Green Mark – The New Trend in Green ConsumerismEco-Labeling2002

「Green Mark – The New Trend in Green ConsumerismEco-Labeling2002」於資料集「Environmental Policy Monthly」由單位「行政院環境保護署」的楊先生所提供，聯繫電話是(02)23117722#2217,(02)23117722#2216，最近更新時間為：2022-01-15 01:13:03。 欄位編號的內容是898 ， 欄位標題的內容是Green Mark – The New Trend in Green Consumerism ， 欄位摘要的內容是This is the most pivotal year for green consumerism since the government began promoting the concept in 1993. Why? Because the Program for the Advancement of Green Procurement by Government Organizations approved by the Executive Yuan in August 2001, stipulates that purchases of products meeting Green Mark requirements must account for 50% of the procurement budgets of government agencies and state-run enterprises by this year. The EPA shall assess implementation results, and organizations and individuals demonstrating outstanding performance may receive public commendations. If the 50% goal can be reached, this will affirm the progress made by green consumerism in Taiwan, and also induce more citizens to put their strength behind international environmental protection trends. The EPA began implementation of the Green Mark system in 1993 in an effort to promote green consumerism and encourage firms to make “recyclable, low-pollution, resource-conserving” products. The Government Green Procurement Statues (綠色採購條款), which is contained in Article 96 of the Government Procurement Act (政府採購法; enacted on May 27, 1999), provides government agencies greater flexibility to grant priority to the procurement of environmentally-friendly products by allowing price differentials of up to 10% with products that are not certified as environmentally friendly. The related Regulations for the Priority Procurement of Eco-Products by Government Organizations (機關優先採購環保產品辦法; referred to below as “these regulations”) were enacted on the same day and have the goal of encouraging green consumerism through the purchasing power of government agencies. These regulations classify environmentally-friendly products in three categories. Article 3 of the regulations specifies that Green Mark products are Type 1 products. If the production, use and disposal of products or their raw materials meet conditions for reused, recyclable, low-pollution, or energy-saving goods, and are certified as being so in EPA documents, they are defined as Type 2 products. Because Type 3 products generally indicate those that increase social welfare or reduce social cost, they are not discussed in this article. In order to effectively implement these regulations, the EPA has drafted the Program for the Advancement of Green Procurement by Government Organizations (機關採購綠色產品推行方案), which was approved and implemented by the Executive Yuan in August 2001 (see feature article in EPM Vol. IV, Issue 2). While 2001 was a promotion and encouragement period under this program, the scope of implementation is to be expanded and assessments conducted in 2002. Starting this year, the scope of the program includes all county, city, town and township public offices, and the green procurement target has been raised in one step to 50%. This is to say that the value of environmentally-friendly office supplies, paper and office equipment purchased by government organizations must equal at least 50% of the total value of all such products purchased during the year. With the active support of the government, green consumerism has become a rising trend over the past decade. The growing number of Green Marks issued testifies to this trend. According to EPA statistics, 72 product categories with standards specifications have been made available to applicant manufacturers, a total of 1,058 products produced by 264 firms received Green Mark certification, and more than 2.5 billion (2,529,196,900) Green Marks have been stamped on certified products from the time the program began in 1993 to the end of 2001. Compared with other nations promoting eco-labeling, these results have given Taiwan a rank of fourth worldwide and second in Asia. The Green Mark specifications announced thus far cover most electrical appliances, information products, business machines, paper and office supplies, and cleaning agents. In addition, with regard to items not in announced Green Mark product categories, thirteen Type 2 eco-friendly products made by nine firms meeting reuse, recycling, low-pollution, or energy-saving conditions passed review by the EPA in 2000; most of these products were building materials. In spite of these rather satisfying achievements, it can be seen that product types are still somewhat limited. There is obviously not the diverse a range of products needed to meet consumers’ requirements, and for some EPA Green Mark product categories only a single manufacturer or product has been approved. For instance, while there are 63 products in the category of aluminum beverage cans with attached pull-tabs, which are numerically the most important Green Mark products, there is only a single product in the second most important category of products made of reused glass containers. Addressing this problem, the EPA points out that Article 96 of the Government Procurement Act states that consumers are encouraged to deal with this situation by purchasing “products whose effectiveness is identical with or similar to” that of Green Mark products, and thus would deliver tangible environmental benefits. Moreover, the EPA actively provides information on potential Green Mark products at appropriate times to relevant industry associations, encouraging able and interested firms to participate in the development of eco-products. The government also welcomes foreign manufacturers approved by international certification organizations to apply to produce