Green Giant Celebrates Half a Century
Taichung, Taiwan
Giant Group celebrated its 50th anniversary last month with a series of events held at the company’s global headquarters in the Central Taiwan Science Park and a strong focus on sustainability.
Giant Group CEO Young Liu used the anniversary celebrations to launch the group’s future ESG (environmental, social and governance) strategy Cycling for a Better Future, which includes three aspects: Innovating a Clean Future, Transforming for Circularity, and Mobilizing For DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion).
He said Innovating a Clean Future strives to promote eco-mobility, green production and sustainable supply chains, along with advocating for environmental activism.
Transforming for Circularity aims to promote cycling as a service, sustainable product design, circular production and extended product lifespans.
Mobilizing for DEI pinpoints women’s empowerment, workplace equality, positive partnerships and social advocacy.
“Stepping into the next 50 years, Giant Group takes sustainable development as our responsibility. There is only one Earth,” Young Lui said.
“Creating a sustainable future is a shared responsibility of you and me. Please join us in this endeavor.”
As part of the shift to sustainable transport, Giant Group launched its Momentum sub-brand of urban bikes in 2015. The range now includes a selection of e-bikes which last year was bolstered by the release of its first cargo bike.
Momentum is a Silver Sponsor of the 2022 Micromobility Conference & Expo and has donated two high-quality urban e-bikes as prizes for the event.
Everyone who attends one or both days of the conference is in the running to win either a Momentum Transend E+ or a Momentum Vida E+, both valued at $3,999.
Both the Transcend E+ and Vida E+ feature Yamaha mid-drive motors, aluminium frames and top-quality components.
Industry Leaders Gather
Hundreds of influential members of the bike industry gathered at Giant’s 50th anniversary celebrations to discuss solutions for sustainable development of the industry and achieving consensus on the industry’s future direction.
The event brought together leaders from several of cycling’s biggest players, including Shimano president Taizo Shimano, Trek Bicycle president John Burke, Scott Sports CEO Beat Zaugg of Scott Sports, and SRAM Asia General Manager Bob Chen.
Inter IKEA Group Head of Sustainability Communications & Engagement, Malin Pettersson-Beckema, provided insight to sustainable values practices, offering perspectives from outside the bicycle industry. She delivered a keynote presentation at the event’s Get Greater – Sustainable Future Summit Forum held by Giant Group and the Bicycling Alliance for Sustainability (BAS), a new organisation Giant initiated in May by inviting 33 Asian bicycle industry leaders to a kick-off meeting.
Young Liu said the anniversary celebration was based on the concept of sustainability and minimising carbon emissions.
Through employees’ accumulated biking mileage and tree planting events, Giant Group says it fully offset the carbon footprints produced by the whole ceremony, including guests’ flights to Taiwan. Trees were planted in the name of each honored guest who attended.
In the lead-up to last month’s celebrations, Giant held a series of events earlier this year to express a determination to build a sustainable future, including the BAS preparatory meeting on the eve of World Bicycle Day.
On 6th October, Giant Group signed a memorandum of understanding to build fire-resistant forest areas. In cooperation with the Fire Bureau of Taichung City Government and the Taiwan Reforestation Association, the venture will protect the Dadu Plateau and Tieh-Chen mountain in Taichung, where Giant Group is located.
Giant Group also promoted ‘Sustainable 22- Micro Eco Actions’ within the organisation, to build consensus among employees and enhance their awareness of environmental protection. On 21st October 21, Young Lui and Giant Group chairperson Bonnie Tu led all Taiwan Giant employees on a ride to the Metropolitan Park for sapling transplanting and Taiwan lily gardening work, combinging a promotion of cycling culture with global environmental protection.
In May, Giant Group founder Chin-Piao Liu (King) received a Special Lifetime Achievement Award from the United Nations as part of 2022 World Bicycle Day.
World Bicycle Day was established in 2018 by the United Nations General Assembly Resolution to celebrate the bicycle’s invention.