Taiwan Leads MICE Sustainability in Asia by Publishing its 2022 White Paper

The Bureau of Foreign Trade (BOFT) hosted a Taiwan MICE ESG Day on December 28, 2022. The event included a press conference to announce that the 2022 Taiwan MICE Sustainability White Paper was published, and included a ceremony to issue ISO certifications to MICE suppliers who were counselled by Taiwan's MICE Promotion Program (MEET TAIWAN).

To recharge post-pandemic Net-Zero Emissions and Green MICE efforts, the BOFT cooperated with KPMG and the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) to establish SIRCO – Sustain & Integrate Resources and CO-operate for mutual benefits and sustainability – providing MICE suppliers with a clear guideline of Green MICE practices.

Although the MICE industry has been challenged by COVID-19 for the past two years, the BOFT assisted local MICE suppliers with improving themselves in preparation for the reopening of the world after the pandemic. The 2022 Taiwan MICE Sustainability White Paper was co-published by the BOFT and Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI). Following global sustainability trends and continuing Taiwan’s excellent achievement of promoting Green MICE, this white paper is the first and most complete MICE Sustainability document in Asia—further advancing Taiwan to a higher level in the global Green MICE market.

Kai Hattendorf, Managing Director/CEO of UFI, mentioned “In UFI, we believe that the climate crises is one of the biggest challenges that we face in the exhibition and meeting industry over the coming years. The most important thing is that every player in the industry works together, minimising the negative impact to the environment”.

Referring to the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the BOFT's Green MICE Guideline, and Taiwan’s Pathway to Net-Zero Emissions in 2050 published by the National Development Council, the 2022 Taiwan MICE Sustainability White Paper covers an entire range of details and scenarios. It also takes MICE industry and stakeholder features into consideration.

Combining five factors (sustainability, impact, resilience, collaboration and ownership) and comprehensively considering the life cycle of the MICE industry, the SIRCO cooperative serves as a standard not only for carbon reduction and governance practices, it also extends the positive impact from Green MICE to other industries, utilising the MICE industry as an important driving force for sustainable development.

Next year, the BOFT will launch a Sustainable Empowerment Counseling Service for Taiwan MICE events by applying the 2022 Taiwan MICE Sustainability White Paper, providing customised services, and working with industry players to achieve event sustainability.

Accompanied by MEET TAIWAN, the BOFT also assists MICE venues with achieving sustainability goals. Last year, BOFT has assisted Hilton Taipei Sinban to complete their ISO 50001 Energy Management System, and counselled Big Dome Event Rental Service Co., Ltd. for publishing the first ever sustainability report which was made spontaneously by Taiwanese MICE supplier.

This year, Taipei Nangang Exhibition Centers I and II were the first venues to accomplish the Greenhouse Gas Inventory according to the ISO 14064-1: 2018 standard. The International Convention Center in Tainan, which just celebrated its opening this April, rapidly acquired the ISO 20121 Sustainable Event Management Systems standard. And the Kaohsiung Exhibition Center is the only venue in Taiwan which is GBAC STAR™ certified.

Through the collaboration of Green-certified venues and MICE suppliers in Taiwan, MICE sustainability in Taiwan is becoming stronger and more mature. As a backup force of Taiwan’s MICE industry, the BOFT has been assisting related stakeholders with reaching Green Goals. Sustainable MICE events are no longer wishful thinking, they are now a reality, thanks to actions and hard work of national and local governments and MICE suppliers.

The awareness of significant issues, such as Net-Zero Emissions and Sustainability, has been quickly rising these years. 2023 is a brand new start for the MICE industry to recover from the pandemic. The BOFT will continue promoting Green MICE business and bolstering industry strength, empowering the energy of Taiwan’s MICE industry to revitalize the Taiwanese MICE brand.