Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (left) and Minister of Digital Affairs Audrey Tang (right) at the event's official opening ceremony

In order to help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) implement a digital shift and follow the international trend of net zero, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) and the Ministry of Digital Affairs (moda) partnered to organize the 2022 Green and Digital Transformation Joint Achievement Expo at Warehouses 2 and 3 of Songshan Cultural and Creative Park from October 22 to 25, 2022. Today (22) morning, Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花) and Minister of Digital Affairs Audrey Tang (唐鳳) kicked off the event along with representatives from 5 government agencies, and 15 public associations and business and academic institutions. Nearly 300 enterprises are attending the expo, which includes diverse activities and experiences in addition to transformation forums that display the achievements in digital transformation and sustainability and highlights of Taiwan's SMEs.

Currently, industries around the world are faced with the two important missions of achieving digital transformation and net zero emissions. These have already changed consumer lifestyles and transformed the norms of industry development. During her speech, Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花)  stated that TCloud, launched on July 1 last year (2021), assembles cloud solutions suitable for SMEs. The government has offered subsidies of up to NT$30,000 per business and helped 33,000 enterprises to date. The expo showcases digital tools used by various businesses and industries to develop new business models. Another point of focus is circular economy, such as recycling oyster shells and PET bottles for reuse in fashion and textiles. This creates green business opportunities and opens up new horizons for traditional industries such as oyster farming and textiles. Finally, micro enterprises from across Taiwan are harnessing the power of clusters by combining digital marketing tools with local specialty products to bridge the gap between consumers and place of production. We hope that various agencies and public associations can work together to invigorate SMEs to better meet the demands of this era.

During their speech, Minister Audrey Tang (唐鳳) also emphasized that one of the key objectives of moda is to assist with industry digital transformation. By facilitating horizontal communication and offering matchmaking resources, moda assists public and private institutions to find digital tools that can enhance resilience, improve service quality, and increase efficiency. This enables a smoother digital transformation and helps businesses achieve the objective of carbon reduction through means that require less effort yet are more rapid and effective.

Participants of the 2022 Green and Digital Transformation Joint Achievement Expo include 5 government agencies, 12 public associations and business and academic institutions, and nearly 300 enterprises. It consists of 3 major zones and 2 keynote forums. Digital ticketing is fully adopted and allows the public to register, enter, participate in activities, and redeem souvenirs simply by using their smartphone. More than 70% of the event makes use of recycled materials and cashless payment is available also. Combined with online and offline exhibits and shopping guides, visitors are able to experience what life is like when connected with digital applications and sustainability.

In the Digital Cloud zone, 8 booths present cloud applications in the domains of agriculture, industry, commerce, and micro enterprises, including farm-to-table services and utilizing variety of payment methods, smart vending machines, 5G applications, AR interactive marketing, and multi-display digital experiences. The zone showcases convenient and diverse application scenarios in catering, services, or enterprise optimization that embody a new era of industry upgrade and innovative applications driven by digital technologies.

In the Sustainability Cloud zone, 6 booths demonstrate how waste can be recycled and reused to maximize value and achieve waste reduction while producing excellent everyday green products. The general public is able to use the online Carbon Estimation Tool (https://carbonez.sme.gov.tw/) to easily calculate individual or enterprise carbon emissions volume. Visitors are also invited to write down their hopes for a sustainable future on the Tree of Sustainability in order to form a public consensus as we move towards the objective of net zero by 2050.

The Experience Cloud zone gathers 20 popular clusters from across Taiwan to form a bustling market filled with distinctive products of various places, including various delicacies, souvenirs, travel and creative products, and specialty crops. The space offers a one-stop experience of great items from different shops while showcasing local stories and cultural features to show how like-minded businesses can leverage digital platform marketing to scale their brand value and business opportunities.

In addition to the 3 major zones, more than 20 experts from various fields and industries have been invited to participate in forums on the 24 and 25. Also in attendance will be representatives from benchmark enterprises that practically implement transformation and promote it. Together, they will share their unique insights and perspectives on domestic and international trends in addition to practical experiences and achievements to help visitors to better understand the challenges and opportunities that SMEs face on their path to transformation.

2022 Green and Digital Transformation Joint Achievement Expo from Oct. 22 (Sat.) to Oct. 25 (Tue.), weekend hours: 10:00 - 19:00, weekday hours: 09:00 - 18:00. We welcome all to attend and join us in creating a better Taiwan through digital transformation and sustainability!