Sustainability Menu
Sustainability Menu
We aim for pollution-free production. UMC not only complies with, but also strives to exceed international standards and all applicable environmental and safety regulations. We want to be an environmentally friendly enterprise characterized by continual improvement. UMC actively facilitates source reduction to reduce waste and costs to create a win-win situation.
UMC has installed various effective pollution control equipment for different emissions including wastewater, refuse, toxic chemicals, noise, soil and groundwater pollution control equipment, and a 24-hour central monitoring system. It continues to conduct annual pollutant tests and builds a dedicated pollution prevention team pursuant to applicable regulations. The team is in charge of pollution management and monitoring to ensure the proper functioning and performance compliance of all pollution control equipment.
We also expand the Environmental Management Policy scope of application to our subsidiaries, joint venture partners, merged companies, outsourcing vendors, suppliers, customers and other key business partners via external promotion to jointly practice corporate social responsibility and promote the balanced and sustainable development of the economy, society and the environment.
Download our Environmental Protection Policy here
UMC is committed to promoting environmental sustainability, and striving for a future where business performance and the ecological environment can thrive together. The ESG Steering Committee, comprising members of the executive management, is responsible for the supervision and management of the Company’s environmental protection programs, and regularly reports to the Board of Directors, which is the top decision-making body on major environmental policies. Reporting to the ESG Steering Committee, the Corporate Sustainability Committee is responsible for executing initiatives for energy and water conservation, carbon emissions reduction, waste reduction, and other environmental protection goals.
UMC’s Commitments: |
UMC aggressively promotes cleaner production and adopts state-of–the-art technology to facilitate sustainable operation and development. UMC first selects its target from raw materials that produce major waste by referring to international trends and government-controlled chemicals. Related departments will then conduct small-scale experiments to evaluate technology feasibility while reducing this target in conformance with the company’s cost-down policy and internal benchmark method. If the methods prove feasible, the reduction techniques will be applied in each fab.
Besides facilitating source reduction, our priority waste treatment strategy is recycling, followed by use as auxiliary fuel. Finally, the remaining waste is incinerated or sent to a landfill.
Internal Recycling Case |
UMC promotes waste recycling to its subsidiaries. In 2022, UMC and its subsidiaries, Hejian Technology and Wavetek, removed hydrogen peroxide from waste dilute sulfuric acid in the fab, which is then used for ammonia nitrogen wastewater treatment or as a chemical for air pollution control equipment. Together, waste sulfuric acid was reduced by 9,507 tonnes, and the purchase of industrial grade sulfuric acid was reduced by 9.976 tonnes, resulting in total economic benefit of NT$65.93 million for the Company.
Circular Economy & Recycling Innovation Center |
On March 17, 2022, UMC announced that it will invest NT$1.8 billion to establish the Circular Economy & Recycling Innovation Center at its Fab 12A. The center will not only be the first R&D center for waste recycling in the Southern Taiwan Science Park, it will also serve as an important benchmark for circular economy and sustainable operations for Taiwan’s industries. It is expected to reduce 15,000 tonnes of semiconductor manufacturing waste annually after its official launch in 2025. This investment demonstrates UMC's determination to move towards a circular economy and a zero waste future.
Contractor Management |
All of UMC’s waste is outsourced for treatment by contractors. In addition to selecting a qualified contractor and best treatment methods, UMC also established an annual audit plan for its waste contractors and conducts regular audits in the treatment plant.
Since waste types tend to diversify, UMC actively works with manufacturers to develop diverse reuse of technology and channels. We are committed to reducing waste and have an ultimate goal of zero waste.
UMC classifies air pollution into four categories: acid exhaust, alkaline exhaust, volatile organic compounds exhaust and normal exhaust. Treatment of acid exhaust and alkaline exhaust includes two stages. The first stage uses local scrubbers behind the process tools in order to treat toxic, flammable and PFC gases. For the second stage, gas is sent through central treatment tools for end-point waste gas treatment. Volatile organic compound exhaust is treated by zeolite-rotary-wheel absorbing equipment at the end-point treatment stage. All air pollution treatment and standby equipment have backup power in case of emergency.
Fab 12A - UMC's First Green Building To Gain Local EEWH Certification and LEED-NC |
Fab 12A is UMC's advanced process technology and manufacturing base located in Tainan Science Park. The third and fourth phases of Fab 12A have both successfully obtained Taiwan's Gold Certification for Green Buildings in 2011 and obtained LEED Gold Certification in 2012. |
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Green Fab 12A |
Fab 12A is UMC's advanced process technology and manufacturing base located in Tainan Science Park. The third and fourth phases of Fab 12A have both successfully obtained Taiwan's Gold Certification for Green Buildings in 2011 and obtained LEED Gold Certification in 2012. |
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UMC Green Building Design |
Ecological, Green, Water-retaining Design |
Energy-saving Air Conditioning Design |
Energy-saving Lighting Design |
Fab 12A P3&P4 introduced energy-saving fluorescent lamps with low-loss electronic ballast and metal halide lamps to improve lighting controllability. These have made huge contributions to annual energy conservation with the same designed illumination. This year was the first time that LEDs for fab cleanrooms were being assessed to see if production conditions would remain unaffected with the reduced lighting.
Renewable Energy in-situ Design |
Solar power systems are installed to generate renewable energy for fabs.
UMC’s Green Building Characteristics |
Biological Diversity |
Ecological Green Net: Creating a continuous green zone around the plant, increasing bio-migration, foraging area or opportunity.
Small biological habitat: creating a green reservoir with porous revetments, mixed forests, shrub area, to meet the needs of different organisms.
Plant diversity: Choosing native plants to attract birds and butterflies, and creating a diverse biological habitat.
Greenness |
Ecological restoration layer: Creating a mixed layer of plants by using plants of different heights.
Plant spacing: Planting large trees on the road side and giving the trees sufficient space to grow.
Three-dimensional green space: Increasing the soil layer above the basement of the OB Building to increase the 3-D green space for plant growth.
Green Factory |
Using past promotional experience and success of its departments in source reduction, recycling and reuse, UMC employs outside green building and ecology experts and collaborates with relevant academic programs to plan and construct green buildings that are consistent with the US LEED and domestic EEWH standards. In 2010, the company participated in the Green Factory Promotion Alliance, which integrates industrial, governmental and academic forces, to help the government formulate a green building and clean production evaluation system for developing Green Factory standards for Taiwan.
In 2012, the company's new fab in Tainan Science Park and over 17-year old Fab 8A in Hsinchu Science Park were awarded the 1st Green Factory logo by the Industrial Development Bureau. Moreover, Fab 8A was the first 8-inch foundry facility in the nation to receive the award. In 2013, UMC redoubled its efforts to have all its Taiwan factories achieve the Industrial Development Bureau certification for clean production.
UMC Future Plans for Green Building and Green Fab |
Designs for new fabs will adhere to green building, green factory and smart building principles.
Existing fabs will undergo green building and green factory assessments, and green design and construction will be gradually incorporated.
Status of UMC’s fabs |
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