Styrofoam Marine Waste (Recycled Plastic Resin) Development Project
Partners
Environmental Protection Bureau of Penghu County
QiHui Environmental Technology (disposer for Styrofoam marine waste)
Industrial Technology Research Institute (recycled material developer and plastic material manufacturer)
Institute of Marine Biology, National Taiwan Ocean University
Institute of Environmental Engineering and Management, National Taipei University of Technology
Other participating stakeholders: : employees and key suppliers
Execution date
October 2018 - ongoing
Background and objectives
LITE-ON Oceans Day centers around the idea of SEA HOPE and echoes SDG 14: conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources. The project aims to protect Taiwan's local marine ecosystem and successfully combine marine conservation and LITE-ON's business through three pillars: the corporate volunteer system, the circular economy to marine waste, and Lanyu sea turtle conservation.
Project description and results
1. Corporate volunteer system – Advocating marine sustainability to employees
LITE-ON provided training to employees so that they may serve as volunteers for the company's coastal-cleanup activity. The company also invited government agencies, research institutions, schools, media, and social enterprises to join the event. LITE-ON organized a total of 24 coastal cleanups in 2019, with more than 2,500 participants who cleaned more than 10 tons of waste in total. In the future, the company will continue to communicate with employees and incorporate different educational elements into coastal cleanups to facilitate participation and team spirit.
2. The circular economy to marine waste – Advocating the marine-waste circular economy to major suppliers
By working with local governments, social enterprises, and research institutions, LITE-ON recycled and processed Styrofoam marine waste, and applied plastics modification to turn the processed Styrofoam into recycled plastic resin that was used to make keyboards and mice. Furthermore, as a way to expand the project and involve more stakeholders, LITE-ON held supplier meetings to explain the project to 224 suppliers. LITE-ON was invited to deliver a presentation entitled "SEA HOPE - LITE-ON Circular Economy Solutions for Marine Styrofoam Waste" at the side event of the 2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP25), which gained international attention. In 2019, LITE-ON helped the Penghu County Government clean more than 30 tons of Styrofoam marine waste. There were more than 20 articles covering the events reported by the media. Going forward, LITE-ON will continue to promote the campaign, work with more local governments, and invite more businesses to join the campaign to extend social influence.
3. Sea turtle restoration in Lanyu island – Advocating sea turtle restoration to the local government
By working with schools and communicating with the local government, LITE-ON strives to increase the hatch and survival rates for sea turtles by reducing light pollution. In 2019, National Taiwan Ocean University commission by LITE-ON completed the preliminary study on the friendly streetlight design for sea turtle. The experiment concluded that the yellow-light source with streetlight cover could reduce light pollution significantly. LITE-ON is looking forward to in-depth discussion and collaboration with local governments to create more jobs and opportunities in local conservation by incorporating more placemaking elements.
SEA HOPE ▸
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