The Circular Economy

Charles Huang黃育徽, Founder, Taiwan Circular Economy Network

Today's linear ‘take, make, use, dispose' economic model, which relies on large quantities of cheap, easily-accessible materials and energy, is unlikely to be sustained owing to growing pressures on resources. Global policy makers and business leaders are now seeking another economic model based on higher resource efficiency. A circular economy is one in which the value of products and materials is maintained for as long as possible, waste and resource use are minimised and resources are kept within the economy to be used again and again to create further value.

The circular economy is gaining increasing attention in Europe and around the world as a new economic model. The World Economic Forum has been running a related global project - Towards a Circular Economy - for two years to tackle the global challenges to the environment and resource security. In addition, last December the European Commission adopted an ambitious circular economy package to transform its economy towards a more circular one, which has the potential to generate new business opportunities, create jobs and boost competitiveness. And yet, many business leaders embrace the circular economy as a strategy to open the path to growth and profitability.

At this event our guest speaker will explain the concept of a circular economy and introduce representative cases to illustrate how business can leverage the global drive towards a circular economy.

Charles Huang is the founder of Taiwan Circular Economy Network. He is also the founder of Taiwan Composting Association, where he champions circular agriculture by advocating a clean and safe environment by producing fertilisers and bio-energy from local waste. In addition, he is on the boards of New Frontier Foundation, a public policy think tank and Hao-Ran Foundation, a leading philanthropic institution dedicated to harnessing human rights, protecting the environment and supporting the development of healthy farming. Previously Huang was the Chairman and CEO of TSRC Corporation, a leading synthetic rubber manufacturer and marketer. Earlier in his professional career, he worked for Exxon Corporation before moving into consulting with Booz.Allen and Hamilton, assisting clients from diverse industries in many different parts of the world. He was also a senior consultant to the CTCI Group. As a concerned parent, Huang had served on the board of the Taipei American School for nine years. He holds a degree in chemistry and an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania.