Unimicron is committed to the implementation of green product management with the three principles of “compliance with green specifications and requirements”, “green procurement”, and “green supply chain”, and sets the quality target of HSF. The use of environmentally hazardous substances on products is strictly prohibited, which considers green materials in the process design. The purchased raw materials comply with the requirements of international laws and regulations such as the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS), Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemical (REACH), Directive of Packaging and Packaging Waste, China RoHS, California Proposition 65, Montreal Convention, etc. 100% products comply with the requirements of RoHS and REACH. The principles of green products and continuous improvement are implemented, to satisfy customers and comply with the requirements for green materials by international environmental protection regulations and fulfill the social responsibility of environmental protection.
Topics | Chemical Safety |
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Policy |
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Commitment |
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Division |
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Resources Invested |
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Grievance Mechanism |
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2022 Targets |
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Actions |
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2022 Achievements |
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Unimicron is the second largest professional PCB and carrier board manufacturer in the world in terms of revenue. In order to comply with customer requirements and international laws and regulations, we have established a Green Material Committee in the Printed Circuit Board and Carrier Board Division, which integrates the departments of quality management, materials, products, R&D, manufacturing, and business. Green materials are taken into consideration in the process design, and harmful substances are fully controlled in four major processes, including quality planning, supply chain and material flow, manufacturing, and quality assurance. Internal operations are carried out, and the status and requirements the Company's green products is continuously confirmed through the QC080000 management system. In the event of changes or amendments to customers’ specifications or international regulations, we will conduct internal evaluations, adjust control standards and operating modes, and notify the relevant units by way of announcements to ensure that products meet customer requirements and comply with relevant laws and regulations and green product regulations, to meet quality requirements and customer satisfaction.
To implement the four major principles of HSF quality policy, Unimicron has established various indicators to regularly track performance and achievement rates, to ensure that the policies are implemented and meet customer needs. From 2013 to 2022, the achievement rate of all HSF quality indicators was 100%, and there were no returns from customers due to HSF non-compliance.
Indicator | 2022 Targets | 2022 Achievements | 2023 Targets |
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Number of Returned Goods Due to Conformity With HSF (Cases) | 0 | 100 | 0 |
Real-Time Update Completion Rate of International/Customer Regulations on Hazardous Substances (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 |
The Pass Rate of Hazardous Substance Inspection Conducted Internally From Incoming to Shipping and by a Commissioned Third-Party Certification Body (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 |
Deficiency Improvement Rate of Regular and Irregular HSF Internal/External Audit (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 |
Completion Rate of HSF Regular Training (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 |
All raw materials, packaging materials and chemicals required in the manufacturing process of products are incorporated into the management system to achieve comprehensive management. In order to fulfill our responsibility and contribution as a global citizen, we are committed to not using banned environmental management substances, while complying with the current laws and regulations, meeting the needs of our customers, and protecting the global environment to reduce the impact on the ecosystem. We established measures for source, process, and finished product management to comply with international standards and customer requirements for controlled substances, and to curb the environmental and social hazards caused by the life cycle of our products.
# | Mechanism | Implementation Measures | 2022 Results |
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1 | Source Management |
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2 | Process Management |
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3 | Product Testing |
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To implement the source management of green products, Unimicron has developed a complete internal control process and operation regulations for hazardous substances, established a raw material audit mechanism, adopted the E-Pr system for management, and required suppliers to provide third-party testing reports and updates annually. We published the green procurement requirements and conflict minerals investigation form. Also, request suppliers to confirm/reply with a non-use (banned and restricted substances) guarantee letter and conflict-free minerals. Materials are required to comply with EU regulations such as RoHS, REACH, halogen-free, conflict-free minerals, etc., and listed in the Qualified Materials List after passing Unimicron's internal audit. If there are specific requirements by the customer, we will comply with the customer's control standards and supplier management regulations to fulfill our commitment to "100% compliance with international regulations, industry standards and customer requirements for green products".
Hazardous Substance List and Reduction Plan:Based on RoHS, REACH Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC), IEC 62474, customer regulations and other international regulations, we develop a Hazardous Substance Control List and related reduction plan to control the use of substances in the list. When necessary, through the monitoring of the list of hazardous substances and the reduction plan, implement reduction or declaration according to customer needs.
REACH Compliance Declaration: Investigate the compliance of suppliers with REACH and implement source management of raw materials.
Restriction of Hazardous Substances Operational Procedures:To regulate the Standard Operating Procedures of division in handling hazardous substances.
“100% Green Products in accordance with International Regulations, Industry Standards, and Customer Requirements” is Unimicron's commitment to green products. In order to comply with the requirements of the RoHS and REACH, Unimicron carried source and finished product management according to the specifications of the management systems and requested suppliers to survey hazardous substances to ensure that the raw materials were complied with the hazardous substances by RoHS and REACH. In 2022, there were 1,358 RoHS reports from Taiwan facilities for managing and reviewing suppliers, including 574 for direct materials, 638 for indirect materials, and 146 for packaging materials, which were 100% completed.
In order to promote green product management and product safety, Unimicron's products are currently banned to use environmentally hazardous substances, and in accordance with EU regulations (e.g. RoHS, REACH, IEC 62474, etc.), a total of 1,140 substances are listed in 11 regulatory directives and customer-specific requirements, including GADSL (274 substances) and Prop65 (970 substances), which are mainly published on the official website of the regulations.
Unimicron’s products are one of the components of complex electronic products, and the most important concern for customers is the EU REACH SVHC and RoHS hazardous substances restriction directive. Unimicron’s products give priority to green materials that comply with regulations and customer requirements. Except for customer-specified materials, there are two main hazardous substances in products, including brominated flame retardants and bisphenol A. The content ratio of 4.37% based on the total sales amount of the products, corresponds to the material declaration limit value of IEC 62474 for electrical and electronic products..
Unimicron is disclosing hazardous substances to its customers by means of supplier hazardous substance surveys. After informing suppliers of the new hazardous substance control items, Unimicron requires suppliers to provide a letter of assurance of non-use of banned and restricted substances and a declaration of REACH compliance to ensure compliance with the law and Unimicron's regulations, and to keep track of the use of all materials containing banned and restricted substances and SVHCs. According to the customer's material number that uses SVHC, we reply to the customer survey form and implement source management. In 2022, we cooperated with customers in the investigation of hazardous substances of PCB and Carrier SBU in Taiwan, we conducted a total of 387 supplier surveys, with a response rate of 100%, and completed a total of 818 surveys of hazardous substances required by customers, with a completion rate of 100%.
Improvement Plan
In order to enhance product safety, Unimicron is committed to reducing the environmental and human health hazards of the substances in our products. For example, Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical substance regulated by international standards and Taiwanese government regulations. To reduce the impact of hazardous substances on the environment, the products of PCB II SBU are 100% compliant with REACH SVHC for BPA concentration. The products of Carrier SBU contain Bisphenol A (BPA) under REACH SVHC according to the customer's specified substrate. If the concentration of BPA in the finished product is higher than the standard, we must notify the customer in accordance with REACH requirements.
Substitution Plan
The Carrier SBU and PCB II SBU have implemented substitution programs and phased out Cobalt (II) chloride (wetness indicator card and desiccant in packages), Arsenic trioxide and Arsenic pentoxide.
Mechanism | Measures | 2022 Results |
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Chemical Risk Control |
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Safety Regulations for Tank Car Loading/Unloading Operation |
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Chemical Dispense System (CDS) in New Plant |
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Workplace Monitoring |
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Health Examination |
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Personal Protective Equipment |
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Chemical Detection Systems |
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To ensure that the products produced by Unimicron comply with the green product standards, we not only test incoming materials and products for Hazardous substances by XRF analyzer but also sample products to third-party for hazardous substance testing every year to ensure that the products meet the hazardous substance management requirements. In 2022, the Carrier SBU focused on the 10 substances of RoHS, including halogen (F, Cl, Br, I), antimony (Sb), beryllium (Be), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), Phthalates (DINP, DNOP), Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD). The PCB II SBU focused on 10 substances of RoHS and halogens (Cl, Br). Please refer to the ESG website for test reports.
Analysis Type | Analysis Item | RoHS | Halogen-Free Specification | Others |
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Third-Party Inspection | Finished products | Cd, Pb, Hg, Cr6+, PBBs, PBDEs, BBP, DBP, DIBP, DEHP | Br, Cl | Sb, Be, PFOS, PFOA, HBCDD, DINP, DNOP |
X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) Analysis | Raw materials, finished products, packaging materials | Cd, Pb, Hg, Cr | Br, Cl | Sb, As |
To ensure that the products produced by Unimicron comply with the green product standards, we sample products to the third party for hazardous substance testing every year to ensure that the products meet the hazardous substance management requirements. In 2021, the Carrier SBU focused on the 10 substances of RoHS, including halogen (F, Cl, Br, I), antimony (Sb), beryllium (Be), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), DINP, DNOP, Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD). The PCB II SBU focused on 10 substances of RoHS and halogens (Cl, Br). Please refer to the following files.
# | Regulations/Codes/Standards | No. | Release Date |
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1 | The Restriction of the use of certain Hazardous Substances in electrical and electronic equipment, RoHS | 2011/65/EU (EU)2015/863 | 2011/7/1 2015/6/4 |
2 | Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and restriction of Chemicals, REACH | (EC) No 1907/2006 | 2022/1/17 |
3 | Waste Framework Directive, WFD (include Substances of Concern In articles as such or in complex objects (Products) | (EU) 2018/851 | 2018/6/14 |
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2013/2/EU | 2013/9/30 |
5 | Persistent Organic Pollutants, POPs | (EU) 2019/1021 | 2019/6/19 |
6 | Toxic Substances Control Act, TSCA | 40 CFR 751.401- 751.413 | 2021/3/8 |
7 | End-of-life Vehicle, ELV | EU 2000/53/EC EU 2002/525/EC | 2000/10/21 2002/6/27 |
8 | Global Automobile Declarable Substance List(GADSL) | VGADSL REFERENCE LIST | <2022/><2/><1>1> |
9 | ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH HAZARD ASSESSMENT SAFE DRINKING WATER AND TOXIC ENFORCEMENT ACT OF 1986 | Prop65 | 2022/2/25 |
10 | Rotterdam Convention Declaration | 2004/2/24 | |
11 | IEC 62474 Material Declaration for Products of and for the Electrotechnical Industry |