- Department:Comprehensive Planning Division
To encourage the industry continue to head towards green chemical and low-pollution production; develop innovative low-toxic alternatives; reduce the applications of toxic chemical substances; implement hazard prevention and response plan; enhance emergency disaster response capability; promote green chemistry education; build a sound chemical substances hazard prevention and response system; and strengthen industry players’ self-management and response capacity, Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) held the 1st Green Chemical Application and Innovation Award Ceremony and 2019 National Environmental Accident Case Symposium at Chang Yung-Fa Foundation today (April 16). To commend green chemistry companies and individuals for their great achievement, the “1st Green Chemical Application and Innovation Award Ceremony” was taken place to distribute awards to 15 groups and 10 individuals with extraordinary performance. Besides, at the 2019 National Environmental Accident Case Symposium, participants reviewed various environmental accidents occurred last year; and exchanged their disaster prevention and response technique and experiences, helping all types of toxic and chemical disaster response personnel to enhance their professional knowledge and disaster response capability.
Toxic and Chemical Substances Bureau, EPA for the first time, organized the Green Chemical Application and Innovation Award event in accordance with Article 72 of “Toxic and Concerned Chemical Substances Control Act” and “Regulations Governing Rewards for Toxic and Chemical Substances Operations”. The contestants of the green chemistry applications and innovations themed events were classified as groups and individuals: The group contestants were grouped into green chemistry education; green safe alternatives; chemical substances management; disaster prevention, response and preparedness; and others. Apart from the said groups, an additional group “life contributions” was added to individual contestants to encourage those who have been devoted to green chemistry activities. Before the launch of this event on August 30 of 2018, TCSB successively held 5 explanatory sessions during the registration period to attract companies and talents from all industries. In November, TCSB then reviewed all contestants and selected those whom it would visit for evaluation. After successively visited selected targets in January 2019, TCSB eventually selected 15 groups and 10 individuals with extraordinary performance at the shortlist meeting and publicly distributed awards thereto today as an encouragement. It is our expectation that the winners will become the model of the industry and individuals, from whom companies and talents in all domains will learn to maintain innovation sustainability.
Besides, the studied cases of 2019 National Environmental Accident Case Symposium include examples of toxic and chemical disaster response mechanism, factory environmental safety accidents and so on. Examples of eight environmental accidents occurred over the last year were reviewed to study and analyze disaster response strategy; prospects and future directions of environmental accident and disaster response systems; and the implementation of the strategy and management of industrial safety. This event provides domestic disaster prevention and response groups an occasion of exchanging their technology, knowledge and experiences with respects to disaster prevention and response mechanisms. Besides, “booths of units with extraordinary performance” and “exhibition of disaster response materials and equipment” were also arranged in this event. Not only were units with extraordinary performance invited to set booths to show the excellence, but also equipment vendors in the exhibition site to provide relevant parties the up-to-date knowledge and information as well as interactive and experiencing activities for future information.
EPA expressed that there were many chemical factories located in the small and densely populated Taiwan and most of our companies are small- to medium-size. Furthermore, as over 100,000 chemical substances are involved in daily factory operations within our country, any occurrence of major accident can be an extremely tough test for our disaster response system. By promoting the concept of green chemistry, EPA encourages the industry to develop low-pollution, low-toxic and low-hazard alternatives; reduce the use of toxic chemical substances; implement hazard prevention management; and enhance their emergency response capabilities. In this way, they will be able to review themselves in detail; and evaluate the safety of workplace and preventive measure to enhance their ability to prevent and respond to work safety accidents and disasters. Furthermore, by holding regional joint-defense drills, industry players will be able to establish trusts and a good relationship thereamong; exchange information and knowledge; and learn from the others to form a virtuous cycle and realize the prospects of having “sustainable, safe and effectively managed chemical substances”.
