Interviewer:
Hello, Mr. Wang, we are going to start the interview now. Our first question is: How was the decision made to use oyster shells as one of the raw materials for the product?
Mr. Wang:
50 years ago, my grandfather told me that my great-aunt—well, they were coastal people. In the circumstances where life wasn't very developed yet, those coastal people used oyster shells, burned them into ash, and then used them as a coating for the walls. Secondly, they also placed oyster shells on the walls; that coastal method is warm in winter and cool in summer. I learned this and had this impression when I was very, very young. I have been in the industry for 35 years, so 10 years ago, 15 years ago—15 years ago, I was trying all kinds of different materials, hoping to apply these local sustainable circular waste products and reuse them. So later, I chose our oyster shells, because oyster shells affect the environment.

Interviewer:
Thank you. The second question is: How does your company obtain oyster shells? Do the oyster shells need to go through screening during the process, and what method is used? How are the shells that don't meet the standards handled?
Mr. Wang:
Oyster shells are 100% recycled. Because Taiwan itself has a very good industrial ecosystem, and we stand in the middle of this industrial ecosystem, we act as the hub. Then we integrate the upstream manufacturers. In Taiwan, some people farm oysters, and some people wash oyster shells. Furthermore, some people do primary calcination, where the temperature is quite low. We saw that this is a very good ecosystem, so we researched our process and gave it higher conditions. Usually, oyster shells are burned to 300 to 400 degrees. We burn them to 1,000 degrees.,Does it need screening? Yes, we need to use it—it's just that we must use washed shells; only washed oyster shells can be used. This prevents too many uncontrollable factors and variables during the production process. Additionally, once we get our oyster shell powder, we also need to remove heavy metals so that our products in the future have zero heavy metals—meaning none can be detected—and so that we can apply them under stable production conditions. As for whether the shells need to be screened, we take the large oyster shells to burn, and the small oyster shells are also taken to be burned, but they are burned at a lower temperature, and then we use them as filler material. So we are 100% recycling oyster shells.

Interviewer:
Thank you. The third question is: Are there special technical requirements for the transport and storage of oyster shells?
Mr. Wang: Oyster shells. This is called inorganic matter. It doesn't change due to storage conditions, nor does it change because of temperature or humidity. It is a very safe raw material. As for transportation and costs, we use the shortest distance and keep it localized, including from Yunlin, Changhua, and Dongshi. After processing, they come back to Taiwan. We minimize the carbon footprint; according to our carbon audit last year, 1 kilogram of oyster shells made into nano-powder only emits 1.8 kilograms of carbon dioxide. So we are almost a zero-carbon product. Because the application in our textile fibers is even less—it's 1.8 kilograms of carbon dioxide, but when I put it in that textile fabric, one P equals 1.8, then multiplied by 0.001, so that amount of carbon dioxide is very, very small, almost negligible.

Interviewer:
During the initial technical research and development stage, what was the most difficult bottleneck in turning oyster shells from waste into treasure?
Mr. Wang:
The most difficult part was nanofixation grinding. Because oyster shells are extremely hard and have very high alkalinity, we had to overcome the alkalinity issue. Secondly, we had to carefully select the steel used for grinding. Normally, with ordinary steel, the durability is poor, and tools would need to be replaced once a month, leading to very high wear and tear. We have now found a specialized steel that only needs to be replaced about every six months.

Interviewer:
How do you view Taiwan's international competitiveness in the field of recycled textile waste, and what is its role in the global circular economy?
Mr. Wang:
Taiwan is a very vibrant island where everyone works very hard. The predecessors in the textile industry are worthy of respect. Although the state views it as a traditional industry, I personally see it as a mature industry. Taiwan has a lot of creativity; products like bamboo charcoal and coffee yarn were created by respected predecessors. We are simply following in their footsteps by applying oyster shells, but we are now playing an international role. Unlike coffee yarn or charcoal, which didn't build international brands, we are putting all our effort into creating our international brand called Seawool (C-wool). We invest tens of millions annually in global advertising.Currently, we are the only company in the world using oyster shells to make textile products, so we have relatively few competitors. However, we hope to cooperate with brands worldwide because, ultimately, this is for the public good. We call it "Three-E Life: Creative Public Welfare," where business follows public welfare. Our goal is not profit maximization; we want to provide this public welfare product to every consumer.

