Environmental environment needs upgrading:
Environmentally friendly products are the wave of the future. For example, Acer, which already has a sound foundation in Germany and Holland, in order to meet European environmental regulations, began a year and a half ago to offer a personal computer which "doesn't use a single screw," but is fit together out of molded parts. A consumer could take it apart easily in a minute and place it in the recycling bin. The styrofoam packing material has been completely replaced by recycled paper.
"If we didn't design it this way, it would be labelled as a product of 'low recyclability' by local governments, and a high recycling handling tax would be added. It might also be boycotted by consumers," points out Chen Chun-chieh. How sad that the regulations over here are not so extensive, so that factories cannot be compelled to find the common ground between environmental and commercial considerations. But that such a trend is already taking shape is indubitable.
"Recycled, energy-saving, recoverable, low polluting" were once merely ideals. Now they are pragmatic--whether from the point of view of environmental fines or sales. To go a step further, environmental pressures have generated new technologies which increase productivity and lower costs and have even given birth to the whole environmental protection industry. A "win-win situation" between ecology and economy is already becoming a necessity for industry. If we want to achieve this situation, the government must stringently enforce the law and consumers must draw careful distinctions. After all, the planet belongs to everybody, doesn't it?
[Picture Caption]
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Although the investment for environmental protection facilities is large, there are also visible returns in economic efficiency. The photo shows the waste water treatment system (lower right) and the cogeneration equipment (which combines steam and power in a single fueling process) (middle left) at the Yuen Foong Yu Paper Manufacturing Company. (photo courtesy of Yuen Foong Yu)
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Does it take 300 tons of water to produce one ton of paper? Great improvements on this level of consumption have already been made through water recycling and paper fiber recovery. (photo courtesty of Yuen Foong Yu)
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If the mercury from batteries leaks out, this is very harmful to the environment. Mercury-free "green batteries" are already becoming popular.
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If you just invest a bit of effort, "office environmentalism" like using both sides of a piece of paper or recycling is really not that hard.
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Giving each employee a rust-proof steel cup, adding an aluminum can crusher, putting reports on recycled paper.... drop by drop, Texas Instruments Taiwan is doing all it can for the environment.
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Using specially made, recycled, corrugated paper to replace styrofoam in packing is environmentally friendly, and, because it is lighter and takes up less space, also saves on transportation costs.
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Computer manufacture employing molded part assembly that does not use a single screw can meet the ever-stringent European home electronics and computer recycling standards.