Environmental Groups: Plastic Raw Material Shortage but Exports Increase, Reduce Exports to Prioritize Medical Supplies

Taipei, April 13 (CNA) The Middle East conflict has triggered a plastic crisis in Taiwan. Environmental groups pointed out that despite a shortage of plastic raw materials, exports have surged compared to the same period last year, urging a reduction in exports to prioritize medical supplies. The Ministry of Environment stated that it has promoted a reusable bag program to alleviate domestic supply and demand anxiety for daily necessities. The Environmental Rights Foundation issued a press release today, stating that according to customs export data, compared to the same period last year, ethylene polymer, the main raw material for plastic bags, saw an increase of over 19,000 tons in exports in March this year, a growth of over 26%. The main destination for this export increase was China, with ethylene polymer exports to China (including Hong Kong) increasing by over 8,200 tons in March compared to the same period last year, a growth of 22.5%. The Environmental Rights Foundation believes that the current phenomenon of domestic plastic raw material supply anxiety coupled with surging exports is due to domestic manufacturers, whose exports originally accounted for 70% of sales, taking advantage of the rare rise in the international plastic raw material market after years of sluggishness, thus increasing exports. The Environmental Rights Foundation stated that the government's current policy to stabilize the supply of upstream petrochemical raw materials comes at the cost of prematurely ending CPC's Fourth Naphtha Cracker overhaul, increasing industrial safety and environmental risks, and CPC's losses. It should not become a stepping stone for a few manufacturers to gain export windfall profits by "tightening at the rear, eating tightly at the front." The Environmental Rights Foundation made three appeals: suspend and review CPC's policy of increasing the supply of upstream petrochemical raw materials, allowing the Fourth Naphtha Cracker to complete its scheduled overhaul, reducing CPC's burden of unnecessary losses; strongly demand major manufacturers to reduce exports and prioritize ensuring the supply of core critical needs such as domestic medical supplies; and expand incentives to reduce the use of general consumer plastic packaging, plastic bags, and other single-use plastics, to strengthen Taiwan's resilience in the face of geopolitical risks in the supply chain. In response to the calls from civil groups, the Resource Circulation Administration of the Ministry of Environment stated that source reduction has been implemented in various concrete measures, in addition to the existing restrictions on the use of plastic bags for 14 types of establishments and restrictions on single-use plastic cups. Currently, it is actively promoting the "Bag-to-Bag Transfer" reusable bag circulation mechanism and collaborating across sectors with digital payment providers such as EasyCard Pay to guide the public to reduce the use of single-use beverage cups and shopping plastic bags through tangible feedback. The Resource Circulation Administration stated that by promoting the reusable bag program, the demand for virgin plastic raw materials can be substantially reduced, thereby alleviating domestic supply and demand anxiety for daily necessities. In the future, it will continue to strengthen diverse incentive mechanisms, making "plastic reduction" not only an environmental action but also allowing resources to be used more flexibly through a circular economy model. (Editor: Wu Su-jou) 1150413