Plastic is the double-edged sword of modern life. It gives us instant access to a world of beverages and keeps our food safely packaged — yet it quietly finds its way onto our dinner tables, into our drinking water, and even into the air we breathe, becoming an invisible health threat hiding in plain sight. As the world trains its eyes on the Global Plastics Treaty, seeking consensus on curbing plastic production and improving recycling, images of straws lodged in sea turtles' nostrils, plastic bags draped over coral reefs, and whales with stomachs full of rubbish remind us that plastic is not merely pollution — it is an urgent health and environmental crisis.
Living on this land, we do have a choice. From cutting back on single-use cutlery to choosing everyday products made from recycled plastic, every small change reduces the harm that plastic inflicts on the ocean and on us.
Since 2017, the Small and Medium Enterprise and Startup Administration (SMESA) of the Ministry of Economic Affairs has run its "Social Innovation Products and Services Procurement Incentive Programme," bringing together nearly a thousand social innovation organisations (hereinafter "social enterprises") that build their business models around the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
To encourage the public to embrace SDG 12 — Responsible Consumption and Production — SMESA created the "Responsible Commerce" curated brand, selecting 80 products each year and promoting them to consumers through the "Social Innovation Selection Catalogue." Among the picks are social enterprises that advance SDG 14 — Life Below Water — through tangible, sustainable action. This series of features will explore, from everyday purchasing decisions to local experiences, how products and services from social enterprises can support marine conservation!
In this instalment, we introduce four social enterprises using creativity and action to champion plastic reduction — and show how each of us can fight for a healthier living environment for ourselves and for the ocean.
Making Low-Plastic the Norm — Reducing Plastic Is Easier Than You Think: Zen Zhou
You've thought about switching to reusable containers, but reality keeps getting in the way: lunch boxes are bulky and hard to carry, glass jars are heavy and fragile, and eventually you drift back to single-use plastics. Zen Zhou gets your frustration.
Their star product, the SiliSeal Food Container, is made from 100% food-grade silicone — the same material used in baby soothers. It's soft and flexible enough to fold flat and save space, and it can be transformed from a lunchbox into a plate. With a heat resistance range of -40°C to 200°C, it handles freezing, refrigeration, microwaving, oven baking, rice cookers, and dishwashers without any trouble. Its one-piece moulded design also eliminates the rubber gaskets that trap grime and grow mould, sparing you the annual replacement cost. If odours or stains linger over time, simply soak the container with fresh lemon slices, or use boiling water with sodium percarbonate to restore it — so you can keep using it and living plastic-free.
The SiliSeal Food Container is Zen Zhou's hero product, complete with an adorable little sea turtle vent plug. Image source: Zen Zhou
For a more versatile carrying option, Zen Zhou also offers the "Cloud Silicone Bag" — a bag-style design that opens up even more plastic-free possibilities for storing or carrying food. It can be used as a container for ready-to-eat or preserved foods, and here's an unexpected bonus: the Cloud Silicone Bag doubles as a waterproof pouch for personal belongings at the beach, making it the ultimate multi-tasker in the plastic-reduction world.
If you love bubble tea but feel guilty about the single-use waste, the Roll-Up Silicone Bottle 3.0 might be your answer. Made from food-grade silicone, the body rolls up after you finish your drink, reducing its volume by two-thirds. It comes with a wide silicone straw for drinks with toppings, and the strap lets you carry it hands-free — all while eliminating five pieces of waste in one go: the paper cup, the sealing film, the straw, the straw wrapper, and the plastic bag.
The Roll-Up Silicone Bottle is now in its third generation. Image source: Zen Zhou
Of course, Zen Zhou has thought of plastic-free alternatives for other everyday items too — including beeswax food wraps to replace cling film, a compact silicone travel bottle set that's airline-approved, and the stylish, lightweight Happy Cotton Net Bag for various life scenarios, so you can always find an attractive, low-plastic option wherever you are.
Less Plastic, Cleaner Living: Chef Clean
We scrutinise the ingredients in our skincare products — but what about our cleaning products? That question was the starting point for Chef Clean. Within a decade, this brand has grown into one of the most popular cleaning labels on the market. The bold, eye-catching "CHEF CLEAN" print on each bottle belies a seriously thoughtful formula. Committed to easily biodegradable plant-based ingredients, their products clean effectively while remaining gentle on skin and kind to the environment. Since launching their fruit, vegetable, and dishwashing cleansers in 2015, the product line has continued to expand — a full kitchen range, plus bathroom and laundry series. This year, marking the brand's 10th anniversary, they've launched new dishwasher tablet and rinse aid products.
From the fruit-and-vegetable and dishwashing cleansers of year one, Chef Clean's product range has grown increasingly diverse. Image source: Chef Clean
Starting in 2019, founder Cheng Yi-Ling set her sights on greater corporate social responsibility. The brand switched to bottles made from 100% recycled plastic and began partnering with packaging-free stores across Taiwan to promote the zero-packaging purchasing model. To date, more than 82% of Chef Clean's product bottles are made from 100% recycled plastic, reflecting a commitment to reducing plastic at the source; the brand now works with nearly 30 packaging-free stores island-wide. Chef Clean focuses steadily on eco-friendly plastic reduction, bottle reuse, and package-free purchasing — walking the sustainable path pragmatically within its means, and building a clean, circular platform.
