Upcycling waste oil into soap, Taiwanese makes mark in Finland

Helsinki, April 25 (CNA) Guided by a passion for upcycling, a Taiwanese entrepreneur based in Finland has created soap made from used cooking oil that is now used by several renowned local establishments, including Michelin green star restaurant Nolla.

That passion has also meant spreading knowledge, most recently when JooSoap Studio founder Lin Ying-ju (林瑩茹) held a one-day event marking Earth Day where participants could try their hand at upcycling, she told CNA in Helsinki.

It was the latest of more than 160 workshops attended by over 1,000 people that Lin has held in Finland over the past 16 years, she said.

The practice -- in which each bar of soap needs to cure for more than eight weeks before being sold -- has been known in parts of Asia for decades, but was relatively uncommon in Europe when Lin arrived there nearly 20 years ago, she said.

From learning the craft to founding a company

Before leaving for Finland to pursue graduate studies at Aalto University, Lin was introduced to the craft at Taichung Maple Eco-School, where making soap using cooking oil has been taught since 1996 through various workshops and face-to-face lectures.

The school was initially founded by the Taichung Maple Culture Association, one of Taiwan's early pioneers in community development and environmental education.

Lin recalled that during a university class discussion in Finland, she mentioned making soap from used cooking oil in Taiwan, which sparked strong interest among her classmates and led them to request a hands-on demonstration.

JooSoap Studio was basically born out of the classroom in 2011, and was officially registered as a company in late 2014, she said.

Lin said she did not deliberately choose this path, but rather simply fell into it because "no one was doing it." It would not have happened, she said, had she not gone to Finland to study.

Finding a path in Finland

After graduating, Lin, like many international graduates, faced a difficult job market in Finland and visa-related pressures. It was the reputation she had built as a student through her soap-making knowledge that may have saved her.

She admitted that if she had chosen to look for a regular job at the time, she might not have been able to find one or even stay in the country.

Instead, entrepreneurship opened a different path. "Starting a business offers more flexibility," she said.

She found that the pace of work differed greatly between Finland and Taiwan. In Taiwan, free workshops on upcycling used cooking oil into soap can attract large crowds, with thousands of bars produced a day.

In Finland, however, people tend to adopt a "make only what is needed" approach, and it is also more difficult to mobilize groups for collective activities, Lin found.

She responded by shifting from large-scale production to a seasonal operation, which coincidentally helped strengthen her brand.

Her efforts were soon noticed, and several well-known restaurants in Finland, including Michelin green star restaurant Nolla, began purchasing her soap.

Balancing life between the two countries

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced her to return to Taiwan for two and a half years. When she returned to Helsinki, she realized it had become her home.

"Nature, air and water -- no amount of money can buy them," she said. Since then, she has sought to balance life between the two places, allowing more breathing space amid her busy daily routine.

Lin said she also recently visited Japan to meet the pioneer of soap-making from used cooking oil in Asia, the nonprofit Sekken no Machi, which has been promoting the practice in Chiba Prefecture for more than 40 years.

She noted that turning used cooking oil into environmentally friendly products is part of a positive cycle for the planet.

Thanks to her, the practice pioneered in Japan and later adopted in Taiwan has now taken hold in Finland, and continues to spread.