Design for SDG14 - marine friendly design incubation program

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LITEON makes active efforts to protect the marine environment and cultivate young designers who think in green design and sustainability. As part of the efforts, the company started expanding its well-developed R&D and design operations that were typical of a manufacturer in 2019, and embarked on a cooperative program with design related programs in colleges and universities with a focus on SDG 14 marine sustainability issues, namely the Design for SDG14 - Marine friendly design incubation program. The program connects commons CSR and USR goals of one corporation and five programs in four schools. It takes marine protection to the beginning and extends the reach into design education so to bring design students into the field of environmental sustainability and community care.

New industry-academia collaboration model to introduce sustainability driven changes in design education

The "Design for SDG14" is a new industry-academia collaboration model created by LITEON to bring a corporation's professional competencies to the front line of design education in colleges and universities. As the module planner and coordinator, LITEON integrated internal and external resources and designed interdisciplinary modules that combined design and environmental education. LITEON assembled a team of instructors with experts in the company, hired professionals, and design teachers from the partner schools, and introduced the modules into the design curricula of the partner schools. These courses guided students to apply design thinking in different areas of design, and propose innovative strategies and design plans to counter marine environmental issues.

All five programs in four schools involved in this program focused on SDG14 for ocean-friendly conservation design as the theme for the semester. The program combined a wide range of design programs, and encourage design students to venture outside their field of study and learn about ocean issues unknown to them. The objective was to develop a basic understanding of the marine ecosystem, art and culture, and social enterprises. A total of 2,337 students participated in the courses. The program is the first of its kind in cultivating talent in green and sustainable design. It helps schools boost their innovative design momentum and promote USR, and pushes for higher design education of better quality. UN SDGs are incorporated into design philosophies and added to environmental education and design courses to strengthen core elements such as environmental awareness, social responsibility, and design ethics in the existing design learning environment. The addition embodies the practice to apply CSR to drive USR and work together toward sustainable goals.

Multi-sector collaboration to achieve synergy and lasting benefits

The program connects government, industry, and academia as well as the general public in various ways. In addition to bringing different design schools under the same roof, the program also invites NGOs, social enterprises, and other professionals to join the team of instructors. The results are presented in events co-organized with parties in the public sector. Furthermore, the program works with local coastal communities on an ongoing basis in implementing design proposals and showcasing portfolios. The program makes it easier to develop strong local ties and ensure effective design results, thereby enabling boosted synergy and lasting benefits.
The design output from the program in 2020 received a lot of positive feedback. In October 2020, the program was invited by the National Museum of Marine Science & Technology to present the "Design for SDG14 - LITEON and NTUT marine waste based lighting exhibition." In December 2020, LITEON and NTUT were invited by the Taipei City Government to be the SDG Sustainability Team at the Environmental Sustainability Exhibition, the opening exhibition at Popop Taipei. These public exhibitions gave the public a good look at how sustainability and design could work together, and tried to inspire more people to think in terms of environmental sustainability.

NTUT marine waste based lighting design works

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