An alliance of green stores will form next year to encourage environmentally friendly buying, the Cabinet-level Environmental Protection Administration announced Nov. 15.
The union will encourage measures such as handing out purchase vouchers for green products and publicizing the benefits of green consumption, the EPA said during the 2010 Green Selling Awards ceremony.
Winners of the award this year include Far Eastern Ai Mai hypermarket, Taiwan Sugar Co. and Taiwan Test Rite International Co., Ltd.
Taiwan currently has over 10,000 green stores across the island, including wholesale stores, supermarkets, franchised stores and convenience stores, the EPA added.
Qualifications for a green store include having at least three Green Mark-certified items on the shelf, in-store promotion of green products and appropriate waste recycling and management facilities, according to the EPA.