AmCham arrow Publications arrow Topics Archive arrow Topics Archive 2004 arrow Vol.34- No.12 arrow Wrapping Up an Environmental Issue
Wrapping Up an Environmental Issue PDF Print E-mail

The open and flexible approach adopted by the EPA has led to the drafting of more practical rules on consumer-goods packaging.

 

You can's fault Taiwan's Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) for wanting to reduce waste by cutting down on consumer - goods packaging - after all, Taiwan's goal is to achieve complete recycling and generate zero waste by 2020. Foreign companies doing business in Taiwan, however, did find much to fault in the specifics of the draft packaging regulations that the EPA made public at an AmCham luncheon in July. Expecting a more or less routine presentation, the EPA was surprised by the reception it received.

The regulations, which were to have been finalized in September 2004. They would have been phased in starting in January 2006, would have placed volume limits on packaging for a wide range of products, limited the number of layers of packaging that could be used, and made it illegal for different types of material to be combined in packaging. The regulations would have applied to all confectionary items, cosmetics, optical disks, alcohol products, and processed foods.

The draft triggered a strong response from members of AmCham and the European Chamber of Commerce, and from the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT). Concerns focused on the difficulty that manufacturers and distributors would face in complying with the regulations (especially considered the relatively short time available before they were to be phased in) £Sbut also on the fact that foreign businesspeople had not been consulted during the drafting process. Although Taiwan acceded to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in January 2002, it has taken time for Taiwan agencies to adjust. In drafting the regulations, the EPA apparently failed to consider that its rules could have serious trade implications. Fortunately, the EPA took WTO principles to heart and consulted with interested parties before moving forward.

After a series of consultations involving the EPA, AIT, and members of the business community, the EPA in October issued a second draft of the regulations. The revised draft, much narrower in scope, is limited to computer software and gift items. Moreover, the EPA agreed to extend the period for comments on the revised draft and to post an English translation of the regulations on its website.

The EPA's flexibility seems to have brought the matter to a conclusion that is acceptable to everyone involved. In the past, some government agencies - while technically meeting their formal obligations to solicit feedback from the business community £Shave seemed only to go through the motions. The EPA, on the other hand, after being made aware of industry's concerns and Taiwan's new place in the world trading system, recognized that the business community needed to be given sufficient time to comment on the proposed regulations, that implementation of the rules need not be rushed, and that certain changes to the regulations were necessary. Its handling of this issue as a good example of what can be accomplished when government and business work together to achieve public objectives while also eliminating unnecessary burdens for businesses and consumers.

by Lucien Crowder


Sharing Responsibility for Security
The U.S. government is cooperating with the American business community overseas to help to raise security awareness and improve protection.

The rise of the global terrorist threat - and its extension to "soft targets" previously regarded as unlikely to be hit - has increased the need for vigilance by U.S. businesses and organizations around the world. To better assist and communicate with the private sector in the effort to improve security, the U.S. State Department has sponsored a network of Overseas Security Advisory Councils (OSACs) made up of representatives from American companies. Taipei recently has been designated as the 100th city to the added to the list.

This month the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) organized an initial meeting with some selected members of the U.S. business community here to introduce the concept. The group heard a presentation by John Goldener, the OSAC program's international security specialist for East Asia and the Pacific. He outlined the various advantages for companies of participating in the program, including easy access to numerous Federal agencies for assistance in solving problems and the ability to tap into constantly updated information on actual or potential security threats and how to deal with them. In addition, participating corporations benefit from the opportunity to share information and ideas with one another. "Normally companies may be reluctant to share information with competitors, but security is one area where they don't mind cooperating," said Goldener. The more everyone knows, the safer everyone becomes.

One of the OSAC objectives is to make companies aware of best security practices. Goldener emphasized the need, for example, to maintain effective emergency and business continuity plans, and to ensure that they undergo constant updating and testing. He suggested that the plans be submitted to outside review to gain an additional perspective and uncover any weaknesses.

While anti-terrorist measures are a major focus of OSAC's activities, it takes a broad view of security as also encompassing questions related to crime (including cyber crime), public health, and safety as a result of natural or man-made disasters. Another piece of advice from Goldener - "make sure there's a back-up for everything you do, and then have a back-up of your back-up's" - relates to protection against both deliberate attacks on corporate information and accidental losses during disasters. AIT plans to follow up by calling another meeting early in 2005 to involve a larger number of Taiwan-based U.S. operations. Interested companies will then be invited to take part in drawing up a charter for the Taipei OSAC and to formally launch the organization.

by Don Shapiro


Television Journalists Get a Mentor
A recent workshop run by CNN for the staff of its Taiwan affiliates provided advanced training, including discussion of professional ethics.

In an era in which many companies, in Taiwan but also abroad, have failed to meet the standards expected of them by regulators, the public, and shareholders, corporate social responsibility is a topic that AmCham has been addressing with increased frequency. A Chamber luncheon meeting this fall, for example, featured a talk by Ross Underwood, managing director of Merck Sharp & Dohme's Taiwan branch, on "Profits and Principle" - introducing his company's procedures for ensuring full compliance with ethical business practice.

Another recent example of corporate social responsibility came from an American company that is not an AmCham member and does not even maintain an office in Taiwan, yet is an integral part of the daily lives of many businesspeople residing here. CNN, the cable news network, in November ran a series of three day-and-a-half workshops for the news crews at Taiwan TV stations that are CNN affiliates. Similar programs have been conducted in many other locations in Asia.

In Taipei, about 100 TV news people - anchors, reporters, producers, and cameramen -took part in the sessions, which were led by correspondent Mike Chinoy, producer Tim Schwarz and cameraman Neil Bennett. Among the major subjects covered was journalistic ethics. "A lot of this involves decisions on what to put on the air, such as how much violence and gore is too much, as well as issues like staging and allowing advertisers to dictate the contents of a story," says Chinoy. Also discussed were the importance of planning and logistics, means of ensuring the safety of crews working in the field, the elements of a good TV story and how to use the medium most effectively, as well as an introduction to new technologies such as the videophone and digital newsgathering devices.

The outlay in money and time for CNN was substantial - flying eight employees in for a week, renting four function rooms in a leading hotel, and treating 100 seminar attendees to lunch and coffee breaks. Although the effort can be described as enlightened self-interest, since CNN benefits from raising the standards of affiliates with which it exchanges news film, it was also prompted by a CNN culture that harkens back to the days when the network was a fledgling upstart, breaking new ground with its global all-news operation.

"Most of the journalists here are relatively young and inexperienced, and the long tradition in the United States of covering news and debating the values involved is absent," says Chinoy. "We hope to share our experience with them in a way that helps the positive development of Taiwan's TV news industry."

by Don Shapiro
 
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