TAIPEI, June 24,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the report
published by The Icons, for many businesses, the path to
sustainability is fraught with challenges. It can be like walking
on a thorny path or crossing a river by feeling for stones in the
dark, progressing step by step. These challenges include the
initial investment needed to switch to renewable energy or
implement environmentally friendly technologies, finding new
suppliers to reduce reliance on non-sustainable resources, spending
additional time and resources to comply with new regulations, and
encountering internal resistance when changing the company's
culture and values. It is already difficult to maintain steady
progress on the challenging path of sustainability. It is even more
challenging to lead other companies in showcasing beauty and
fashion on this sustainable journey.
![Gary Hsieh, Executive Vice President of UKL (Photo: UKL) Gary Hsieh, Executive Vice President of UKL (Photo: UKL)](https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2446329/Gary_Hsieh_Executive_Vice_President_UKL__Photo_UKL.jpg)
UKL, founded in 1988, is a classic example. Under the leadership
of the company's founder, Judy Tsai,
who upholds the strengths of Taiwanese enterprises—integrity,
professionalism, and innovation—the company has grown steadily. UKL
has always been a designated supplier for international brands in
Europe and America, providing
high-quality sweaters and knitwear to customers worldwide. After
Gary, Huan Chi Hsieh took over as
Executive Vice President, his innovative energy has made UKL a
focal point in the field of sustainable fashion development in
recent years.
"I have always believed that as long as you believe in what you
are doing, the path ahead in this sustainable journey will
naturally extend forward. The scenery along the way is determined
by me!" Gary Hsieh leads the team
and has consecutively won the SME award in the 2022 DBS Foundation
Grant Program and two awards in the 2023 Taiwan Golden Pin Design
Award. Recently, UKL's brand, PALF, was selected as a highlight in
the "THE GREEN BOOK Taiwan Sustainable Actions and Solutions Guide"
by Good Loop Exchange and Business Weekly. UKL also won two design
awards at the 2024 iF Design Awards in Germany, becoming an international leader in
green fashion.
"In the near future, what we aim to achieve is to redefine the
new value of recycled bio-materials through our technology and
design. This is my vision and mission. Friends from various fields,
including international media, have asked me about the secret to
leading sustainable fashion. The answer is simple," Gary Hsieh firmly stated in an interview with
The Icons.
"The path of sustainable fashion is full of challenges, but we
can still move forward confidently and invite more like-minded
partners to walk alongside us. Believing in doing what is
beneficial for the environment and humanity will attract more
partners to join the path of sustainability. 'Believe, and you will
see!'"
Gary Hsieh: Sustainability
Should Be Boldly Practiced and Worn!
After graduating from the Institute of Electrical Engineering,
Gary Hsieh returned to the family
business, UKL, to take over. Initially, leveraging his academic
expertise, he was primarily responsible for the systematic
integration within the company. As he became more familiar with the
company's operations, Gary began to ponder how to manage the
company better and understand the details of business
expansion.
Gary pointed out that since the lifting of export quota
restrictions on China's textile
industry in 3, the global textile industry has been forced to
rethink how to transform due to the reorganization of resources and
changes in labor costs. It was during this challenging time that he
started overseeing the company's business development
department.
"I realized that the company must transition from the
traditional OEM model to ODM, allowing our clients to showcase
greater design capabilities and even brand strength in the market.
At this time, I also began to require our sales team to take
proactive measures, not only to learn to observe market demand
changes but also not to neglect product development."
This transformation naturally brought a series of challenges to
the company's transition. However, it gradually cultivated new
competitiveness for the company, including ample preparation for
leading sustainable fashion in the future:
"My team continuously innovates, focusing on creating value for
our customers and effectively solving their problems. As
sustainability awareness began to sprout simultaneously across
various countries, I often asked myself how we could redefine
product value and even amplify and create more possibilities?" Gary
said. When he suddenly realized one day that with a single
decision, materials like pineapple leaf fiber, oyster yarn,
discarded fishing nets, and recycled PET bottle yarn could be made
into fashionable and comfortable clothing, he saw UKL's new market
positioning emerge.
"Continuously launching one sustainable fashion product after
another, all fully circular textile products, is what I aim to do.
