O’right’s Steven Ko (Second Right) to share thoughts and experiences with other Asian NGO leaders at COP25.
The 25th meeting to the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP25) kicked off on the 2nd of December in Madrid, Spain, where nations across the world come together to call for real action and climate justice. Founder and Chairman of O’right, the only SME delegate from Taiwan to be present at the global event, Steven Ko, is scheduled to give a speech on Closing the Circularity Gap, The Power of Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Collaboration.
The Conference of the Parties, known as COP, is the supreme decision-making body and also the largest and longest-standing one of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Thousands of delegates from over 200 countries descended on Madrid to reach consensus on establishing an international carbon trading market and carbon pricing mechanisms. Green beauty brand O’right became the only Taiwanese SME delegate to stand up onto the stage to call for action to mitigate the worsening climate change catastrophe.
O’right Chairman Steven Ko and Manager of International Department (Nathaniel Dick) were invited to attend COP25 at Madrid, Spain.
“To address the climate crisis, we need to dramatically reduce global carbon emissions. Otherwise, we won’t be able to survive climate change. As top contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, companies should put carbon reduction, or even zero carbon, at the core of their business model, which is why O’right began embracing sustainability since 2002. By being a part of this major global conference, we hope to show the world the green power of Taiwan and our years of green achievements. We believe that we can inspire individuals, groups and businesses to join us on our zero carbon, sustainability journey,” Ko said.
This year, the ocean is at the heart of climate negotiations. “In our vision, there cannot be an effective global response to climate change without a global response to ocean issues,” Minister of the Environment in Chile and COP25 President Carolina Schmidt, who designated the event as the Blue COP, said. “As you know, this year, 2019, is a very important year for the protection of our ocean from climate change. Our knowledge of the ocean, although still limited, has provided considerable information and evidence that turn on the alarms to push us to promote concrete actions and protect our ocean.”
O’right is headquartered in Taiwan, as island surrounded by sea. As such, the impacts of climate change, such as extreme weather, are already being felt across the nation, and it will only get worse. According to the Climate Change Performance Index published by Germanwatch in 2018, Taiwan ranked in the bottom 5, indicating a big room for improvement in terms of the country’s climate action and climate protection performance.
For years, O’right has pledged to protect the oceans by reducing plastic at the source. The company made history with the world’s first 100% traceable renewable plastic bottle and plastic pump to stop plastic waste from ending up in our oceans. Recently, the green brand joined RE100 to make a commitment to 100% renewable energy by 2025 and become the first company in Taiwan to do so. O’right also joined forces with the Taiwan Youth Climate Coalition (TWYCC) to initiate the Climate Leader program, bringing climate issues to campus to encourage a new generation of green ambassadors.
“We have a set of standards that we call the O’right Standard that ensures the carbon neutrality of our products, our organization and operations. O’right’s zero carbon actions and achievements are living proof that environmental protection is neither an impossible nor a difficult task. Sustainability is just a matter of time. Join us towards a zero carbon future!” Ko concluded.
