Displaying items by tag: Environmental Protection Administration
Taiwan Cement awarded first product carbon footprint label
09 September 2020Taiwan: Taiwan Cement has been awarded the first product carbon footprint label by the local Environmental Protection Administration (EPA). It follows its completion of the structure of product category rules (PCR) in early August 2020 and inspection by the EPA. TCC's products will be marked with carbon footprint labels from the fourth quarter of 2020. The Taiwan-based cement producer has also announced support for the Global Cement and Concrete Association’s (GCCA) 2050 Climate Ambition plan.
TCC started its Science-Based Target project in 2019 and says it became the first cement company in the Greater China region to complete target setting and was approved by Science-Based Target initiatives (SBTi) in June 2020. Following the science-based methods promoted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) from the United Nations, TCC set a target to reduce carbon emissions by 11% in 2025, using 2016 emissions as the base. TCC completed carbon footprint certification for the most popular cement products, Portland Type I cement and Ready-Mixed Concrete 3000psi, in July 2020.
Government to reduce Taiwan’s cement export cap
20 June 2017Taiwan: Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Yang Wei-fuu says the government plans to lower the cap on cement exports from over 20% of total output to 15% on environmental grounds. The ministry is also preparing an environmental impact assessment (EIA) policy for the development of the cement industry, according to the Central News Agency. The policy is scheduled to be completed by June 2018 and be submitted to the Environmental Protection Administration. The decision follows public outcry over the alleged expansion of the quarry at Asia Cement’s Hualien plant, which is partly located in a national park.
According to ministry data, Taiwan's cement exports reached 51% of total output in 2009 and 36%, 24%, 24% and 27% from 2013 to 2016 respectively. The ratio was at 25% in the first four months of 2017. Once an amendment to the Mining Act and environmental assessment regulations come into effect, many cement mining projects are expected to be affected. The ministry also intends to find alterative sources for the cement industry’s demand for raw materials.
Asia Cement denies quarry expansion in Taiwan
13 June 2017Taiwan: Asia Cement has denied that it expanded a quarry serving its Hualien plant following accusations by a filmmaker that mining has intensified at the site. Documentary filmmaker Chi Po-lin made the comments in May 2017 whilst filming a sequel to his aerial photographic documentary ‘Beyond Beauty: Taiwan From Above.’ According to the China Post newspaper. Chi subsequently died in a helicopter crash on 10 June 2017 but his aerial footage of the site has caused public outcry.
However, Asia Cement says it has slowly been reforesting the active mining site since 2012. The Ministry of Economic Affairs has also released time-lapse photography supporting the cement producer.
The quarry, which is partly located in a national park, supplies one of the country’s largest cement plants. Its mining lease was set to expire in 2017 but was extended until 2037. The Environmental Protection Administration has also issued assurances that quarry excavations will not occur within the national park area.