Respect the Beach : educational party is held to respond to the International Coastal Cleanup Day

In response to the 2024 International Coastal Cleanup Day, EVERRICH Duty Free Shop, long been dedicated to public welfare and organized nearly 400 charity events annually, recently gathered nearly 300 employees and partners from 30 companies along the northeastern coastline of Jianzilu, Shimen District, New Taipei City, Taiwan, to host an innovative “Respect the Beach Party.” This event combined beach cleaning, ecological education, food trucks, and DJ music, aiming to both educate and entertain. 350 kilograms of garbage was collected as a way to honor the sea and protect the coastal environment. EVERRICH Duty Free Shop upholds a corporate philosophy of “Integrity, Professionalism, Innovation, and Public Welfare,” with core values centered around being “public service-oriented and benefiting the community.” Last year, EVERRICH Duty Free Shop adopted 22 kilometers of coastline from north to south, including the outlying islands of Taiwan. Employees initiated nearly 400 charity events on their days off, with about 40% focused on environmental activities like beach and mountain cleanups, and around 30% dedicated to caring activities such as volunteering at orphanages, care homes, and foundations.

For this International Coastal Cleanup Day event, EVERRICH Duty Free Shop invited employees, their families, consumers, and 30 partner companies to participate. Young and old, under the blazing sun, bent down to pick up plastic and large discarded fishing nets, along with glass beer cans and plastic bottles that had traveled over 2,000 kilometers from China to Taiwan, for a total of 343.6 kilograms of garbage.

Unlike past simple trash collection efforts, this beach cleanup included ecological teachers who provided knowledge about coastal and marine debris. After the cleanup, there was DJ music to help volunteers relax. To support environmental protection, all food trucks used electronic meal vouchers and reusable utensils to minimize waste. A supervisor from EVERRICH Duty Free Shop, Ms. Li, brought his brother and two nieces to the beach cleanup. The young sisters expressed their joy, stating that while the beach cleanup was hot, it was also very fun, and they would share the experience with their classmates.

EVERRICH Duty Free Shop also leveraged its influence to invite partners to join. Chung-Li Yu, Senior Vice President and Director of Information and Communications Technology Department at Taoyuan International Airport Corporation Ltd., led over 20 employees in participating in the beach cleanup. He noted that, despite the heat, everyone’s enthusiasm for picking up garbage remained high. He was deeply moved by the significant amount of garbage collected in a short time, realizing the impact of waste on the natural environment. He emphasized the high educational significance of beach cleanups and expressed hope that Taoyuan International Airport would host such an event in the future to contribute to the Earth.

Hui-chun Tsao, Manager of the Public Affairs Office at EVERRICH Duty Free Shop, pointed out that public welfare has always been one of the core concepts of EVERRICH Duty Free Shop. Various charitable actions, including coastal cleanups, are concrete expressions of “Duty4Taiwan.” Last year, EVERRICH Duty Free Shop further promoted the “1% ESG Plan,” continuously investing 1% of time, 1% of operations, and creating 1% of impact. They believe that as long as everyone continues to contribute a small effort, it can make a significant difference. This year, EVERRICH Duty Free Shop has also set a goal to increase the proportion of caring charity activities, upholding the spirit of altruism by providing care, support, and assistance to those in need, ensuring continuous charitable efforts.