Carbon-Neutrality a Post-Covid Challenge: Redouble Our Efforts in Circular Economy

Jun-Jer Liao, CEO of Group Resource Cycling Business, CTCI

Covid-19 has wreaked havoc on the entire world and brought severe challenges since late-2019. For businesses worldwide, the importance of sustainable development has never been greater than before. As economies recover while the pandemic continues, we now need to turn our eyes to a bigger and looming crisis— climate change.

As the effect of climate change worsens, the key to any business’s sustainable operation is to lower its carbon emissions and transform itself to become carbon-neutral. At CTCI, our core business is aligned to sustainable development. We are also aggressively making preparations well in advance in all fields. As of July, 2021, 70% of CTCI Group’s backlogs are related to green technologies, low-carbon, and environment projects— an all-time high.

ECOVE, a CTCI Company, builds its business upon circular economy. Three major scopes of business include: waste management and energy from waste(EfW); recycling and reuse; and renewable energy. At a time when climate change and carbon neutrality gain worldwide attention, ECOVE is determined to establish stronger footholds both at home and abroad, enhance applications of integrated technologies, and increase the efficiency of resource cycling. It is time to turn the vision of carbon-neutrality into reality.

Stronger Footholds in Waste Management and EfW: Efficiency through Rehabilitation

Carbon-neutrality calls for maximizing efficiency of resource use. That’s why we use various technological applications to retain the economic values of all products throughout the system as best as we could. In a few years’ time, many energy-from-waste (EfW) plants in Taiwan will need to be phased out. With proper planning and revamping scheme in place, we can help extend the life of EfW plants by revamping old equipment, as well as redesigning and upgrading facilities. This gives new life to aged assets, boosts resource efficiency, and cuts carbon emissions.

With over two decades of experience in waste management and EfW, ECOVE has served public interest through continuous improvement of O&M efficiency across all EfW plants it operates. Such track record allows ECOVE to successfully expand its business domestically and overseas.

Our recent EfW plant projects involve various contract models. One model is Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT), examples of which are Taoyuan Biomass Center and Changbin Resource Treatment Center. They are the effort of collaboration between companies within CTCI Group and takes advantage of CTCI’s powerful engineering, procurement, and construction capabilities. We will continue to work as a Group to look for more BOT opportunities that allows us to invest, construct, and operate.

Another model is Rehabilitate-Operate-Transfer (ROT). Xizhou is the latest revamp and operation project contracted this year, in addition to our past revamp projects in Pingtung and Tainan. In the near future, there will be surging demand for EfW plant overhaul, recommencement, reconstruction, and/or extension. ECOVE will strive to bring new life to old plants through ROT.

In Macau, ECOVE has been awarded extension of O&M contract for Macau Refuse Incineration Plant due to exceptional performance. In addition, local hotels now adopt ECOVE’s proprietary food waste processor.

ECOVE is also aggressively seeking to sell its experiences and establish strategic alliances with enterprises abroad, in an attempt to expand its foreign business. By combining strengths with local developers, ECOVE has joined bids for EfW BOT projects in Johor and Melaka City.

ECOVE’s O&M experience in EfW plants has allowed it to serve customers from other sectors that require electrical and mechanical maintenance. In alignment to parent group’s new strategy to develop EPC for high-tech sector, ECOVE will jointly work with other companies from CTCI Group to seek maintenance contracts for existing or future utilities found in high-tech fabrication plants. 

As for transportation business, ECOVE is eyeing on maintenance opportunities for metros and light rails, as well as jet bridges.

Every Resource Counts: Robust Growth in Recycling and Reuse Business

An important way to conserve energy and cut carbon emissions is to reduce consumption of resources and turn waste into reusable resource. This also helps solve waste treatment problems at the lower end of industries.

At ECOVE, we recycle and upcycle resources to save water and energy required in material sourcing and processing. Once upcycled, resources keep their purity and value for further use. A fine example is recycling and reuse of waste isopropyl alcohol (IPA). We have been granted permission by Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan to market our technology full-scale, serving more customers. 

