Overview

This year, UMC released its first Climate Action Report. In addition to following the disclosure framework recommended by the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), this inaugural publication also discusses risks and opportunities arising from climate change, and provides a comprehensive look at UMC’s climate action. Through this report, we aim to demonstrate our commitment to international standards and sustainable business practices.

To minimize the environmental impact of our production activities, UMC strives to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from manufacturing processes through measures to reduce energy and resource consumption (such as enhancing resource usage efficiency and introducing circular economy technologies). Moreover, UMC continues to increase our share of renewable energy and reclaimed water utilization, and develops diversified energy/resource sources to manage possible operational risks brought by climate change.

UMC launched the Supply Chain GHG Inventory Initiative in 2022, aiming to assist 500 suppliers in complete their GHG inventories by 2030. By mobilizing our upstream and downstream value chain, we aim to build win-win partnerships to collectively tackle climate change and realize our vision to “unleash the power of technology” for a more sustainable future. As the trusted foundry partner of our customers, UMC continues to invest in the research and development of low-power components and high-performance chips, which are used in low-carbon end-products such as electric vehicles to promote the global transition to net zero.

In 2022, UMC became the first semiconductor foundry globally to obtain Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) validation of our climate goals. This affirms that UMC’s carbon reduction roadmap is consistent with what the latest climate science says is needed to prevent the worst impacts of climate change, and sets the foundation for achieving net zero emissions by 2050. With 2020 as the base year, UMC Group targets 25% reduction in direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (Scope 1) and indirect GHG emissions from purchased electricity (Scope 2) by 2030. We also aim to reduce value chain GHG emissions (Scope 3) by 12.3%.

In the next 30 years, UMC, as a provider of low-carbon solutions, will continue to strive for our science-based targets by developing advanced foundry process technologies, increasing the proportion of renewable energy use, and investing in emerging net-zero technologies. Through these actions, UMC plays an active role in battling climate change while also enhancing the company’s competitiveness as we pursue sustainable development in the long run.

UMC hopes to work with internal and external stakeholders to achieve our goals and take corresponding actions, proactively respond to the negative impacts of environmental issues, explore emerging business opportunities, and continue to contribute to global decarbonization efforts. For more information on UMC's climate actions, please refer to the company's sustainability reports: (https://www.umc.com/en/Download/corporate_sustainability_reports).