Sustainability should not remain in the heart or be mere talk on
paper; it should be boldly practiced and worn! Moreover, I want
everyone to wear it fashionably, leading the times not only in
sustainability issues but also in aesthetics."
Utilizing Local Materials for Circular Reuse: Paving the Way
to Sustainable Fashion
With a keen sensitivity to the international market, including
the sustainable transformations global clients are making in
response to zero-carbon issues, Gary
Hsieh gradually realized he had a big flag in his heart that
he wanted to raise high: "Early on, when we talked about
sustainable fashion, most recycling and reuse were focused on
plastic products. But as more and more companies around the world
joined this movement, the scope rapidly expanded. Even Coca-Cola announced that by 2030, all of
their products would be made from recycled materials from their own
bottles. I decided to invest more resources in creating circular
reuse of local materials, not just recycling existing ones."
First, the UKL team launched their first own brand, EVOPURE+,
leading the trend in sustainable fashion. From 2022, they
collaborated with the Chinese Professional Baseball League for two
consecutive years, starting with a red and white color-blocked
functional jacket that fans scrambled to collect. On Earth Day
2023, they jointly launched the "Fully Circular T-shirt,"
Taiwan's first eco-friendly,
wide-fit T-shirt made from fully circular fabric. The design is
sleek and fashionable, emphasizing moisture-wicking and
breathability.
"Behind this are our colleagues' efforts in recycling old
clothes and PET bottles. Even the prints are made with
biodegradable ink technology, the wash labels are made from
recycled PET bottles, the hang tags are made from recycled paper
pulp, and the packaging bags are also designed to be biodegradable.
Every detail you can think of reflects our commitment to loving and
protecting the Earth."
With the success of EVOPURE+ as the first step, Gary Hsieh then discovered that pineapples are
Taiwan's highest-yield and most
valuable fruit, generating nearly 800,000 tons of waste pineapple
leaves each year. Taiwanese pineapple leaf fiber is more than twice
as fine as that from Southeast
Asia, making it an advantage for Taiwan to implement a circular economy. Thus,
UKL launched the pineapple leaf fiber brand PALF (Pineapple Leaves
Fiber), producing plant-based eco-friendly fibers using advanced
pineapple leaf extraction technology and exclusive yarn-making
expertise. These fibers are not only natural and biodegradable but
also have excellent hand feel, breathability, moisture absorption,
wrinkle resistance, and durability. "Our pineapple leaf fiber can
also be blended with natural or synthetic fibers to create thick,
textured plant leather. When you wear PALF, you're also
contributing to the reduction of a large amount of agricultural
waste!"
As verified by ISO14067 in February
2024, the carbon footprint of one kilogram of PALF is 0.784
CO2e, about one-tenth that of flax and one-fourth that of cotton.
Pineapple leaves are easy to obtain, cultivate, have a short growth
cycle, and are easy to transport. The production process uses 97%
less water compared to cotton fibers. "Who says environmental
protection and aesthetics can't go hand in hand? In addition to
fashion apparel, we have also launched fashion accessories and home
decor products, showcasing the efforts and dedication of Taiwanese
brands in promoting the global sustainable ecosystem."
Gary Hsieh said that his original
intention for embarking on the path of sustainable fashion stemmed
from his series of insights. Realizing that the parent company UKL
had accumulated substantial industry experience and resources and
had a good grasp of the market, he found that as long as he was
willing, he could exert a greater influence compared to other
companies:
"Through the process of applying for international B Corporation
certification, I gained a deeper understanding of the essence of
business impact. Looking back on the journey to this day, I firmly
believe that companies can contribute to the environment, society,
and the planet while achieving profitability. The key question is
whether you are willing to consider yourself as the starting point.
Everything begins with your action!"
From National Pineapple Leaf Fiber Team to Global Pineapple
Leaf Fiber Team
As mentioned earlier, Taiwan
produces approximately 800,000 tons of pineapple leaf waste
annually. In the past, over 60% of it was incinerated, causing air
pollution and incurring additional cleaning costs. If buried, it
takes 3 to 6 months before the land can be used again.
Additionally, global textile waste amounts to 92 million tons per
year. Although many businesses have started to invest in waste
recycling, the results have been less than satisfactory.