Interviewer:
To achieve certification, what was the biggest operational change your company made?
Mr. Wang:
Regarding certain certifications like Bluesign, it has an impact on our accounting operations. Currently, our company has obtained the Netherlands' Higg Index certification for sustainable circular materials. Because our materials are recycled, we also obtained the GRS (Global Recycled Standard) certification. At present, Higgs and GRS are more requested by our customers.

Interviewer:
What is your company's most representative product?
Mr. Wang:
Our most representative and best-selling product is Smartwarm (insulation/padding). This is followed by Seawool (CU), which is our raw material. Currently, it is used in leisure textiles, including flannel used by Uniqlo, as well as plaid fabrics used for high-end outdoor products in the United States. These are our most representative products.

Interviewer:
What is your company's current largest consumer group?
Mr. Wang: Our company is 95% export. We are currently expanding into the Japanese, Korean, and European markets, which are currently our largest sales regions for outdoor sports. Our largest consumer groups are fishing apparel and leisurewear.

Interviewer:
Although the environmental protection industry requires a large amount of investment, what kind of belief does your company hold to continue moving forward?
Mr. Wang:
My philosophy is called "Three-E Life": Creative, Public Welfare, and Business. Our company has been implementing ESG for over ten years. Long before the government began encouraging ESG slogans, we were already investing heavily because we saw that if Taiwanese industries do not adopt ESG in the future, they would have no competitiveness. We started preparing more than a decade ago.

Interviewer:
What inspirations or changes have these technologies brought to Taiwanese society?
Mr. Wang: 
 wouldn't dare say "inspiration," but after years of hard work, many domestic industries now recognize products made from oyster shells. We hope that everyone will get involved, whether for public welfare or commercialization. Do not be afraid that costs are higher than others, because Taiwan can only be competitive by producing the best quality; we cannot fight price wars based on cost.

Interviewer:
Although the environmental protection industry requires a large amount of investment, what kind of belief does your company hold to continue moving forward?
Mr. Wang:
My philosophy is called "Three-E Life": Creative, Public Welfare, and Business. Our company has been implementing ESG for over ten years. Long before the government began encouraging ESG slogans, we were already investing heavily because we saw that if Taiwanese industries do not adopt ESG in the future, they would have no competitiveness. We started preparing more than a decade ago.

Interviewer:
How did your company's three main products—Seawool, Smartwarm, and Hulk Powder—evolve?
Mr. Wang:
Our first generation was Seawool. Gradually, customers asked if the fibers used before fabric production could be made into insulation cotton, which led us to develop a replacement for down (Smartwarm). Later, customers asked to buy the powder from us for plastic applications, so we created Hulk bio-ceramic antibacterial powder. Currently, we can achieve 100% recycling of oyster shells at the micro and nano levels.

Interviewer:
Is the application of oyster shells attempting to move from the textile industry into other commercial fields?
Mr. Wang:
Yes, we are currently trying to enter medical, stationery, and building materials. Although our company is primarily textile-based, we are willing to cooperate with others in these three fields. For example, Acer's 3C products have already incorporated our materials. We hope they sell well this year, so they might place more orders next year, which would allow us to consume even more oyster shells.

Interviewer:
Does your company hope to cooperate with the government or educational institutions to promote this idea to the next generation?
Mr. Wang:
As mentioned, we value ESG and have long-term cooperation with academia, including Tainan University of Technology, University of Tainan, and Shih Chien University in Kaohsiung. We also welcome interest from schools in the North. Regarding the government, we cooperate annually with research institutions like ITRI (Industrial Technology Research Institute) and the Ministry of Economic Affairs. We are grateful for their support and hope that government policies for the sustainable circular industry will be consistent—it cannot be a different slogan every year. It took us 12 years of building our own brand to achieve this small amount of success. On this road, we are only at the beginning, not the end, and our future investments in R&D and advertising will only increase.

Interviewer:
Thank you.
Mr. Wang:
Thank you.