Taiwan will launch a new voluntary “circular label” scheme in March to encourage companies to adopt resource-efficient production and recycling practices, initially covering four product categories including plastics and textiles, the environment ministry said.
The label, designed to promote circular economy models, will set more flexible requirements than the island’s existing eco labelling programme, which follows strict international standards assessing multiple environmental impacts. Instead, the new scheme will focus primarily on resource circularity, allowing products with lower recycled content thresholds to qualify.
In its first phase, the programme will accept applications from manufacturers of plastic goods, textile products, refillable glass containers and circular services such as packaging reuse systems, according to a draft guideline discussed at a government meeting in early February.
For textiles, while the current eco label requires recycled material content of at least 50 per cent for fabrics and over 90 per cent for yarns, the circular label would only mandate between 5 per cent and 20 per cent, alongside design features that facilitate recycling, such as single material construction.
Plastic and glass products seeking certification must demonstrate refill or reuse models through official waste-management reporting systems. Circular service providers – including container rental and cleaning, reusable packaging, and the recirculation of IT equipment and furniture – must submit documentation on sanitation procedures, durability and repairability.
Certification will be valid for three years and may be renewed once, after which companies must reapply to ensure ongoing compliance.
Officials said products bearing the circular label would be prioritised in government procurement as Taiwan seeks to expand green purchasing to NT$160 billion (US$5 billion) by 2030, accounting for 10 per cent of public procurement. The environment ministry has already begun pilot measures, sourcing uniforms made from recycled materials and adopting circular service models for some office equipment.
Environmental groups welcomed the initiative but urged authorities to introduce clearer long-term targets and stronger transparency measures.
Tseng Tzu-chun, project manager at a non-profit Taiwan Environmental Information Association, said the government should consider a graded system to distinguish products by recycled content or overall circular performance, enabling consumers to better understand environmental benefits.
She also recommended adopting digital product passports, similar to policies under development in the European Union, to track a product’s lifecycle from design to disposal.
Other groups raised questions about whether small local businesses operating refill systems would be eligible, and whether standards would eventually cover specialised packaging such as pharmaceutical blister packs.
The government-backed Resource Circulation Administration said the programme’s initial rollout would focus on guidance and promotion, with regulators conducting periodic inspections to reduce the risk of “greenwashing”. Officials added that the scheme would be gradually expanded to include additional industries and business models, including packaging-free shops and local refill services.
The latest move builds on a broader, long-term strategy outlined in Taiwan’s draft 2050 Circular Economy Roadmap, released last October and scheduled for finalisation this year.
The plan set targets to double resource productivity, cut per-capita material use by about 30 per cent and raise the island’s circularity rate to 2.5 times its 2020 level, while shifting the island’s policy focus from waste management toward a full circular economy system.
