202411/04
The 2024 Emerging Bamboo Industry Focus Forum was held today (November 4) at the GIS MOTC Convention Center. Organized by the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency (FANCA) under the guidance of the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), the forum attracted nearly 150 representatives from the bamboo industry, including government officials, academics, and the private sector. The theme of the forum echoed the policy of net-zero emissions and recycling, based on the two main directions of “net-zero solution of bamboo resources” and “sustainable development of the bamboo industry,” which were discussed through cross-domain exchanges and sharing.
The forum invited a number of advocates in the bamboo sector, covering biomass energy promotion, technology processing, bamboo structure construction, and regional bamboo industry, to share the practical achievements and future outlook of the bamboo industry on net-zero sustainable development, demonstrating the unlimited possibilities of the bamboo industry in the future. The off-site exhibition area presented a number of current achievements in the diversified utilization of Taiwan’s bamboo materials and showcased the results of the inter-agency cooperation of the Emerging Bamboo Industry Development Program.
According to the FANCA, bamboo has been recognized internationally as a strategic natural resource for sustainable development due to its fast growth, high prolificacy, and wide range of uses. Moreover, bamboo is mature enough for use within just four years and its carbon sequestration capacity is higher than that of ordinary wood. In line with the international trend of zero carbon emissions, the MOA encourages businesses to make good use of Taiwan’s bamboo resources, develop a comprehensive bamboo industrial chain, and create local employment opportunities, so as to realize the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through concrete actions and to fulfill the net-zero solution for the new era.
Taiwan now has 183,000 hectares of bamboo forests, but due to changes in bamboo use habits and industry patterns, these have not been properly operated for a long time, leading to a break in the bamboo production chain. The Executive Yuan approved the Emerging Bamboo Industry Development Program in 2022, which is to last for ten years. It is coordinated by the MOA and combines inter-agency efforts to rebuild the complete industry chain from production, processing, and research and development to sales.
According to the FANCA, the forum invited speakers from the industry, government, academia, and private sector to share their experiences. Academics, including Senior Researcher Chang Chia-Chi of the Taiwan Bio-Energy Technology Development Association and Associate Professor Long Way of the Department of Wood Science and Design, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST), discussed the applications of bamboo in high-quality, net-zero-carbon emissions, respectively. From the government, Section Chief Chen Chun-Jung of the Resource Circulation Administration, Ministry of the Environment introduced the Biomass Circulation in Taiwan platform. It provides an overview of the recycling flows and regulations in agriculture, industry, and people’s livelihoods in order to promote the sustainable use of biomass and achieve the goal of net-zero emissions.
Representatives from the industrial sector, including Wang Cheng-Hsiung, Chairman of the Board of Directors of EASON Machine Enterprise Co., Ltd., shared how to implement “replacing plastic with bamboo” through the reforming of plant fibers, demonstrating the potential of bamboo as an eco-friendly material. Lee Lu-Chi, Director of Lizen Education Foundation, shared how to cultivate new-generation talents for the transmission of bamboo culture through the value creation of the Bamboo Ttakuban Academy. Hsu Pei-Hsien, Chairman of the Taiwan Bamboo Society, discussed how “next-generation bamboo” can promote the green industry and sustainable living from the perspective of international cooperation. Finally, the Hsinchu Branch of the FANCA introduced the ESG program, a collaboration between the government and enterprises, looking forward to the future of the bamboo industry as it moves towards net-zero and sustainable development.
The FANCA added that Taiwan has excellent bamboo resources, but in the face of challenges such as decreasing use demand and talent vacuum, the FANCA is actively promoting the development of an emerging bamboo industry, from the production of raw materials to the marketing of bamboo materials. The aim is to fully revitalize the industry chain and further promote the sustainable management of bamboo forests and resource circulation. In the future, we will develop various bamboo products through high-tech to enhance the value and competitiveness of Taiwan’s bamboo industry, create a key role for Taiwan in the international utilization of bamboo, and contribute to global net zero.