Sustainability

Environment

Climate change and natural disasters are becoming increasingly prevalent, threatening business operations and resource allocation. To mitigate the impact of our operations and uphold our commitment to environmental protection, we take concrete actions to conserve energy and reduce our carbon footprint, promoting green building and renewable energy principles, and advocating a circular economy.

Sustainable Environment

Maximize resource efficiency and commit to recycled materials with minimal environmental impact

Learn more

Environmental Education

Uphold green living principles embodied by the Environmental Education Act

Learn more

Sustainable Environment

Management Performance

  • In 2021, the Group’s energy-saving and carbon-reduction actions reduced a total of 497.82 metric tons of CO2e, a growth rate of 6.4%
  • In 2021, the usage of renewable energy was equivalent to 2,008,464 kWh, translate to 1,008.25 metric tons of CO2e reduced
  • In 2021, the Group’s sludge reduced 2,587 tons, a growth rate of 152.6%
  • In 2021, the Group’s green procurement amounted to NT$1,470,090 thousand dollars, a growth rate of 329.4%

CHC Greenhouse Gas Emission, Water Consumption, Waste Volume by year

Note:

  1. Greenhouse gas emission, water consumption, and waste volume data covers CHC and subsidiaries, namely Continental Engineering Corporation, Continental Development Corporation, and HDEC Corporation, etc. 
  2. Greenhouse gas emission data has been partially certified by SGS Taiwan for 2019, 2020, and 2021. The certified greenhouse gas emission accounted for 55%, 52%, and 22% of total emission in 2019, 2020, and 2021 respectively as stated in ISO 14064-1:2018 certification.

Management Strategies and Actions

CHC Group continue to enhance management policy for energy and resource, which includes energy savings, waste reduction and less water consumption action plans. In order to ensure proper energy and resource allocation, as well as to improve efficiency, the Group set up management mechanism and action plan and promote green evolution revolving 5 aspects: energy savings for office building, green behavior within business sites, green building, engaging in renewable energy, and improving efficiency for water treatment. On the other hand, CHC Group introduces ISO 14064-1:2018 standard in stages, and also starts to develop measurement and recording measures digitally, and set up proper base index to promote carbon footprint management across the Group.

Measures taken to achieve the Goal:

  1. Energy savings for office building
    Introduced high-efficiency digital tools, e-form, and smart control system, along with management mechanism and deepening energy-savings culture. With less energy, paper, and water is consumed, as well as less waste generated and less greenhouse gas emitted, the operation of office building loosens its environmental impact.
  2. Green behavior within business sites
    Introduce green technology towards construction and continue to enhance variety technological applications for construction. Through boosting resource usage efficiency, lowering pollutant emission, water consumption savings, and reducing general waste, business activities can lower its negative impact on the environment. Moreover, the “low pollutant, recyclable, high efficiency resource” procurement policy along with adoption of system formwork result in opportunities to seek for resource circulation. For example, precise calculation and increasing usage of reclaimed material such as fly ash and slag can raise the hardness and quality of cement and also reduce usage for high-carbon footprint raw materials; aforementioned practice can also result in green construction, reducing carbon footprint, and raising quality effects.
  3. Green building
    Continue to increase total number for green building certification and increase usage for green materials and environmental-friendly building materials. With concept of circular economy in creating green building, building design is integrated with afforestation, water resource reuse, daily energy savings, and safe living environment features.
  4. Engaging in renewable energy
    Reuse of biogas products from wastewater treatment process and assess the feasibility of biogas power generation plan and renewable energy plan, in order to lower the dependency on fossil fuel and migrate to economy with low-carbon footprint and to continue increase usage of renewable energy.
  5. Improving efficiency for water treatment
    Implementation of ISO 14001 Environmental Management System and ISO 50001 Energy Management System for the Group’s water resource center. Installment of smart electricity meter to monitor equipment remotely and track real-time electricity consumption, in order to study and analyze electricity consumption and monitor units with exceptional usage. Implement energy saving and control mechanism based on ISO 50001 standard, and continue to lower electricity consumption for effluent treatment per unit and maximize consumption efficiency through effective management practice towards water resource centers.

Achievements and efforts:

CHC Group strive to increase energy consumption efficiency and continue to migrate to energy with low emission; the energy intensity index for 2021 remained unchanged from the previous year. Total electricity consumed decreased 2.1% for HQ building in 2021, through intelligence monitoring system which precisely controls and schedules electricity supply for air conditioning and lightings in public areas. For effluent treatment, with optimal operation mode, enhanced energy-saving equipment, and reuse of biogas, per metric ton of electricity consumption was 0.28kWh in 2021 which was flat compared 2020 or 12.5% lowered compared to 2019, despite total effluent treatment processed volume increased 3.9% year-over-year and the legal water quality standard became stricter. As for reducing carbon footprint practice, the Group periodically replace low-efficiency and high energy-consuming equipment with most advanced technology-equipped machines; through promoting reuse of biogas to reduce fossil fuel consumption, quantified energy savings of 497.82 metric tons of CO2e was calculated in 2021. The Group will continue to study energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission to develop management strategy for its greenhouse gas reduction plan. An equivalent 2,008,464 kWh of renewable energy was consumed in 2021, which translate to 1,008.25 tons of carbon footprint reduced. Despite equipment maintenance in last 2 years resulted in less renewable energy produces, the Group will continue to invest in renewable energy and discover various applications to increase the adoption rate for renewable energy.

