To align with international sustainability trends and encourage the public sector to actively respond to circular procurement of furniture, Sinotech Engineering Consultants, Ltd. partnered with IKEA to assist the Resource Circulation Administration (RECA) of the Ministry of Environment (MoENV) in hosting the "International Trends and Practical Exchange Workshop on Green Design for Furniture" on May 29, 2026, promoting the practice of circular procurement for furniture.
The Ministry of Environment drafted an amendment to the "Waste Disposal Act" and the "Resource Recycling Act," merging and renaming it as the "Resource Circulation Promotion Act." The bill passed its third reading in the Legislative Yuan on June 2, 2025. In the future, the implementation of product green design will be fully realized, encouraging products to transition toward "utilizing mono-materials and recycled contents, being easy to repair, upgradeable, or enhanced in durability." With this legislation, the government has obtained a legalized mandate to shift from end-of-pipe recycling to full-lifecycle source management, enabling a more proactive advancement of various sustainable product policies.
In 2025, the European Union included furniture products in the priority regulatory list of the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR). In response to this international trend, this workshop was held at the IKEA North Asia Taipei Headquarters. It brought together central ministries, the "Green Finance and Consumption Group" of the MoENV's Renewable Resource Recycling and Reuse Promotion Committee, affiliated units of the MoENV, and environmental protection bureaus from various local governments. In addition to analyzing the latest EU regulatory policies and trends, the event highlighted the practical experience of IKEA, a global enterprise, in promoting "leasing instead of buying" and "Product-as-a-Service (PaaS)." The goal was to explore how circular procurement can lead the way in overturning linear consumption and guiding industries toward a sustainable and circular transformation in the face of the EU's ESPR framework.
By having the public sector spearhead the demonstration of circular procurement, it will not only build consensus and capacity by connecting central and local government agencies with the industry but also expand the tangible performance of green procurement. It is hoped that through cross-sector collaboration, domestic circular industries can be nurtured simultaneously, together turning the wheel of Taiwan's resource circulation value chain.
