Taiwan Cement Corporation Conferred Asia’s Most Prominent CSR Awards under Green Leadership Category

TAIPEI, TAIWAN – Media OutReach – 11 June 2019 – A total of 64 projects and business leaders across 16 countries in Asia were selected as recipients of Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards (AREA) 2019, an increase of 19% from last year. Regarded as the top corporate social responsibility awards in Asia, this year’s ceremony was organized in Taipei, after being held in Macau, Singapore, Bangkok, and Manila previously.

Organized by Enterprise Asia, the leading non-governmental organization for responsible entrepreneurship in Asia, the AREA aims to recognize and honor Asian businesses and leaders for championing sustainable and socially responsible business practices. The award categories are social empowerment, investment in people, health promotion, green leadership, corporate governance, and responsible business leadership. Some of the dignitaries who graced the event include Mr. Chang San-cheng, former premier of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and Mr. Hou Yu-Ih, mayor of New Taipei City.

Leading the list of winners under the green leadership category was Taiwan Cement Corporation (TCC) with their project “Turn Carbon Dioxide into Green”. “Environment, Energy, and Cement” are the three cores in the business of TCC. By applying innovative technologies and thoughts, the Company aims to develop new energies and march toward the goal of a circular economy with “zero waste, zero pollution, and zero emission”, and create new values as a sustainable enterprise.

To support the Paris Agreement and to achieve the CO₂ emission standard for inhibiting global average temperature rise below 1.5°C as specified in the Global Warming Report of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, TCC devotes itself in the development of Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS).

The Company made its first CO₂ capture test plant in the Hoping Plant as the demo plant for promoting CO₂ capture. It used Calcium-Looping technology for CO₂ capture, and used those CO₂ to cultivate Haematococcus pluvialis, an algae which contains an abundant of astaxanthin. Astaxanthin is recognized as the strongest antioxidant in the world, and it is an indispensable rare raw material in the healthcare industry.

TCC moreover designed the World’s first astaxanthin soba noodle, which is not only beneficial to health but also reduces energy-consumption during the extraction process. The Company believes that the innovation and application of astaxanthin-related products is a new way to connect with the public’s everyday life.

The vision of TCC is to make CO₂ capture to become a mature technology, which can both mitigate global warming and add value to the carbon circular economy. Calcium-Looping technology for CO₂ capture not only captures carbon dioxide, but also reduces the cost of cement production. It is a win-win strategy for the core business of TCC and the environment. 

Since Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is believed as an essential technology in addressing climate-related issues, the commercialization of CCS becomes the goal of TCC. The Company created the application platform for CCUS to fulfil the vision.

The unique design and technology by TCC won the recognition of the 2014 Global R&D 100 Awards, and the “astaxanthin application” has been recognized by the 13^th National Innovation Award and the 5^th National Industrial Innovation Award.

TCC continually test its CCUS technology, and its medium and long-term goals are to develop and establish the calcium looping CO₂ capture system and technology with a commercial scale. After combining the technology with cement production and power generation, TCC aims to become a competitive provider to CO₂ capture technology.

In 2019, the Company will launch a new plan with a budget of NT$600 million to expand the CCUS technology. It is estimated that the carbon capture in 2025 will be 450,000 tons per year.

Zero emission in carbon capture is the last mile for TCC. The Company will continue to develop its CCUS technology to become an eco-solution provider that builds a circular economy, emphasizing on “zero waste, zero pollution, and zero emission”.