As part of the initiative of Taiwan’s “Indo-Pacific Regional Marine Debris Collaboration Platform,” the Ocean Affairs Council and Japan Clean Ocean Material Alliance (CLOMA) co-hosted the “Taiwan-Japan Marine Debris Governance × Circular Industry Exchange” today (July 31). Nearly 40 major multinational companies from Taiwan and Japan joined the online exchange, reaching a record high in both number and scale of participants. Taiwan's delegation is also set to head to the “2025 Tokyo Circular Economy Expo” in September, demonstrating a new phase of international cooperation.
 
CLOMA affirms Taiwan: Looks forward to deeper cooperation and blue value creation
 
  CLOMA is a cross-industry collaborative platform in Japan, integrating government, industry, academia, and civil sectors to promote sustainability and circular economy. Chairman of CLOMA’s International Cooperation Committee, Masaaki Fujiwara, emphasized in his remarks that since the signing of the Letter of Intent in 2024, Taiwan and Japan have engaged in close cooperation on marine debris management and plastic reuse. CLOMA looks forward to deepening bilateral business interactions through this in-depth exchange and building a more resilient regional partnership. Chairman Fujiwara also highly praised the technological capabilities of Taiwanese enterprises and expressed hope for more concrete collaborations in the future.
 
 Kuan Bi-ling: Advancing Taiwan as the Core Hub for Indo-Pacific Marine Debris Governance
 
  Ocean Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling pointed out that in response to the increasingly severe global marine debris problem, she has actively advocated for and promoted the “Indo-Pacific Regional Marine Debris Collaboration Platform” since assuming office. Through resource sharing and technological complementarity, the platform deepens regional cooperation and unites value alliances to construct an international network for addressing marine waste. She emphasized that there are no bystanders when it comes to marine debris — Taiwan must rise to the global stage and become a leader in marine debris governance across the Indo-Pacific region.
 
Nearly 40 Industry Representatives from Taiwan and Japan Gather to Showcase Full Chain Linkage
 
  The Ocean Affairs Council invited members of the “Indo-Pacific Regional Marine Debris Collaboration Platform.” This year, Taiwan’s participating members expanded to nearly 20 companies, including Far Eastern New Century, Pontex Polyblend, Ecomax Textile, Horng-En Group, Sun Jen Textile, Uni-Paragon Enterprise, Creative Tech Textile, Reborn Plas, Wynist Retail Solutions, Formosa Taffeta, Unicare Biotechnology Corporation, Zhongjie Biotechnology, Huabao Carbon Cycle Materials, Global Green Material, Dot Design, Hightrend Merchandise corp. Tzulai Branch.
 
  Japanese participants included leading corporations such as Daikin, Toyobo, Suntory, Oji Holdings, Chori, Kaneka, Unilever Japan, Fukuvi Chemical Industry, Green Science Alliance, and Dai Nippon Printing, forming a comprehensive industry network from technology provision and materials application to the development of recycled products.
 
  The OAC noted that this marks an important milestone in Taiwan-Japan technical exchanges on marine debris and lays a solid foundation for future cooperation. Through ongoing in-depth dialogue and demand matching, companies from both sides have reached initial consensus, creating an excellent opportunity for Taiwan to enter the global circular economy market.

Three Strategic Pillars of the Marine Debris Industry: Bridging Technology and Branding
 
  To advance Taiwan’s presence in international marine debris governance and the circular economy, the Ocean Affairs Council’s “Indo-Pacific Regional Marine Debris Collaboration Platform” promotes three strategies to connect resources across government, industry, and academia and build a resilient blue economy partnership network.
 
  First strategy: “Outbound” — With strong R&D capabilities and technological innovation, Taiwan aims to project its domestic blue supply chain onto the international stage.
 
  Second strategy: “Alliance-building” — The Ocean Affairs Council actively facilitates inter-ministerial collaboration and regional platform development, deepening policy and industrial linkages with Indo-Pacific countries, promoting regional circular economy diffusion and policy consensus, and expanding the breadth and depth of cooperation.
 
  Third strategy: “Coherence” — The Council will bridge regional supply and demand, integrate resource endowments and technical strengths under the platform framework, and build a complementary and resilient regional circular economy network through capacity building and technology transfer.
 
Taiwan-Japan Join Hands to Open a New Chapter in Indo-Pacific Marine Debris Governance: Extending to the Tokyo Circular Economy Expo
 
  The OAC noted that the exchange would continue its momentum abroad. Building on the fruitful outcomes of this forum, Taiwan’s delegation of approximately 15 companies will participate in the “2025 Tokyo Circular Economy Expo” this September. In addition to a dedicated forum, one-on-one matchmaking sessions between Taiwanese and Japanese enterprises will be arranged to deepen the cooperative foundation built today.

  A “Taiwan Ocean Circular Hub” exhibition zone will also be set up to systematically showcase Taiwan’s comprehensive strengths from policy initiatives to industrial innovation — offering Taiwan’s solutions to global marine debris challenges and presenting a tangible vision of a sustainable blue economy to the international community.