The Netherlands Trade and Investment Office Circular Economy Forum & Business Matchmaking Meeting

From Sustainability to Circular Regeneration: Challenging International Conference Records for Minimizing Waste

This project, a significant extension of the " 2018 Taichung Flora Exposition Netherlands Pavilion " series of events, was executed on a grand scale in both Taichung and Taipei. By inviting leading Dutch companies to Taiwan and collaborating extensively with the Taipei and Taichung city governments, a crucial dialogue platform on the "circular economy" issue was successfully established between Taiwanese and Dutch industries. To foster tangible economic benefits, matchmaking events were held to accelerate technological collaboration and business cooperation between companies from both sides.

Visual hardware go circular, a record of extreme waste reduction

From hardware setup to administrative check-in materials, all one-time waste is eliminated, which not only reduces the environmental burden but also allows items to enter the recycling system.

1. Instead of the traditional disposable stage backdrop, an easy-to-unfold format is used, which can be reused repeatedly at the two forums in northern and central Taiwan, thus eliminating the generation of large-scale waste at the source.
2. Bottled water is strictly prohibited on site, in order to fully implement the spirit of resource recycling.
3. Through strict item management and process control, the total amount of waste generated at the high-level international forum was only one small bag (about the size of a basketball), setting a new benchmark for sustainability conferences.
4. Promotional materials, invitations, agendas, and handbooks are all digitized, and attendees can access them by scanning a QR code, greatly reducing paper consumption.

Issue promotion, business opportunity matching and exchange

Blaauw, the "Netherlands Circular Economy Hotspot Ambassador," was specially invited to share global industry trends and promote the circular economy through speeches and forums. The business matchmaking event also assisted Taiwanese and Dutch companies in connecting with core technologies and resources in the construction, finance, and livestock sectors. 109 people attended the Taichung event and 177 people attended the Taipei event, with attendance rates exceeding 90% for both events. International attendees comprised approximately 30% of the participants.