environmentally-friendly products in Taiwan. Apart from promoting green procurement among government organizations, the EPA has also striven to encourage the private sector to take part in green consumerism. For instance, the EPA holds regular “Office Environmental Protection” contests each year. And beginning at the end of last year, the EPA teamed up with mass retail franchise chains to plan special markings for Green Mark products, making it easier for consumers to find and purchase these products. The French retailer Carrefour has already confirmed that it wishes to take the lead in implementing this program at its 26 stores in Taiwan. Looking ahead to the future, the Green Mark system will undergo a major transformation when it is put under private administration. Figures for the Top Ten Green Mark Product Categories Rank Category Number of products Cumulative number of products with Green Marks to end of 2001 1 Beverage cans with attached pull-tabs 63 1,276,303,300 2 Goods made of reused glass containers 1 1,132,177,258 3 Packaging products made of recycled paper 54 61,897,204 4 Water-soluble paints 14 13,162,030 5 Goods made of reused rubber and plastic 27 12,643,349 6 Sanitation products made of recycled paper 5 10,042,043 7 OA (office use automation) paper made of recycled paper 4 6,296,071 8 Dishwashing detergent 3 4,030,750 9 Stationary articles and writing paper made of recycled paper 68 3,834,613 10 Insulating materials used in building construction 11 2,700,808 (Data source: EPA, http://www.greenmark.org.tw/Purchase/Product/MarksUse.asp) Green Mark Trends: Globalization and Privatization The EPA is currently in the midst of drafting regulations governing the privatization of the Green Mark system. Taiwan has been a WTO member since January of this year, and globalization and privatization are mainstream trends in international trade and environmental protection. After close to ten years, the EPA has preliminarily decided to privatize the Green Mark system starting in 2004. The EPA has commissioned the Environment and Development Foundation (also known as the Environmental Development Fund; a non-profit organization established through technology transfer and full funding from the Industrial Technology Research Institute in 1997; it has been in charge of Green Mark clerical tasks since that time) to take full control of the system in that year. According to the EPA, Green Mark certification work is performed on behalf of the government by private organizations in Canada and many other nations, and Sweden even has several private Green Mark systems. Manufacturers in these nations can apply for certification to the organization that is responsible for the product type and possesses the most credibility. The EPA points out that Taiwan’s Green Mark system is becoming relatively mature and has achieved considerable credibility. Apart from improving operating efficiency, putting management of the system into private hands will spare the government the close to NT$10 million it spends each year contracting out Green Mark tasks. Instead, the system will operate self-sufficiently under private management. Privatization of the Green Mark system cannot be accomplished all at once, however. A vital precondition is that the system be self-sufficient. It is therefore inevitable that fee standards will have to be adjusted to cover the system’s operating costs after privatization. Along the same lines, in a matter currently of concern for some manufacturers, when certain products are reviewed for Green Mark certification, it is currently possible to submit all items in an entire product series together for a single review and to pay just a single fee for this review. After privatization however, each item will be reviewed and charged separately. But since fees will still be based on number of products after privatization, and not on the number of labels, the cost to manufacturers will not necessarily increase. Apart from the need to cover costs and put the system on a sound footing, the privatization of the Green Mark system must also take into consideration two major environmental factors, namely the willingness of manufacturers to participate, and the state of the economy as a whole. These two factors are seen as keys to successful privatization. Despite the many layers of obstacles remaining to be overcome, EPA Administrator Hau Lung-bin is not only 100% behind privatization, but also feels that it is part of an unstoppable trend. Hau has therefore instructed EPA personnel to plan for the completion of privatization at an early date. While taking active steps to privatize the Green Mark system, the EPA also hopes to share its Green Mark experience and knowledge through fuller participation in relevant international organizations. Today the country’s performance as a member of the Global Ecolabelling Network (GEN) has earned it the favorable attention of other member states, which commonly seek to share our information and experience. GEN’s 26 current members include both industrialized and developing nations, notably the US, Japan, Canada, and European countries. GEN’s annual international Green Mark seminar came to Taiwan for the first time last year when it was held in Taipei. Presentations were given by many Green Mark specialists from Taiwan and abroad, and trainees included many persons from Southeast Asia, Japan and Korea. This year Taiwan has the honor of hosting GEN’s 2002 annual convention in Taipei in October. As far as reciprocal Green Mark certification is concerned, Taiwan has signed mutual recognition agreements with the US, Thailand and Canada, and hopes to negotiate agreements with Japan and South Korea this year. For more information, please call 02-2311-7722 ext. 