TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Business Today’s R&D Director Wang Chih-chieh (王之杰) promoted the company’s “Clean the Ocean Initiative” in an op-ed published Nov. 28.

Recounting a story at this year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29), Wang said he was interviewed by Azerbaijan TV. He told them that in 1,095 days Business Today had recycled more than 70,000 PET bottles from the ocean, turning them into 14,000 pairs of blue and white slippers.

When asked why a media company was producing slippers, Wang said the media can join the fight against climate change.

Wang explained that news reports are often dominated by negative news, including high temperatures, typhoons, and droughts. These are facts, but such news can lead to fatigue and even indifference.

“If news coverage can include more positive reports on solutions to global warming and possible remedies for the Earth, and if the media should stand up and advocate for actual actions, fulfilling their civic duty, global warming can be gradually mitigated,” Wang said.

In addition to COP29, Wang said he promoted the initiative at a June conference in Bonn, Germany, and gave a speech at the University of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in August.