Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s biggest contract chipmaker, yesterday launched its first zero-waste center in Taichung to repurpose major manufacturing waste, which translates into savings of NT$1.5 billion (US$46 million) in environmental costs a year.
The environmental cost savings include a carbon reduction benefit of 40,000 tonnes, equivalent to the carbon offset of over 110 Daan Forest Parks, the chipmaker said.
The Taichung Zero Waste Manufacturing Center is part of the chipmaker’s greater efforts to reach its net zero emissions goal in 2050, aligning with the UN’s 12th Sustainable Development Goal.
Photo: Liao Yao-tung, Taipei Times
The center could reduce TSMC’s outsourced waste processing by 130,000 tonnes each year, accounting for more than 85 percent of the total waste from TSMC’s facilities in the Central Taiwan Science Park, TSMC cochief operating officer Y.P. Chyn (秦永沛) said at the launch ceremony in Taichung yesterday.
“As a global leader in semiconductor manufacturing, we recognize our mission in environmental protection and resource management. Through the Taichung Zero Waste Manufacturing Center, we aim to inspire industries to prioritize and invest in the circular economy, accelerating development momentum to create a better planet for future generations,” Chyn said.
The company plans to create more zero-waste centers at other domestic and international locations, Chyn said.
The center features four major recycling facilities that include fluoride recycling, silica recycling, solvent thermal recovery and isopropanol recovery. TSMC operates the center together with its supply chain partners Chang Chun Petrochemical Co (長春石化), Transcene Corp (成信實業) and Li Ying Environmental Technology Co (立盈環保科技).
Since beginning trial operations last year, the center has purified and recycled chemicals to meet the standards for recycled products. These chemicals are suitable for use in other industries such as steel industry and are being developed into electronic-grade quality for reuse in semiconductor processes, reducing the need for raw material extraction and pioneering a new model of the circular economy, TSMC said.
The zero-waste center has emerged as Taiwan’s pioneering demonstration site for implementing membrane carbon capture technology, it said.
TSMC and the Ministry of Environment yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop this technology, which would be introduced into general waste thermal treatment (incineration) facilities.
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