Moreover, we have created a new model of service to expand our customer base, where we help customers set up purification facilities in their compounds for preliminary treatment of waste IPA, before forwarding it to ECOVE for distillation. 

ECOVE strives to adopt technologies that produce low pollution, conserve energy, and generate high efficiency to make every resource count. ECOVE has successfully set example for the industry, pointing the way towards sustainability and carbon reduction.

ECOVE has experience in O&M for wastewater treatment plants. Examples include Linkou Water Resource Recycling Center, Fengshan River Water Reclamation Plant, and Linhai Water Reclamation Plant. The latest project involves equipment upgrade for Zhongzhou Wastewater Treatment Plant in Kaohsiung. We will continue to build upon such experience to look for new construction or O&M opportunities, especially when water shortage crisis calls for reclaiming wastewater and desalinizing seawater from manufacturing and high-tech industries.

Global Demand in Carbon Reduction: Facilitation of Renewable Energy Requirement

Green energy application is key to the promotion of carbon neutrality and mitigating climate change impact. Recently, diversified energy supply has become mainstream thought, thus boosting green energy use. In the renewable energy sector, ECOVE has extended its rich experience into biomass energy and continued investing. A fine example is Taoyuan Biomass Center, a project scheduled to start commercial operation in 2022: its power efficiency reaches more than 25%, which tops in Taiwan and meets the international standard. In this regard, the project can efficiently covert biomass into energy and reduce the consumption of fossil fuel, thus contributing to carbon reduction. 

In the solar energy sector, ECOVE has owned more than 130 MWp in rooftop, ground and floating types of projects and ranks among leaders. In view of the local booming market thanks to the government-mandated 20GWp goal for solar projects by 2025, as well as the surging renewable energy needs for green supply chain and among companies with high power consumption, ECOVE not only continues developing new solar projects, but has also gained green energy transaction experience through selling its solar energy to ECOVE Solvent Company (ECOVE subsidiary) in 2021.

For overseas markets, in addition to the successful development of Lumberton solar project in the USA, ECOVE will evaluate the expansion of Lumberton project and keep developing renewable projects abroad in mature markets such as the USA and Australia via introduction of financial partners.

A Leading Brand in Resource Cycling: Big Strides towards Carbon Neutrality

Circular economy as ECOVE’s core business plays a vital role in mitigating climate change crisis and achieving carbon neutrality. We believe that “every resource counts,” and will continue to improve the efficiency of resource recycling. Sustainability is not just a goal, it is what we do every day.

ECOVE has received the world’s first certification in “BS 8001 Circular Economy Standards” for the “integrative innovation and improved efficiency of resource cycling services” it provides. Recently, ECOVE took a further step to have all of its business fields certified to BSI’s circular economy standards.

There are other important achievements. ECOVE Solvent Recycling Corporation is the first company in Taiwan certified to circular economy and carbon neutrality, thanks to reduced carbon emissions by recycling and reusing waste IPA, as well as improved process and adoption of renewable power. Miaoli EfW Plant, operated by ECOVE, has acquired carbon footprint reduction label.

Thanks to such exceptional performance, ECOVE has received many recognitions, including: Environmental Protection Agency’s National Enterprise Environmental Award; CommonWealth Magazine’s Corporate Citizen Award; and Taiwan Corporate Sustainability Awards’ Circular Economy Leadership Award. 

ECOVE’s parent group CTCI has joined Taiwan Alliance for Net Zero Emissions as founding member in support for the Net Zero 2030/2050 Initiative. It has declared its carbon emissions reduction targets for 2030 and 2050 in a bid to incorporate low-carbon as transformative strategy.

ECOVE will continue to commit to a sustainable future through business diversification and long-term planning. We intend to become “the most reliable leader in providing resource cycling services,” helping the world achieve sustainability and a carbon-neutral future.