Gary Hsieh identifies the
problem:
"These manufacturers lack a systematic business plan from
production to sales and even within the supply chain. Currently,
sustainable operations are still quite new in Taiwan, so cross-sector collaboration is
essential. Going back to my concept of 'The Source Starts with Me,'
UKL's mission is to integrate existing resources both domestically
and internationally, including establishing a business system,
collaborating with public sectors and supply chains, and building a
global ecosystem."
In addition to researching and developing pineapple leaf fiber
technologies, Gary Hsieh's team
collaborates with academia, such as the Industrial Technology
Research Institute and Keio University
in Japan, to transform research
results into practical applications and establish international
cooperation networks. In Taiwan,
they work with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Environmental
Protection Administration to jointly establish relevant systems.
They have designed a modular development plan that includes
industry, government, academia, and research and established the
"Taiwan Pineapple Leaf Fiber Production and Marketing Alliance" to
integrate all existing resources in Taiwan.
Furthermore, Gary Hsieh has
integrated supply chain resources in Indonesia, Vietnam, China, and Cambodia and worked with the Taiwan External
Trade Development Council to seek more like-minded international
partners. Through media promotion and exhibitions, UKL showcases
its achievements and establishes close partnerships with farms from
Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Africa, Japan, and other countries around the
world.
"In my previous role as head of business development, I put
great effort into understanding market trends and customer needs,
enabling us to create products that meet market expectations.
Through numerous presentations, I convinced both government and
private entities to become our partners, establishing the current
National Pineapple Leaf Fiber Team. Moving forward, I aim to
establish the Global Pineapple Leaf Fiber Team!"
Whenever You See Pineapple Leaves, Think of UKL!
Despite constant media coverage both domestically and
internationally, and reaching milestone after milestone,
Gary Hsieh, with his powerful
vision, remains unsatisfied. Although widely recognized as a leader
in sustainable fashion, he holds himself to even higher standards
while leading the entire group. In addition to planning to achieve
at least 10% of the company's total electricity consumption from
green energy and increase the share of renewable energy to 25% by
2025, their technical team is also diligently planning
carbon-neutral pineapple leaf fiber products. On the business side,
they have set a goal of reaching $8
million in revenue from their green products by 2024. Since
2021, they have recycled over 60 tons of pineapple leaf waste and
have collaborated with other towns and cities in Taiwan to further expand their economic scale.
Additionally, Gary Hsieh plans to
aggressively promote their brand PALF in the global market, with
the first step being the establishment of a company in California, USA, to enter the American
market.
Gary Hsieh stated that although
UKL originated in Taiwan, a
geographically small island with limited natural resources compared
to other countries, it possesses abundant innovative development
capabilities and resilience that refuses to compromise with the
status quo. By leveraging cross-disciplinary collaboration to apply
and design recycled circular materials in various ways, creating
more added value for products, and viewing product design from a
market perspective, more of Taiwan's sustainable materials and concepts
can be promoted to the global market.
As a B Corporation, UKL deeply embeds sustainability DNA in all
aspects, including employee care, environmental protection, and
friendly procurement, implementing ESG. In alignment with the
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), UKL leads
several initiatives. These include using sustainable materials to
produce sustainable products through sustainable production
processes, fulfilling Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and
Production; responding to Goal 13: Climate Action through carbon
reduction strategies in both operational and production
environments; and co-creating Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals
with partners from various ecosystems such as the Taiwan Pineapple
Leaf Fiber Production and Marketing Alliance, the Ai Respite
Caregivers Alliance, multiple B Corporation partners, Taiwan De Fu
Alliance, DBS Impact Circle, and the World Taiwanese Chambers of
Commerce Foundation Asia-Pacific Center. In Gary Hsieh's view, this is just the
beginning.
"Bio Base is a magical thing.
Even with the same pineapple, the leaf fibers from different
regions are completely different. If this is true for pineapples,
how much more so for us as people? Don't limit your own horizons.
Believe in yourself, and you'll see the road ahead. As you strive,
the whole world will come together to help you succeed! Just
remember one thing," Gary Hsieh
said:
"We are each the source of change!"
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SOURCE The Icons