2920. ， 欄位全文的內容是This is the most pivotal year for green consumerism since the government began promoting the concept in 1993. Why? Because the Program for the Advancement of Green Procurement by Government Organizations approved by the Executive Yuan in August 2001, stipulates that purchases of products meeting Green Mark requirements must account for 50% of the procurement budgets of government agencies and state-run enterprises by this year. The EPA shall assess implementation results, and organizations and individuals demonstrating outstanding performance may receive public commendations. If the 50% goal can be reached, this will affirm the progress made by green consumerism in Taiwan, and also induce more citizens to put their strength behind international environmental protection trends. The EPA began implementation of the Green Mark system in 1993 in an effort to promote green consumerism and encourage firms to make “recyclable, low-pollution, resource-conserving” products. The Government Green Procurement Statues (綠色採購條款), which is contained in Article 96 of the Government Procurement Act (政府採購法; enacted on May 27, 1999), provides government agencies greater flexibility to grant priority to the procurement of environmentally-friendly products by allowing price differentials of up to 10% with products that are not certified as environmentally friendly. The related Regulations for the Priority Procurement of Eco-Products by Government Organizations (機關優先採購環保產品辦法; referred to below as “these regulations”) were enacted on the same day and have the goal of encouraging green consumerism through the purchasing power of government agencies. These regulations classify environmentally-friendly products in three categories. Article 3 of the regulations specifies that Green Mark products are Type 1 products. If the production, use and disposal of products or their raw materials meet conditions for reused, recyclable, low-pollution, or energy-saving goods, and are certified as being so in EPA documents, they are defined as Type 2 products. Because Type 3 products generally indicate those that increase social welfare or reduce social cost, they are not discussed in this article. In order to effectively implement these regulations, the EPA has drafted the Program for the Advancement of Green Procurement by Government Organizations (機關採購綠色產品推行方案), which was approved and implemented by the Executive Yuan in August 2001 (see feature article in EPM Vol. IV, Issue 2). While 2001 was a promotion and encouragement period under this program, the scope of implementation is to be expanded and assessments conducted in 2002. Starting this year, the scope of the program includes all county, city, town and township public offices, and the green procurement target has been raised in one step to 50%. This is to say that the value of environmentally-friendly office supplies, paper and office equipment purchased by government organizations must equal at least 50% of the total value of all such products purchased during the year. With the active support of the government, green consumerism has become a rising trend over the past decade. The growing number of Green Marks issued testifies to this trend. According to EPA statistics, 72 product categories with standards specifications have been made available to applicant manufacturers, a total of 1,058 products produced by 264 firms received Green Mark certification, and more than 2.5 billion (2,529,196,900) Green Marks have been stamped on certified products from the time the program began in 1993 to the end of 2001. Compared with other nations promoting eco-labeling, these results have given Taiwan a rank of fourth worldwide and second in Asia. The Green Mark specifications announced thus far cover most electrical appliances, information products, business machines, paper and office supplies, and cleaning agents. In addition, with regard to items not in announced Green Mark product categories, thirteen Type 2 eco-friendly products made by nine firms meeting reuse, recycling, low-pollution, or energy-saving conditions passed review by the EPA in 2000; most of these products were building materials. In spite of these rather satisfying achievements, it can be seen that product types are still somewhat limited. There is obviously not the diverse a range of products needed to meet consumers’ requirements, and for some EPA Green Mark product categories only a single manufacturer or product has been approved. For instance, while there are 63 products in the category of aluminum beverage cans with attached pull-tabs, which are numerically the most important Green Mark products, there is only a single product in the second most important category of products made of reused glass containers. Addressing this problem, the EPA points out that Article 96 of the Government Procurement Act states that consumers are encouraged to deal with this situation by purchasing “products whose effectiveness is identical with or similar to” that of Green Mark products, and thus would deliver tangible environmental benefits. Moreover, the EPA actively provides information on potential Green Mark products at appropriate times to relevant industry associations, encouraging able and interested firms to participate in the development of eco-products. The government also welcomes foreign manufacturers approved by international certification organizations to apply to produce environmentally-friendly products in Taiwan. Apart from promoting green procurement among government organizations, the EPA has also striven to encourage the private sector to take part in green consumerism. For instance, the EPA holds regular “Office Environmental Protection” contests each year. And beginning at the