In recent years, green commodities have flourished internationally. Global environmental labels are divided into Eastern and Western models due to cultural differences, resulting in complex verification operations and standards that hinder international alignment. Taiwan's verification process is rigorous but challenges arise from managing numerous items, necessitating closer integration with green procurement and more streamlined review procedures. To overcome these difficulties, executing units have focused on mutual on-site inspections over the past decade, which can reduce costs, avoid specification discrepancies, and achieve mutual recognition. This approach helps enhance the competitiveness of Taiwan's green product industries and promotes international integration, though longterm exploration is needed to address multifaceted challenges. Since 2021, the Environmental Protection Administration has allowed environmental label products manufactured domestically to simultaneously obtain the MIT Smile Mark. As of November 2024, there are 5,151 valid environmental label products, with 2,258 from foreign production and 2,893 from domestic sources. Among domestic products, 1,305 meet MIT recognition standards, with 148 successfully converted, resulting in a conversion rate of approximately 11.34%. Continuous collaboration with the MIT Smile Mark executing unit, the Taiwan Productivity Center, aims to promote a system where manufacturers can be authorized to use the MIT Smile Mark through environmental labels, thereby increasing application willingness and the number of environmental label products. Regarding the research and revision of environmental label product specifications, this year planned to complete 10 standards. Modifications have been completed for refrigerators, water-saving faucets and accessories, hotel industry, and travel industry. Eleven outdated standards for fluorescent lamps and energy-saving light bulbs have been abolished. Relevant data for displays and biodegradable plastics have been collected for future reference. Regarding laboratory testing item certification, no formal certification applications were submitted. The system now guides laboratories to apply directly to TAF, with reduced certification items indicating a maturing environmental label testing system, eliminating the need for environmental department item registration. In environmental benefit statistics, the project completed quantitative analysis of government and private green procurement and environmental label usage data, calculating benefits across dimensions such as electricity saving, water conservation, and waste reduction. During international environmental label activities, a report on "Common Core Standards Across Countries" was presented at the GEN annual meeting, and assistance was provided in GENICES peer evaluation. Due to ongoing updates in Taiwan's environmental label operational guidelines, the planned Asian region organizational visits were impeded, leading to participation in the 2024 Global Environmental Label Organization meeting. The meeting revealed that most of Taiwan's mutual recognition agreements are outdated, with functional agreements maintained only with New Zealand, Thailand, and Japan. Future recommendations include re-examining and expanding international cooperation domains. Future promotion of private green consumption should reference successful international experiences, potentially through image rewards or substantial economic incentives to maintain business cooperation willingness. Continuous specification standard revisions and comprehensive feedback collection are crucial to ensure market relevance. Collaboration with municipal environmental bureaus can facilitate label application guidance, with central authorities providing professional support to local units and encouraging local guidance for environmental label applications. Taiwan's certification methods and processes are overly stringent, potentially disadvantaging mutual recognition efforts. Future adjustments to the verification system are necessary to prevent further marginalization of the national label system. The overall project maintains the environmental label's integrity and transparency through international information collection, international activity participation, standard research and modification, certified product management, and promotional activities, continuously enhancing institutional and public trust in the environmental label.

Green Mark, Criteria, International cooperation