Water Management
Given the industry’s reliance on stable water resources, the availability and management of water are critical for Unimicron’s operations. In Taiwan, rainfall and flow rates vary significantly between high and low water periods, with meteorological and hydrological extremes. To mitigate the risk of water shortages due to Taiwan's topography and climate change, Unimicron evaluated water usage and retention from the outset of each plant's establishment. This includes setting up storage tanks and monitoring water storage capacity and consumption at each plant. These measures help ensure that plants are not subject to immediate water shortages and enhance resilience against water scarcity.
Our plants are located in regions not prone to frequent water shortages or droughts, with tap water as the primary source. In Taiwan, well water and rainwater are also used. However, due to hard to assess the impact of well water and rainwater, the data was not included this year. In 2023, water consumption of each plant constituted a minor portion of the local water supply, with no significant impact on the water intake area (where >5% of the supply would indicate a significant impact).
Impact Assessment and Management of Water Intake, Consumption and Drainage
Upstream
Source
- Increase in the quantity of water discharge
- Heavy metals in the discharged water
Impact
- Legal compliance
- Water and soil pollution, biodiversity, and human health
Strategies
- Obtain discharge permits issued by local governments under the law and complete reporting
- Implement wastewater treatment and discharge water monitoring management, reducing the impact of pollution in the watershed
Unimicron
- Large quantity of water intake
- Large quantity of water discharge containing heavy metal
- Conflict of interest with stakeholders in shared water resources
- Water and soil pollution, biodiversity, and human health
- Monitor the water use in the plant and back up the water supply from other sources. Reduce water consumption by recycling water for production. Engagement with stakeholders during water shortage
- Use water discharge monitoring and management to effectively reduce the impact of pollution in the watershed
Downstream (Assembly)
The downstream manufacturers are assembly plants, which are not highly water-consuming industries, and thus it is judged to have no impact
- The downstream manufacturers are assembly plants, which have no impact on water intake/discharge, and it is judged to not need mitigation measures
Note: "Unimicron" covers the manufacturing and processing of PCB, HDI PCB, FPC, RF PCB, and Carrier provided by the Unimicron Group.
Unimicron Water Resources Dispatching Measures
No emergency water issues arose in 2023, so no related contingency measures were activated. However, we have established drought contingency measures based on the Government's Drought Monitoring Signal, including water resources standardization and management. The emergency response team manages water trucks, tanks, and other resources to ensure uninterrupted operations.
| | Drought Monitoring Signal | Government Measures | Unimicron’s Contingency Plan |
|---|
| Stable | | Stable Supply | Stable Supply | Water monitoring in various regions/water use management in each plant |
| Tight | | Tight Supply | Agricultural Fallow | Establish an emergency water scheduling team and develop a contingency plan |
| 1 | | Stage One | Scheduled Decompression | Respond to water shortages through conservation measures in production, utilizing water trucks, and securing backup water sources |
| 2 | | Stage Two | Reduced Industrial Supply | Activate the emergency response team and implement water restriction measures at various stages |
| 3 | | Stage Three | Zone and Time-Based Suspension | Activate the emergency response team and implement water restriction measures at various stages |
Water Utilization
In 2023, Unimicron water usage proportions were 73.5% in Taiwan, 3.9% in South China, and 22.6% in East/Central China. In 2023, total water withdrawals reached 22,367 megaliters. Rainwater accounted for 0.06%, well water 27%, and tap water 73%. The withdrawal intensity was 0.215 megaliters/million in revenue. Over the past two years, well water consumption averaged 5,541 megaliters, while tap water averaged 16,303 megaliters. In 2023, 13.39 megaliters of rainwater were harvested and used for landscape watering and other purposes, replacing tap water, aiming to conserve water and enhance its allocation through storage and utilization.
Water Withdrawal and Intensity
Rainwater of Taiwan Facilities (Megaliters)
Well Water of Taiwan Facilities (Megaliters)
Tap Water of Taiwan Facilities (Megaliters)
Rainwater of China Facilities (Megaliters)
Tap Water of China Facilities (Megaliters)
Water Withdrawal Intensity (Megaliters/Million in Revenue)
Note 1: Kunshan and Suzhou's water sources are Yangcheng Lake and Taihu Lake, while Shenzhen's source is the Songgang Wuzhipa Reservoir.
Note 2:Calculation method of rainwater recovery: average annual rainfall in each region × catchment area.
Note 3: Groundwater is water from depths greater than 700 meters. Rainwater and well water are surface sources, while tap water is supplied by third parties.
Water Resources(Unit: Megaliters)
| Resources | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|
| Water Withdrawal | 20,244.000 | 20,564.217 | 20,039.114 | 21,340.802 | 22,366.834 |
|---|
| Water Discharge | 18,277.353 | 18,964.822 | 18,717.472 | 20,554.080 | 20,972.968 |
|---|
| Water Consumption | 1,966.647 | 1,599.395 | 1,321.642 | 786.722 | 1,393.866 |
|---|
Note: Freshwater is the source of withdrawal and discharge.