end of last year, the EPA teamed up with mass retail franchise chains to plan special markings for Green Mark products, making it easier for consumers to find and purchase these products. The French retailer Carrefour has already confirmed that it wishes to take the lead in implementing this program at its 26 stores in Taiwan. Looking ahead to the future, the Green Mark system will undergo a major transformation when it is put under private administration. Figures for the Top Ten Green Mark Product Categories Rank Category Number of products Cumulative number of products with Green Marks to end of 2001 1 Beverage cans with attached pull-tabs 63 1,276,303,300 2 Goods made of reused glass containers 1 1,132,177,258 3 Packaging products made of recycled paper 54 61,897,204 4 Water-soluble paints 14 13,162,030 5 Goods made of reused rubber and plastic 27 12,643,349 6 Sanitation products made of recycled paper 5 10,042,043 7 OA (office use automation) paper made of recycled paper 4 6,296,071 8 Dishwashing detergent 3 4,030,750 9 Stationary articles and writing paper made of recycled paper 68 3,834,613 10 Insulating materials used in building construction 11 2,700,808 (Data source: EPA, http://www.greenmark.org.tw/Purchase/Product/MarksUse.asp) Green Mark Trends: Globalization and Privatization The EPA is currently in the midst of drafting regulations governing the privatization of the Green Mark system. Taiwan has been a WTO member since January of this year, and globalization and privatization are mainstream trends in international trade and environmental protection. After close to ten years, the EPA has preliminarily decided to privatize the Green Mark system starting in 2004. The EPA has commissioned the Environment and Development Foundation (also known as the Environmental Development Fund; a non-profit organization established through technology transfer and full funding from the Industrial Technology Research Institute in 1997; it has been in charge of Green Mark clerical tasks since that time) to take full control of the system in that year. According to the EPA, Green Mark certification work is performed on behalf of the government by private organizations in Canada and many other nations, and Sweden even has several private Green Mark systems. Manufacturers in these nations can apply for certification to the organization that is responsible for the product type and possesses the most credibility. The EPA points out that Taiwan’s Green Mark system is becoming relatively mature and has achieved considerable credibility. Apart from improving operating efficiency, putting management of the system into private hands will spare the government the close to NT$10 million it spends each year contracting out Green Mark tasks. Instead, the system will operate self-sufficiently under private management. Privatization of the Green Mark system cannot be accomplished all at once, however. A vital precondition is that the system be self-sufficient. It is therefore inevitable that fee standards will have to be adjusted to cover the system’s operating costs after privatization. Along the same lines, in a matter currently of concern for some manufacturers, when certain products are reviewed for Green Mark certification, it is currently possible to submit all items in an entire product series together for a single review and to pay just a single fee for this review. After privatization however, each item will be reviewed and charged separately. But since fees will still be based on number of products after privatization, and not on the number of labels, the cost to manufacturers will not necessarily increase. Apart from the need to cover costs and put the system on a sound footing, the privatization of the Green Mark system must also take into consideration two major environmental factors, namely the willingness of manufacturers to participate, and the state of the economy as a whole. These two factors are seen as keys to successful privatization. Despite the many layers of obstacles remaining to be overcome, EPA Administrator Hau Lung-bin is not only 100% behind privatization, but also feels that it is part of an unstoppable trend. Hau has therefore instructed EPA personnel to plan for the completion of privatization at an early date. While taking active steps to privatize the Green Mark system, the EPA also hopes to share its Green Mark experience and knowledge through fuller participation in relevant international organizations. Today the country’s performance as a member of the Global Ecolabelling Network (GEN) has earned it the favorable attention of other member states, which commonly seek to share our information and experience. GEN’s 26 current members include both industrialized and developing nations, notably the US, Japan, Canada, and European countries. GEN’s annual international Green Mark seminar came to Taiwan for the first time last year when it was held in Taipei. Presentations were given by many Green Mark specialists from Taiwan and abroad, and trainees included many persons from Southeast Asia, Japan and Korea. This year Taiwan has the honor of hosting GEN’s 2002 annual convention in Taipei in October. As far as reciprocal Green Mark certification is concerned, Taiwan has signed mutual recognition agreements with the US, Thailand and Canada, and hopes to negotiate agreements with Japan and South Korea this year. For more information, please call 02-2311-7722 ext. 2920. ， 欄位年度的內容是2002 ， 欄位月份的內容是5 ， 欄位卷的內容是5 ， 欄位期的內容是3 ， 欄位順序的內容是1 ， 欄位倒序的內容是2 ， 欄位分類的內容是Eco-Labeling ， 欄位標題2的內容是Green Mark – The New Trend in Green Consumerism ， 欄位檔案位置的內容是print/V5/V5-03 。

「Green Mark – The New Trend in Green ConsumerismEco-Labeling2002」所屬的資料集：「Environmental Policy Monthly」的其他資料

行政院環境保護署 的其他資料集