Taoyuan/Bonn (27 March 2020) – Taoyuan City, in cooperation with ICLEI, now serves as the chair for the first international EcoLogistics community. To coordinate the development of the EcoLogistics initiative and projects across sectors, the Taoyuan City Government has set up the EcoLogistics Community Chair Office to further facilitate this work over the next 2 years. The Opening Ceremony took place on March 26 in Taoyuan City’s Comprehensive Conference Hall.

The Chair Office will bring industries, government, universities, and institutes together to promote the concept of EcoLogisitcs in five demonstration areas in Taoyuan. In 2020 and 2021, ICLEI and Taoyuan City will work together to develop EcoLogistics indicators. By leveraging ICLEI’s extensive network of 1,750 member cities, the Chair Office will promote Taoyuan’s excellent EcoLogistics experiences worldwide, opening a new model of urban diplomacy.

“EcoLogistics” promotes the transportation of goods by giving priority to health, safety, people-centered and low-emission urban development. On the island of Taiwan, nearly 80 percent of the country’s logistics companies, totalling more than 2,000 companies, are located in Taoyuan, including UPS, FedEx, DHL, MOMO, Lativ, PChome, and other well-known domestic and foreign industries, with an annual total output value of more than TWD 500 billion.

Mayor Wen-Tsan Cheng said that Taoyuan, as the center of the island’s logistics industry, has the responsibility to lead the global EcoLogistics community by example. To step up the commitment, Taoyuan set up the Chair Office for cross-sectoral coordination, communication and to facilitate partnership among stakeholders from the public and private, domestic and abroad, aiming to effectively balance the economic, social and environmental sustainability.

Mayor Wen-Tsan Cheng pointed out that EcoLogistics is an emerging topic gaining importance in the international realm. Taking into consideration people, the environment, transportation, energy, and construction, the City has proposed five EcoLogisitcs demonstration areas which each represent local features in logistics processes from packaging to storage, to transport and delivery. These areas include the Airport Storage and Logistics area, the Shalun Green Storage Park, the Qingpu Green Energy Logistics Cluster, the China Post Logistics and Huaya Science and Technology Park, and the Daxi Historic District.

In these demonstration areas, sustainable and smart logistics solutions are being planned and implemented in the overall industrial chain, including policies for management of freight traffic, routes and vehicles, as well as subsidies and regulatory measures targeting green warehousing, packaging, and recycling. Feasibility studies on innovations such as shared logistics and smart pick-up are also being  conducted.

Using the Shalun Green Storage Park as an example, Mayor Wen-Tsan Cheng emphasized that the Park has incorporated an intelligent traffic management system that introduces traffic flow, parking regulations, over-speed detection, and electronic signage guidance to prevent and mitigate congestion for freight transportation. The Park has also adopted a solar energy system and installed a smart energy storage to stabilize the grid power supply of clean energy to logistic operators.

Jiunn-Ming Chiou, the Deputy Secretary-General of the municipal government and the Chief Executive Officer of the EcoLogistics Community Chair Office, pointed out that Taoyuan’s experience and expertise will contribute to the development of EcoLogistics indicators imperative for driving local actions in the global city network.

As the lead city, Taoyuan is working closely with ICLEI to actively develop EcoLogistics indicators which aim for global cities to stocktake logistics status, self-evaluate potential options, identify strategies and measure impacts. These indicators are expected to be launched at the EcoLogistics International Forum scheduled to be held from September 22 to 23.

The opening ceremony was attended by Mayor Wen-Tsan Cheng, and representatives from the Executive Yuan, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Environmental Protection Administration, Taoyuan City Council, the European Chamber of Commerce Taiwan, and industrial stakeholders from the Global Logistics & Commerce Council of Taiwan and major logistics companies to witness Taoyuan’s first milestone in achieving the next level of sustainable urban development – EcoLogistics.

This press release was originally issued by Taoyuan City Government: Chen-Sheng Su, Director, EcoLogistics Community Chair Office,  0922918267.