Una nuova Social Business City
In 2014, Executive Yuan of Taiwan launched “Social Enterprise Action Plan” as the guideline for accelerating the development of social enterprises in Taiwan. Therefore, year 2014 is marked as the starting year of social enterprise development in Taiwan. Executive Yuan continued to launch the second version of action plan as “Social Innovation Action Plan” in year 2018 for boosting social innovation force. Ministry of Labour and Ministry of Economic Affairs worked together executing the plans in the following four main areas:
- Law adjustment
- Platform building
- Subsidy
- Advocacy
Taoyuan City Government established “Social Business Center” under the Bureau of Youth Affairs in September 2017. Taoyuan City is the trailblazer in the development of social enterprises in Taiwan. With the advocacy and restless hardworking, Taoyuan City is accredited as “Social Business City” in 2019, the first and only social business city in Taiwan.
Taoyuan City strives to become an internationally affirmed city of social enterprises where young people can topple down the low-income structure through entrepreneurship, and citizens can solve social problems by themselves.
- Social Business Center is the main executor of the policies of Social Business City as follows:
- Draft, coordinate and integrate policies governing social enterprises in Taoyuan City
- Promote and supervise the strategic development of social enterprises
- Promote and implement social enterprise policies in Taoyuan City
- Promote and supervise social enterprise policy meetings and resolutions
- Supervise and manage the execution of social enterprise promotion projects
- Promote and oversee social enterprise talent cultivation and advocacy
- Incubate and advise social enterprise teams or companies
- Promote domestic and international exchanges for social enterprises
- Draft, coordinate and integrate other significant issues pertaining to social enterprises
Taoyuan Social Business Centre
For the long-term development of social business in Taoyuan City, Taoyuan Social Business Center renovated the idled space at B1 floor of Hsin-Fu Market General Building in Pingzen District as “Social Business Base”. In the near future, social business teams could move in and brings more momentum to the local community in Pingzen District.
For the subsidy, City government actively organized “Taoyuan Social Enterprise Entrepreneurship Competition.” So far, a total of 64 winning teams received a total of 2.4 million Taiwan dollars for the award. Since its establishment, it has provided a total of 3.16 million Taiwan dollars in equipment and 1.32 million on office space & rent subsidies (Table 1). It is hoped that Taoyuan will become the place where social enterprises start their dreams.
Taoyuan Social Business Center has close cooperation with Taipei Social Innovation Lab and Taichung Social Innovation Unit. The central and local governments have promoted the development of social business and innovation through various policies. To promote the concept of social business & innovation, Social Innovation Lab is established in Taipei, Social Business Center in Taoyuan, and Social Innovation Unit in Taichung.
Social Businesses in Taoyuan
By cooperating closely with Yunus Social Business Centre of National Central University, Social Business Center of Taoyuan City Government has been incubating and supporting many local social enterprises in Taoyuan City.
All the listed social enterprises are incubated or based in Taoyuan City. They are locally engaged and have close relationships with the local community. Taking local residents such as the elderly as an example, they could expand their social community by using the service of local social enterprises. All social business awareness events and seminars are open to the public, with the idea of providing all citizens with a new perspective on society.
The city of Taoyuan is a city in the throes of job and population growth. However, Taoyuan is also facing the problem of an ageing population. In fact, ‘Active Ageing’ is the goal the institutions are working towards: the elderly are part of the community and should be taken seriously. They should not be seen as a burden but as partners.
The city of Taoyuan works to connect every citizen regardless of age, education, gender, religion or political views. Social business is a new form of capitalism and Taoyuan City hopes to create a new ecosystem of economy for the benefit of all.
In Taiwan, social business & innovation have gradually budded under the influence of the global trend with diverse forms, including non-profit organizations, cooperatives, and companies. According to a survey in 2017, social innovation enterprises in Taiwan consist mostly of new micro-enterprises, which are established within the last three years and have a capital less than $160,000. Their operation objectives focus on food and agricultural innovation, environmental sustainability/protection, and social care.
Chu’s
Social Objective: Fix the issue of waste clothes
Infants and toddlers grow rapidly, hence, lots of clothes will be replaced quickly without fully used.
CHU’S wants to change the issue by:
1. Provide products made of natural fibers to reduce land pollution, water waste and carbon emissions.
2. In order to extend the use of clothes, CHU’S provides “buy-back” and “rental sharing” services.
3. Bring in cotton reproduction technology to make cotton resources more closely internal recycling.
Paws for Good
Social Objective: Fix the issue of stray animals and mentally and physically disabled group’s education
Paw For Good trains the abandoned dogs to be therapy dog so as to provide medical solution for mentally and physically disabled patient who needs animal therapy method.
Interacting with therapy dogs can help mentally and physically disabled patient to activate learning motivation, emotional regulation and social skills in order to live harmoniously with the society.
