2025 5th SDG Asia Expo | International Forum Certification Ceremony
At the heart of the 2025 5th SDG Asia Expo, the International Forum stage on September 13 became a spotlight for a new genera on of sustainability leaders. The Certification Ceremony, hosted by the Taiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy (TAISE), gathered government officials, corporate executives and trained professionals, sending a strong message to the world: in Taiwan, sustainability talent is no longer supplementary — it is the backbone of transformation.
Taiwan’s Global Competitiveness: Powered by People
TAISE Chairman Dr. Eugene Chien highlighted a milestone: in the 2025 S&P Global Sustainability Yearbook, 69 Taiwanese enterprises ranked among the world’s top performers — second only to Japan, ahead of the United States.
He credited this rise to one crucial factor: specialized talent able to turn high-level ambition into executable governance.
Facing the current geopolitical and economic volatility, Dr. Chien noted that many established economies have become cautious in their transitions. He emphasized that this moment gives Taiwan room to accelerate:
“When others slow down, capability becomes our advantage. Courage becomes our future.”
Sustainability Is No Longer Compliance — It Is a Capacity
Joe Hsieh, Managing Director of BSI Northeast Asia, outlined three market shifts reshaping corporate risk:
- Carbon pricing begins: Taiwan’s carbon fee mechanism launched in 2025, with carbon rights and carbon trading to rapidly expand in 2026
- Finance demands sustainability: companies without carbon strategies will find capital harder to access
- Technology moves inside governance: AI and big data have become core infrastructure for carbon footprint measurement and disclosure
More than 140 governments worldwide have pledged net zero, intensifying demand for cross-disciplinary professionals able to deliver measurable outcomes.
From Policy to Factory Floor: ESG Applied Everywhere
Two keynote speakers demonstrated why sustainability talent must connect strategy with execution:
- Chin-chang Li, Minister, National Audit Office
Discussed public-sector governance and how sustainability is embedded into national financial oversight. He highlighted the distinct needs of SMEs and the governance pressures faced by large enterprises. - Chieh Chang, Manager, Semiflor
Shared real cases from the flooring industry, showing how carbon reduction is integrated into material choices, process engineering and life-cycle management — illustrating that ESG is now part of day-to-day business operations.
Later, Pei-Fen Wu, President of the Corporate Sustainability Managers Association, presented ongoing programs advancing Taiwan’s professional sustainability ecosystem.
Certification as Infrastructure for Transformation
The ceremony celebrated four major certifications:
- Corporate Sustainability Manager
- Net Zero Planning Manager
- Climate and Health Manager
- Interna onal Sustainability Disclosure Manager
85 new professionals received certificates on stage, witnessed by more than 150 attendees — a strong signal that Taiwan is actively building capability before crisis arrives.
According to the World Risk Report 2025, extreme weather and systemic vulnerabilities remain the world’s top long-term threats. Companies must anticipate risk, not merely respond to it.
TAISE’s certification framework equips organizations in five essential domains:
- Sustainability governance
- Net-zero transformation
- Green finance
- Global disclosure standards
- Sustainable healthcare
This curriculum ensures that Taiwan’s talent can compete on knowledge, execute with data and govern with integrity.
Collective Strength for a Resilient Future
Looking ahead, TAISE will continue to collaborate with ministries, corporations and professional communities to scale training capacity and accelerate workforce readiness. By enabling more professionals to join this transformation, Taiwan strengthens its ability to:
- compete in a carbon-priced global market
- secure sustainable investment
- build cities and industries resilient to disruption
Sustainability is not just a strategy — it is Taiwan’s new competitiveness.
Through the power of talent, Taiwan steps into the future with resilience, confidence and the determination to contribute to a more stable world.