is about sharing. Now, if people see sharing
limited, and we need to make the best use of them. This is the as communism, I do not know, it is very simplistic. I think
reason why Mr. Huang champions circular agriculture and a that sharing, itself, is a more positive force. If we can do that
clean and safe environment by producing fertilizers and bio- voluntarily, that is the difference.
energy from local waste.
Q: Have you involved the scientific and economic community
Mr Huang, through his different activities, is doing extensive in this kind of thinking?
advocacy for Taiwan's economic transition toward a circular Yes I have. I'm actually on the board of the Taiwan Industrial
economy. He has set up the Taiwan Circular Economy Research and Economic Association, and we do reflect upon
Network (TCEN) and founded the Association of Food this issue.
Waste Compost Promotion. So now we will leave the floor
to Mr Huang. Q: Your approach goes against consumerism?
The word consumerism, I do not really know where it
Q: Do you want to change the world? comes from. It is about use rather than consuming, so, it
We do not have a choice. The world has to be changed, and is quite a challenge, and especially for business people. As
I'm doing what I can. Owing to limited natural resources, we I said, consumption drives the economy, they have always
need to move society from the linear business model to the believed in that concept. Now, we come in, and we are saying,
circular business model, which aims to create new economic "Why can't we have an economy driven by use rather than
values and increase employment. consumption?" Use is less dependent on raw materials, and
they are scarce resources.
Q: How did you get the motivation to engage in this issue?
I honestly do not know. Over the years, I presume, you see Q: In a traditional economy, prices are "easy to calculate",
problems and you think about solutions. so, I wonder: how are you going to calculate the price of a
Somebody had to take the lead, and I am lucky to be able to good in a circular economy?
so here, and to leverage the company's resources to do that. It is going to be very difficult, and we have to take one step
at a time. I will give you one example. I talked to accounting
Q; Has it required a lot ofphilosophical thought? companies, because if you subscribe to the circular economy,
I am not actually a very philosophical person, but people your accounting practices are going to change as well. They

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