Sustainable support for the local community in Taiwan
Social responsibility is a top priority at RONAL GROUP in Zhushan, Taiwan. For years, the site has supported local nonprofit organizations and environmental projects. In 2022, it celebrated its 20th anniversary and used the anniversary year as an opportunity to give some of that success back to the community. This commitment continues to grow in 2023.
To kick off the anniversary year of 2022, the RONAL GROUP site in Taiwan launched a collaboration with the Zhushan Ecological Protection Association, an association that promotes environmental protection in the city of Zhushan. The first act of cooperation was a tree-planting drive in the newly created Little Huangshan Scenic Area recreation park. The park is located on the bank of the Qingshui River on the border between the counties of Nantou and Yunlin. All the employees at the site took part in the drive along with their families. Managing Director YS Tsai and the association’s board of directors planted the first seedling in the ground together before the employees planted and watered a total of 15 robinia seedlings and 15 young cassia trees. The event was a huge success, especially for the employees’ children, who helped out with boundless energy while learning about trees and environmental protection in the process.
Employees on park maintenance duty
RONAL GROUP Taiwan also sponsored a decorative truck wheel from its own production line for the Little Huangshan Scenic Area, and a solar-powered light column that will illuminate the park from 5 p.m. to 6 a.m. in the future. “The light column is a symbol of good neighborliness and cooperation with the Zhushan Ecological Protection Association for the benefit of our city of Zhushan”, said Managing Director YS Tsai at the inauguration. As a sign of their approval, those attending the event released colorful, biodegradable balloons into the sky.
Since then, the maintenance of the Little Huangshan Scenic Area has been an integral part of RONAL GROUP Taiwan’s activities. They hold a monthly “Cleaning Day,” where employees get involved in weeding, pick up any trash that is lying around, and carry out park maintenance. The plan is to expand these activities in the near future and plant another 45 tree seedlings.
Sponsorship of the Special Olympics boccia team
Our Taiwanese site continued to provide help in its anniversary year – this time to a newly established Special Olympics boccia team consisting of eight boys and three girls with physical and mental disabilities. The team was formed in May 2022 by the St. Coletta Catholic Training Center, part of The Rose organization which promotes training and support for people with physical or mental disabilities and families in need. The Rose has been working with RONAL GROUP Taiwan since 2015.
Our site provides the boccia team with weekly training sessions run by an experienced coach, and funds both equipment and travel expenses to competitions. The children do not just have fun in the regular training sessions, they also train their leg muscles, and improve hand-eye coordination and concentration. They have been successful, too. In October 2022, the team won second and third place in the nationwide Special Olympics boccia competition “Taichung City Special Olympics Inclusive Education” organized by the “Taichung Sports Association for People with Disabilities”.
Learning about the responsible use of water
In line with PLANBLUE’s commitment to protect the planet’s resources, the Taiwan site also put together a team of environmentalists. The aim is to help neighboring communities and schools raise awareness for environmental protection. On March 31, 2023, the team at the site organized an environmental education day for ten primary school students and four teachers from Zhushan National Primary School. The aim of the day was to teach the children the importance of water as a resource and how to use it sparingly.
During the event, the children were given a tour of the entire production process and water recycling system at the Taiwan site. They learned how our site uses recycled water for secondary purposes, effectively reducing water waste. The children actively participated in quiz games and made posters to present their views and ideas. This not only gave them an insight into the importance of water resources, but also taught them how each individual can make a difference to the environment by using less water. The day was a success, which was confirmed with lots of positive feedback. Further events of this kind are planned.