In 2022, the brand launched the "R-Clean Clean Cycle Programme," taking the package-free purchasing concept further into the corporate supply chain. The 10 kg refill drums introduced under the programme reduce plastic use by 93%, making them ideal for high-volume users — companies, schools, community buildings, food and beverage businesses, laundromats, and more. After use, the empty drums are collected, cleaned, and disinfected before re-entering the circular system. Consumers who want to pool together with neighbours for a group purchase are welcome to do that too!
The R-Clean Clean Cycle Programme aims to create a friendly cycle between people and the environment. Package-free purchase pricing is approximately 60% of the standard retail price. Image source: Chef Clean
Less Is More — for Your Skin and the Planet: Greenvines
Built on the philosophy of "subtractive skincare," Greenvines has grown in recognition alongside the global Clean Beauty movement. The brand's commitment to ingredient transparency — pledging to exclude more than 3,200 unnecessary ingredients — has become increasingly well known. Its belief in "people first, planet first" is reflected not only in product development but also in the brand's long-term environmental commitments.
Given that current regulations prohibit cosmetics from being sold without packaging, Greenvines has moved to recycled plastic and recycled glass for its outer packaging to minimise environmental impact — achieving a 100% recycled materials adoption rate. All plastic bottles have been converted to 100% recycled plastic. In 2022, the brand earned the Ocean Waste Circular Product Label, and its packaging features Taiwan's first locally sourced ocean-waste recycled shampoo bottle — the highest proportion of recycled ocean debris of any shampoo in Taiwan.
Bottles and jars made from 100% recycled plastic have the potential to enter the circular economy again if properly recycled. Image source: Greenvines
Since 2017, Greenvines has run an "Empty Bottle Recycling Programme," encouraging customers to bring used empty bottles back to any store for recycling in exchange for a purchase credit. By 2024, the programme had recovered more than 500,000 bottles and jars.
If bringing empty bottles to a store isn't convenient, the brand updates its "Empty Bottle Recycling Guide" on its official website every year, telling you exactly how to recycle each product correctly. Even more thoughtfully, the team considers recyclability at the design stage — deliberately constructing bottles as separable components so that different materials, such as the body, cap, and pump head, can each enter the appropriate recycling stream, ensuring no part of the product falls through the cracks.
Greenvines improves recycling rates through packaging designed to be fully disassembled. Image source: Greenvines
Waste Not, Want Not — Giving Plastic a Second Life: Wishlite
Wishlite is a social enterprise that combines sustainable materials, educational outreach, and social impact, with a focus on giving waste a new value and putting the principles of the circular economy into practice. The materials it recycles include plastic, oyster shells, coffee grounds, substandard diapers, recycled paper, and plant fibre. Among the plastic waste it processes are fishing buoys, polystyrene foam, and PET bottles — common yet difficult-to-handle materials from everyday life and industry — giving resources that would otherwise end up in landfills or the ocean a new lease on life.
One of Wishlite's core plastic-reuse products is PCR Circular Plastic Lumber, crafted to mimic the look and feel of wood. It is waterproof, corrosion-resistant, and lightweight, and at the end of its service life it can be 100% recycled back into building materials, realising true circular use. Thanks to its combination of durability and eco-friendliness, Circular Plastic Lumber has already been used in exhibition installations, event stages, outdoor architecture, and public art installations, emerging as a sustainable alternative to conventional timber.
Beyond materials innovation, Wishlite is committed to bringing circular thinking into hands-on public experiences. The team uses Circular Plastic Lumber and other recycled materials to design a variety of DIY projects — such as moon lamps crafted from oyster shells paired with plastic-lumber lamp frames, memo clip holders that are both stylish and functional, and succulent wax candles that blend warm ambience with sustainable spirit. Participants not only get to create something with their own hands but also come away understanding where the materials came from, how they were transformed, and the environmental significance behind it all. If you can't attend a workshop in person, material kits are available for purchase so you can DIY at home.
The signage renovation at Songshan Cultural and Creative Park two years ago was made using Circular Plastic Lumber. Image source: Wishlite
The mosaic moon lamp is as beautiful as it is eco-friendly. Image source: Wishlite
Through creative making, materials innovation, and the promotion of modular educational programmes, Wishlite hopes to restore value to waste, extend the life cycle of resources, and weave sustainability awareness into the fabric of everyday life. Make art, Live eco!
Every purchase, every choice, is a vote for the future of our environment. "Plastic reduction" is not just a slogan — it's a relay race we can all join in daily life. Damaged ecosystems don't recover overnight, but every plastic bag we skip, every recycled product we choose, is an opportunity to slow the tide of pollution and let life breathe a little easier.
Further Reading