Beast Paradise
Social Objective: Fix the issue of pets’ daily supplies
Beast Paradise is a social enterprise which sells the daily supplies and food for pets. Those daily supplies are not only convenient for daily use, but also protective for environment. For instance, cat litter is made from peanut hull and it can be completely melted in water. In this way, breeders won’t generate the extra disposable waste.
Besides, Beast Paradise is also devoted to life education and animal rescue so as to reduce the situation of animal abandonment in the society.
The philosophy of Beast Paradise is “The Earth is not only the paradise for human beings, but also the heaven for animals, forever”
Cornerstone Social Enterprise
Social Objective: Fix the issue of women in underdeveloped country
Cornerstone Social Enterprise Provide women in underdeveloped country sufficient career training and sanitary equipment to improve the social situation of women.
Cornerstone Social Enterprise wants to change the issue by:
- Provide sanitary equipment to enhance the sanitary condition in remotes areas.
- Provide school houses and storage warehouses for remote areas.
- Provide vocational training, sales channel and information platform for female small farmers to help them develop sustainable agricultural economy system.
Thoo Design
Social Objective: Fix the issue of poverty
Because of family environment, and economic factors, some young people lost educational and employment opportunities. Compared with their peers who are still in the education system, these young people who leave school early must get early employment, face the dilemma of poor working environment, and low salary.Thoo Design want to change the issue by:
- Provide design courses and practice project. Make them accumulate their skill and experience.
- Provide the “Design Product Guide” to help the owner maintain their brand in the future.
- Provide design consultation service. Through the “co-creation workshop” to provide owners suggestions of their design work.
- Integrate the concept of environmental and social sustainability with third-party or social enterprise partners to develop cultural and creative products.
- Provide discounts for small organizations with social entrepreneurship missions.
Tipsy Made
Social Objective: Fix the issue of poverty
Because of family environment, and economic factors, some young people lost educational and employment opportunities. Compared with their peers who are still in the education system, these young people who leave school early must get early employment, face the dilemma of poor working environment, and low salary.Thoo Design want to change the issue by:
- Provide design courses and practice project. Make them accumulate their skill and experience.
- Provide the “Design Product Guide” to help the owner maintain their brand in the future.
- Provide design consultation service. Through the “co-creation workshop” to provide owners suggestions of their design work.
- Integrate the concept of environmental and social sustainability with third-party or social enterprise partners to develop cultural and creative products.
- Provide discounts for small organizations with social entrepreneurship missions.
Monster Environmental Technology
Social Objective: Fix the issue of organic waste
About 1.3 billion tons of food are discarded and wasted every year. The traditional way in Taiwan to deal with the organic waste such as composting yards, landfills, and incinerators not only have too much building cost, but also causes pollution.
Monster Environment Technology use the industrialized biological system of Black Soldier Fly to decompose and recycle bean dregs. Achieving complete circular economy.
Green Union
Social Objective: Fix the issue of urban-rural gap
Maintain the natural ecological cycle with friendly production, aim to improve the relationship between human and nature, and rise rural area economic creation. Introduce “digital technology management” to accelerate rural modernization, create niche incentives for young people to return to their hometowns.
To maintain the original ecological style of the countryside, through the agricultural tourism activities to link the cooperation between the farms to form a platform for co-creation.
A Glass of Time Studios
Social Objective: Fix the issue of waste clothes
The clothes waste issue of fast fashion is serious. “A GLASS OF TIME STUDIOS” solves this issue by recycling denim clothing such as jeans and remaking them into different items like pillow, tote bags and pet’s toys.
They have been cooperating with famous brand “Timberland” to remake Timberland’s old clothes to the new tote bags or accessories.
They hire employees from local disadvantaged community and middle-aged women who re-enter the job markets. They not only create an innovative circular economy company, but also revive the local job markets of community.
Micro PC
Social Objective: Solve the pollution issue of plastic microbeads in ocean
Micro PC aims to solve the problem of marine plastic microbeads. They provide sea area cleaning services through reclamation devices that can filter more than 90% of the plastic microbeads in the ocean.
This device can also clean out large and small marine trash such as plastic bags, plastic sheets and microbeads.
Moreover, they package them for re-use. It will, thus, create an environmentally friendly consumption and circular economy, diminishing the risk of marine life dying from plastic waste.
Package Plus
Social Objective: Reduce plastic waste and build eco-friendly reusable package material
The booming use of plastic packaging materials in online shopping has resulted in huge increase of waste. Materials such as cartons, bubble wrap cushioning and plastic packaging is made of substances that are difficult to be recycled and to be reused, which would cause irreversible damage to the environment.
Package Plus integrates the need of package materials from small and medium sized online sellers and purchases the environmentally friendly package materials altogether from the big paper mill company.
They provide one-stop package & shipping service to small and medial online seller. By this way, they can build an eco-friendly logistic system.
Moreover, Package Plus provides packaging job opportunities to people with disabilities or underprivileged
groups to improve their economic situation.
