Overview

In the spirit of the circular economy and ESG, UMC has donated 28 sets of classroom tables and chairs made from wooden crates used to ship semiconductor equipment to Yu An Children's Home in Miaoli, Taiwan. By repurposing the crates into smart and functional furniture pieces, we hope to give waste a second life while also creating a comfortable and safe learning environment for disadvantaged children. This initiative serves as an exemplar of integrating the circular economy concept and social charity with enterprise partnership to create a sustainable and mutually beneficial society.

SC Chien, UMC co-president and Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO), stated that as one of the leading companies in semiconductor manufacturing, UMC is committed to minimizing the impact of our operations on the environment and reducing the consumption of natural resources. This donation of reclaimed furniture is a perfect demonstration of the spirit of ESG – making full and effective use of resources by extending the life cycle and usability of waste timber, while at the same time refreshing Yu An's classrooms with new tables and chairs.

Yu An Children’s Home has provided care for people with special needs for 30 years, and currently has 123 adult residents with moderate to severe disabilities. The classroom furniture purchased in the early days was designed for young children, but these tables and chairs no longer meet the needs of the students who have since grown up. Lin Chin-mei, Yu An’s director, expressed appreciation to UMC for seeing the residents’ needs. The new tables and chairs will primarily be placed in the multi-purpose classrooms and the daycare center for the use of students with disabilities carry out their learning sessions and activities.

UMC has invested in Taiwan for more than 40 years, and is strongly committed to sustainable development. Guided by our sustainability strategy blueprint, UMC has developed circular economy strategies to achieve the goal of “maximizing resource recycling and minimizing waste disposal”. UMC is working to reduce the impact of its operations on the environment through resource management measures such as process technology improvement and reduction of raw material consumption. UMC is also making efforts to extend all resource life cycles through waste recycling and reuse in order to achieve our goal of both ecological and business sustainability.

UMC has long supported disadvantaged groups through the Energy Saving Service Team and the UMC Science and Culture Foundation. The idea of making reclaimed furniture from waste timber was inspired by one of UMC’s Eco Echo Award partners, Unimicron Technology, and the way they recycled wooden pallets. Wooden crates used to ship precision semiconductor equipment used to be disposed of through external contracts. Through this initiative, the waste timber gets a second life as finely-crafted furniture pieces for disadvantaged students, demonstrating UMC’s commitment to circular economy practices and sustainable development.