As business leaders, one of the inescapable issues in recent years is ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance). Especially with the European Union's carbon fees starting in October and Taiwan's own fees set to begin in 2025, companies are aware of the importance of the topic, but the key question remains: Where is the business opportunity?

JAN CHENG Lighting Group (DANCELiGHT), Taiwan's largest lighting brand and distribution leader, has always maintained close collaboration with its upstream suppliers and downstream distributors. What sets JAN CHENG apart is that they often go "one step further" for their distributors by establishing the DANCELiGHT Lighting New Era Academy.

Huang Chen-Wei, General Manager of JAN CHENG’s Southern Business Division, recognized that ESG could be a significant business opportunity for their partners, especially in the area of public sector tenders. "We’ve observed that in recent years, public sector tenders have begun specifying the sustainability standards for lighting products. In the past, discussions around lighting revolved around brightness, specifications, or energy efficiency. Now, we must also address carbon reduction benefits." In fact, lighting accounts for 15% of Taiwan’s total electricity consumption, with 20% of that coming from office lighting. "By optimizing lighting configurations, we can achieve significant energy savings and carbon reduction." However, the topics of ESG, carbon reduction, and carbon fees are complex and challenging. CEO Huang Chen-Wei, needed a way to quickly make the issue resonate with her team. "We used to send out ESG-related newsletters, but that approach was too broad for employees to connect with. So I decided to introduce a workshop format, involving everyone from top management to sales"

Partnering with CommonWealth CEO Academy for an ESG Workshop.

ESG Corporate Training Workshop

In June, CEO Huang Chen-Wei invited the CommonWealth CEO Academy to conduct a full-day ESG training workshop for JAN CHENG, involving everyone from the chairman and regional GMs to sales teams. The workshop was led by Mo Dong-Li, Secretary General of the Taiwan Corporate Sustainability Association, who covered topics from the origins of ESG and current European regulations to how JAN CHENG could implement net-zero carbon practices internally and identify related business opportunities.

For example, Mo guided participants in group discussions on analyzing which suppliers accounted for significant procurement costs and the ESG issues these suppliers might face. The conversation also touched on how JAN CHENG’s future procurement strategies should incorporate sustainability requirements.

Following the workshop, CEO Huang Chen-Wei said that at least the company’s senior management now understood that ESG would be integral to future operational strategies. Additionally, it helped retail and corporate clients understand why energy-saving products might cost more but are in greater demand, especially as public sector tenders and large corporate customers increasingly mandate carbon-reducing products.

JAN CHENG doesn’t just stop at internal awareness; they plan to launch net-zero carbon reduction courses next year at the DANCELiGHT Lighting New Era Academy, which was established in 2020 and has already trained over 1,500 participants. The Academy focuses on educating downstream distributors on topics like digital marketing, digital transformation, and lighting design, with sustainability soon to be a key addition to its curriculum.

By incorporating ESG into their business strategies and training programs, JAN CHENG aims to not only embrace the shift toward sustainability but also turn ESG from a regulatory issue into a commercial opportunity.