The Ratio of Unimicron Annual Water Withdrawal to
Annual Water Withdrawal In the Supply Area(Unit: %)
| Main Source | Region | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|
| Shimen Reservoir | Taoyuan | 1.05 | 1.23 | 1.22 | 2.10 | 1.41 |
|---|
| Lung-En Weir | Hsinchu | 3.80 | 4.01 | 2.99 | 3.56 | 3.90 |
|---|
Note 1: Data is sourced from the "Statistics of Water Intake from Reservoirs and Weirs" by the Northern Region Water Resources Office, WRA, MOEA, with averages calculated over the past five years.
Note 2: Plants in Taoyuan use water from Shihmen Reservoir, sourced from Taoyuan Canal (Taoyuan Irrigation Association and Water Supply Corporation) and Shihmen Canal (Shihmen Irrigation Association and Water Supply Corporation). Plants in Hsinchu use water from the Lungen Weir catchment area, sourced from Lungen Weir (Water Supply Corporation and Lung-En Irrigation Area).
Note 3: The ratio of annual water withdrawal to annual water withdrawal in the supply area is calculated as follows: (Annual tap water withdrawal of the plants / Annual average total water withdrawal in the regional water supply area) × 100%.
Water Recycling
Due to climate change, temperature and rainfall patterns are shifting, leading to increased temperature and uneven distribution of precipitation. For instance, higher rainfall during wet periods and reduced rainfall during dry periods have increased monthly variations in river flow, potentially causing imbalances in the water supply and demand. This imbalance may disrupt water supply and demand. To address this, Unimicron enhances water efficiency by installing rainwater recovery tanks at each plant and expanding water-recycling systems. These systems treat low-polluting water from various processes for reuse in industrial production. In 2023, the water recycling rate was 29% (6,538 megaliters), consistent with the average recycling rate over the past two years.
Water Recycling Ratio(Unit: %)
| Region | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|
| Taiwan | 9 | 9 | 11 | 15 | 18 |
|---|
| Mainland China | 62 | 62 | 63 | 65 | 60 |
|---|
| Total | 16 | 23 | 27 | 29 | 29 |
|---|
Note: "Water Recycling" refers to recycled water. Water Recycling Ratio (%) = Total water recycled/Total water withdrawal. water resources
Water Conservation Program
We prioritize water resources management, recognizing its crucial role in the PCB industry. In 2023, we upgraded production processes and equipment to enhance water efficiency and recycling, leading to a savings of 1,439 megaliters of water.
| Type | Contents | 2023 Benefits |
|---|
Water ConservationNote
(Megaliters) | Emissions Reduction
(t-CO2e) |
|---|
| Process Modification | Enhance production processes and efficiency to minimize water wastage | 792.787 | 77,492.09 |
|---|
| Equipment Modification or Renovation | Upgrade equipment systems to boost water efficiency | 393.848 | 151.81 |
|---|
| Change Employees’ Behavior | Improve management practices and behaviors to conserve water | 142.507 | 72.96 |
|---|
| Others | Reduce the use of non-essential water resources | 109.864 | 56.25 |
|---|
Note: Water savings are estimated by comparing flow rates before and after project implementation.
2023 Water Conservation Projects
Title：Boost Water Recycling at the Flagship Plant to Advance Toward Water Sustainability Goals
Content：We began installing water recycling systems in flagship plants in 2022. By now, the system has been implemented in 4 plants of Taoyuan and introduced to the plant of Hsinchu in 2023. We continue to implement water recycling systems to cut water consumption by treating and reusing low-pollution water from various processes. Each drop is carefully managed from intake through use to discharge, to achieve zero water waste through precise management, environmental stewardship, and resource conservation.
22.5 megaliters
2023 Water Recycling
NT$ 1.75 million
Total Facilities Costs
pH Stabilization Improvement Project of Water Recycling System
During testing of the new system, we found that the effluent pH entering the cooling water tower could not be consistently controlled within the range of 6.5–8.5. After consulting with the equipment supplier, we confirmed that neither the activated carbon tower nor the resin tower would be affected by water acidity or alkalinity. Following the ECRS rule, we optimized the system by relocating the pH adjustment tank from before the activated carbon tower to after the resin tower, ensuring the produced water maintains a pH of 6.5–8.5 before entering the cooling water tower.
In-Line Water Recycling System
The in-line water recycling system is designed to channel overflow water from Wash-2 into a new recycling tank, which features conductivity and pH monitoring. When water quality meets recovery standards, it is pumped and filtered for reuse in Wash-1, allowing the new water supply to Wash-1 to be turned off.