3R Marker & Design
Social Objective: Reduce excessive garbage and environment education for children
3R Maker & Design teaches children make toys from recycled pallets and cartons. Children get entertained and do good to the environment at the same time. Children are exposed to the idea of the importance of environment protection. Moreover,3R Maker & Design launched YouTube channel “Xiao Tian TV” and release videos of environment education to children and the public.
3R Maker & Design hope to carry out these three must-do things:
- Pick up rubbish: Clean the street, clean the beach, clean the forest, and pick up rubbish in everyday life at anytime and anywhere.
- Reduce garbage: Use self-prepared environmentally friendly containers and shopping bags. Reduce garbage anytime, anywhere in your life.
- Recycle garbage: Recycle garbage and remake them as second-hand toys if possible.
NeighborCook
Social Objective: Provide healthy dinning option to promote the importance of health
The Application developed by “NeighborCook” could connect college students (“Foodie”) and nearby off-campus community(“Cookie”) achieving the need of healthy homemade food.
It provides an alternative dining option for college students. It can solve the problems of uneven nutrition intake and improper selection of ingredient.
Moreover, “NeighborCook” would like to create a local community through such platform
Mr.Good Social Enterprise
Social Objective: Promote SDGs to the public
Focusing on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as the guideline, Mr. Good Social Enterprise organizes various events with for-profit companies to advocate the importance of the sustainable development in Taiwan.
Besides, Mr. Good Social Enterprise cooperates with “Wa’s Up Studio” to develop Taiwan’s first SDGs based board game – Children’s Formosa.
The Third Life Tecnology
Social Objective: Empower the elders
Taiwan is about to enter an ultra-aging society by 2025. Many senior citizens lose their purpose and meaning in life after retirement. The average sickness year right before the death of Taiwan’s senior citizens is about 7-8 years. The average cost of care service for each senior citizen is as high as 3 to 4 million Taiwan dollars. Gradually, “Senior Citizens” become a burden.
“The Third Life Technology” hopes to reverse this phenomenon and start from the prevention then empower the elders. They could get a sense of achievement and social participation by attending social groups and all variety of activities cater for them. “Being old” is not a burden, but a trend and a new life force.
Here are the services provided by “The Third Life Technology” (TLT):
- Courses & Event: TLT launch Interactive seminars for senior citizens. TLT has the most professional occupational therapist team to lead the elders in event. The elder could learn about physical health and disease during event.
- Training senior citizens to instructors: Senior Citizens get trained as the leader of event or seminar.
- Digital Marketing-helping manage Facebook Fan page: TLT is also a profession digital marketing team that help clients manage their Facebook Fan page.
- Speaker’s event: TLT was a volunteer group so they have professional experience on volunteering training.
- Educational Training: TLT provides service course with regard to the elders.
We TIC
Social Objective: Promote the understanding of Tourette Syndrome and eradicate the stigma of Tourette Syndrome
“We TIC” has been promoting the understanding of Tourette Syndrome and working on eradicating the stigma of Tourette Syndrome. They host many educational events on campus to teach teachers and students about Tourette Syndrome.
“We TIC” launched a sound suppression mask that could mute almost 96% noise. This is truly a game changer. It allows Tourette Syndrome patients go outside without getting rude stares from the public.
Re Green
Social Objective: Create a zero-waste and eco-friendly environment
“Re Green” launched a “Zero Waste Fertilizer Machine” that could transform waste food ingredients to fertilizer.
Kaviilan
Social Objective: Reform the production-selling system of peach so no off-grade fruit is wasted
“Kavilan” is one of the tribes on Lala Mountain, located in the Fuxing District of Taoyuan City, with an altitude of 700-1000 meters above sea level.
The excellent geographical environment is quite suitable for the cultivation of vegetables and fruits such as sweet persimmon, cabbage, peach, etc. Among them, peach is the main agricultural product. Due to the aging population and people migration, tribal farmers have no ability to operate their own sale channels, and can only rely on wholesalers. As a result, price is often severely lowered.
Kaviiland works on establishing a new production and marketing model so that most of the profits could go back to the farmers.
In this way, fruit farmers can focus on their profession and produce higher-quality fruits and vegetables. At the same time, tribal parents can spend more time participating in and accompanying their children’s growth without the need for additional odd jobs after farming.
Kaviiland launched beer made of off-grade peach, lychee and seasonal fruits. These crafted beer products are highly acclaimed by customers.
Balloon on Demand Social Enterprise
Social Objective: Train physically-challenged people with balloon art for entering back to workforce
The founder of “Balloon on demand Social Enterprise co., Ltd”, Mr. Hsuan-Cheng Liu, is physically challenged due to accident.
“Balloon on demand Social Enterprise co., Ltd” has been training the physically challenged and the second generation of the new residents to get the skill of balloon art. This skill allows them get street artist credentials, providing a different employment option.
