DA.AI: Values-Added PET Project(b)|点『瓶』成金的绿色传奇

DA.AI: Values-Added PET Project

点『瓶』成金的绿色传奇

　　DA.AI was founded in 2008 with initial capital provided by five prominent business figures in Taiwan: Wei Ying-chung, chairman of Wei­Chuan Foods; Fred Lin, one of the founders of Acer; Gao Ming­shan, chairman of Dong Ying Construction; Li Ding­ming, head man at Kee Yeh Shipping; and Walter Huang, chairman of TEXMA clothing company. Huang, the one with the most expertise in the textile sector, was named chairman.

　　But to get the whole story, we have to rewind back to 2003. In that year, Huang and the other four business leaders, following the lead of Tzu Chi founder, Buddhist Master Cheng Yen, created the Tzu Chi International Humanitarian Aid Association (TIHAA). These business figures — one in each of the five major fields of food, clothing, housing, transportation, and IT/communications — then organized teams to develop a variety of environmentally friendly products to provide assistance to victims of disasters at home and abroad.

　　When the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 struck, the TIHAA rushed to the worst hit area, the Indonesian province of Aceh. There, the group's leaders were deeply saddened  by the extent of the devastation and the helplessness of the victims. The evidence of the enormous destructive power of nature also made more urgent their original concern over the ongoing problem of global climate change. Consequently, they could not help but ask themselves, "As entrepreneurs with resources and capabilities, isn't there something more we can do?"

　　After they returned to Taiwan, the TIHAA deployed a unique resource: PET bottles which had, for many years, been continuously collected for recycling from all over Taiwan by Tzu Chi volunteers. These became the raw material to manufacture blankets. This is the story of how DA.AI came into being.

点『瓶』成金的绿色传奇

　　大爱感恩科技成立于 2008 年，是由味全食品董事长魏应充、宏碁创办人之一林家和、东英建设董事长高明善、基业船务负责人李鼎铭，以及德式马服饰董事长黄华德这五位在台湾企业界举足轻重的企业家共同出资创办。而对纺织产业最为熟悉的黄华德被任命为董事长。

　　不过若要了解整个故事，我们得把时间回溯至 2003 年。当年，黄华德和其他四位企业界的领袖，在慈济基金会的创办人证严法师的指示之下，成立了慈济国际人道援助会。这几位企业家并根据各人专业，分为食、衣、住、行、信息五大组，并组织了团队来开发各式各样的环保产品，以对国内外的灾难受害者提供援助。

　　2004 年发生了南亚海啸，国际人道援助会赶往受创最严重的区域印尼亚齐省。该团体的领袖们对于当地遭到蹂躏的程度及受难者的无助，心里深感悲痛。大自然巨大毁灭力量的证据也让他们原先对全球气候变迁的担忧变得更加急迫。因此，他们不得不反问自己：『身为拥有资源与能力的企业家，我们难道不能付出更多吗？』

　　回到台湾之后，国际人道援助会便运用了一项独特的资源，那就是多年来由慈济志工在全台湾持续收集用来回收的保特瓶。这些保特瓶都成了制作环保毛毯的原料。这就是大爱感恩科技如何诞生的由来。