Environmental Education

CHC Group provides comprehensive water treatment services of reclaimed water treatment, wastewater treatment, and water purification processing, dedicating itself for Taiwan’s water resource sustainability development and environmental protection. Meanwhile, the Group actively holds knowledge exchange sessions between industry peers, governmental departments, and academia. Through education on wastewater treatment, showcasing wastewater treatment and reclaimed water treatment techniques, and sharing of water treatment experience, the Group also show effort of training environmental engineers. Experimental sessions for younger students not only promote the importance of water resource but also enrich students’ knowledge and understanding for Taiwan’s sustainable development in water resource. Public touring sessions led by volunteers allow the public to understand the current status, technologies, and trend of water resource; this also shows the Group’s dedication for environmental education in water resource. These related sessions serviced 1,854 people in 2021, and has serviced 9,339 people since 2019.

Accumulated Environmental Education Serviced by CHC Group

Fengshan Water Resource Center

The Group’s Fengshan Water Resource Center is one of the six wastewater treatment pilot plant, with an average of 109.6 thousand tons of wastewater processed daily and capacity of 130 thousand tons. The plant services Fengshan, Daliao, and Niaosong districts, covering 98,284 household in wastewater treatment, ensuring a clean and smell-less Fengshan River to the public. Fengshan Water Resource Center is also the first reclaimed water BTO project to begin operation in Taiwan, supplying 45 thousand CMD of reclaimed water daily for Linhai Industrial Park. This increase the dependability and flexibility in water resource deployment, and has become a solid backup for industrial need especially under potential climate risks. Fengshan Water Resource Center marks an important milestone for water resource circulation in Taiwan. The landscape planning of the Fengshan Water Resource Center surrounded with wetland park and river corridor creates a place where water resources, environment, and ecology can flourish together. It is the first educational park in Taiwan with reclaimed water as the main theme, and has received Environmental Education Facility Certification in 2020. In order to promote the importance of water resources conservation, a "Water Science and Technology Education Hall" has been set up in the park, which combines sound and lighting technology to enhance public’s awareness in preserving every drop of water. Environmental education conference and strategic alliance info session, partnering with other education facilities, also enrich the content for environmental education. On the other hand, Fengshan Water Resource Center actively promotes the importance of diverse water resource in extreme climate through campus visits and public touring sessions in regards of drought and water shortage in 2021. With President Tsai and media visits around the world, Fengshan Water Resource Center has become one of the best educational center in Taiwan. A total of 39 environmental education experience sessions were held in 2021, with a total of 1,180 people participated.

Tamsui Water Resource Center

The Group’s Tamsui Water Resource Center processes 56 thousand tons of wastewater daily, with service covering Tamsui Urban Development Zone, Zhuwei Urban Development Zone, and Danhai New Town areas and totaling 86,496 households. With 15 years into operation, the center is well-known for persisting in disposing treated water that is higher than legal effluent standard into Linzi River to ensure a satisfying living environment and a riverside park for the public. Tamsui Water Resource Center is awarded with Green Building Silver Label for its main building, and also meets other requirements such as water conservation of base, less energy consumption and reduced carbon footprint, and reduced waste. Moreover, the center acquired the Environmental Education Facilities certification in July 2021. Adhering to the core spirit of "Living with the Environment" and "Integration with Nature", the center continues to hold water resource educational sessions and actively convey correct and innovative concepts to participants. Tamsui Water Resource Center strives to promote environmental protection and sustainability awareness, so participants can gain knowledge and practical skills towards environment and train themselves to cherish the environment and resources. In 2021, a total of 19 sessions of Shore Cleaning & Conserve the Ocean, professional education on effluent treatment, and site visits were conducted, along with a total of 490 participants.

Anping Water Resource Center

The Group’s Anping Water Resource Center is designed with the capacity of 160 thousand tons of wastewater treatment daily; 139,324 tons of current treatment is conducted daily and disposed into Anping Bay. The center’s servicing coverage includes Anping District, Mid-West District, North District, and part of South District and East District, totaling of 127,489 households. Moreover, the southwest part of the site is currently constructing its reclaimed water plant. The new plant is designed with 60 thousand tons of treatment capacity, with 10 thousand tons and 37.5 thousand tons of reclaimed water production capacity in 2022 and 2024 respectively. The total reclaimed rate can reach 54.6%, and the center is expected to become one of the major water supplier for Taiwan Technology Park to reduce the pressure of water supply shortage. Anping Water Resource Center passed ISO 50001 Energy Management System certification in 2021, and is planned to add features of environmental education, community gathering, and city sightseeing. With the goal of turning the site into public park and reusing of sludge waste, the center will reach new milestone engaging in community services. Totaled 17 sessions of effluent treatment educational session and site visits were conducted in 2021, with participants totaled 203 people.