Waste Reduction
Unimicron specializes in manufacturing, processing, and selling PCBs, HDI PCBs, FPC, RF PCBs, and Carrier. To assess its environmental impact, we evaluate the entire value chain, from raw material procurement and product design to manufacturing and waste generation. Efforts include sourcing eco-friendly materials and reducing/sorting/recycling process waste to mitigate environmental impact.
Impact Assessment and Management of Waste in the Value Chain
Source
Type
Hazardous Industrial Waste
Strategies
Type
Hazardous Industrial Waste
Upstream
- Arbitrary disposal of general industrial waste harms the environment
Unimicron
- Garbage cannot be disposed of during incinerator maintenance
- Garbage is returned from the incinerator due to incorrect sorting
Downstream
- Garbage cannot be disposed of during incinerator maintenance
- Garbage is returned from the incinerator due to incorrect sorting
- Improper disposal of hazardous waste harms water quality and soil
- Waste not handled by qualified vendors violates the Waste Disposal Act and may incur fines
- Failure to obtain required permits and make necessary declarations breaches the Waste Disposal Act and may result in fines
- Require suppliers to provide a legally compliant waste removal proposal
- Retrain employees to improve sorting practices
- Enhance waste sorting and recycling to minimize incineration
- Waste materials, such as packaging from product supply to downstream manufacturers, are recycled and reused.
- Verify the legality of suppliers' waste removal methods through audits
- Manage waste types effectively, ensuring legal compliance with any changes
- Conduct irregular audits of waste treatment plants to ensure legitimacy
- As downstream vendors are assembly plants, there is no impact from Hazardous Industrial Waste
The Require suppliers to provide a legally compliant waste removal proposalproduction of PCBs generates solid waste and highly concentrated waste liquids, which pose environmental risks if not properly managed. We emphasize rigorous waste management systems, overseeing all aspects of waste—storage, transportation, and disposal—to prevent pollution. We carefully select and review qualified firms to handle waste, implementing a stringent audit mechanism. In 2023, we audited 55 waste firms, ensuring full compliance with laws and regulations, and no waste leakage incidents occurred. As Unimicron does not produce end-products, tracking their final disposal or recycling status is challenging, making data quantification difficult.
Waste Management
Waste is classified into general and hazardous industrial types and the quantity of waste is weighed. In 2023, total waste output reached 94,000 tonnes. General industrial waste was 29,000 tonnes, with 25,000 tonnes diverted from disposal (86%) and 4,000 tons directed to disposal. Hazardous industrial waste totaled 65,000 tonnes, with 60,000 tonnes diverted from disposal (92%) and 5,400 tonnes directed to disposal. The overall reuse rate was 90%.
To support resource sustainability, we emphasize recycling and reusing waste plastics to reduce the waste of raw materials from the production process, promoting a circular economy to minimize raw material waste. The reduction in hazardous waste output is attributed to decreased production capacity. In 2023, total waste output intensity was 0.91 tonnes/million in revenue, a 5% increase from 2022.
Waste Generation and Waste Recycling
| Item | Region | Unit | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|
| Waste Generation | Taiwan and Mainland China | Tonnes/Million in Revenue | 1.21 | 0.86 | 0.91 |
|---|
| Waste Recycling | % | 91.6 | 91.3 | 90 |
|---|
Waste Generation(Unit: Tonnes)
| Region | Category | Waste Directed to Disposal | Waste Diverted from Disposal | Total |
|---|
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|
| Taiwan | General | 1,458 | 1,205 | 1,893 | 27,578 | 26,736 | 16,575 | 29,036 | 27,941 | 18,468 |
|---|
| Hazardous | 3,921 | 4,580 | 3,302 | 23,532 | 30,938 | 25,678 | 27,453 | 35,518 | 28,980 |
|---|
| Total | 5,379 | 5,785 | 5,195 | 51,110 | 57,674 | 42,253 | 56,489 | 63,459 | 47,448 |
|---|
| China | General | 2,654 | 2,699 | 2,188 | 10,474 | 8,431 | 8,158 | 13,128 | 11,130 | 10,346 |
|---|
| Hazardous | 2,539 | 2,063 | 2,056 | 54,338 | 44,473 | 34,339 | 56,877 | 46,536 | 36,395 |
|---|
| Total | 5,193 | 4,762 | 4,244 | 64,812 | 52,904 | 42,497 | 70,005 | 57,666 | 46,741 |
|---|
| Total | 10,572 | 10,547 | 9,439 | 115,922 | 110,578 | 84,750 | 126,494 | 121,125 | 94,189 |
|---|
General Industrial Waste in Taiwan Facilities (Tonnes)
Hazardous Industrial Waste in Taiwan Facilities (Tonnes)
General Industrial Waste in Mainland China Facilities (Tonnes)
Hazardous Industrial Waste in Mainland China Facilities (Tonnes)
Waste Generation Intensity (Tonnes/Million in Revenue)
Waste Diverted from Disposal(Unit: Tonnes)
| Region | Category | Sub-category | Onsite | Offsite | Total |
|---|
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|
| Taiwan | General | Reuse | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|---|
| Recycling | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
|---|
| Others | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27,578 | 26,736 | 16,573 | 27,578 | 26,736 | 16,573 |
|---|
| Subtotal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27,578 | 26,736 | 16,575 | 27,578 | 26,736 | 16,575 |
|---|
| Hazardous | Reuse | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|---|
| Recycling | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 77 | 0 | 0 | 77 |
|---|
| Others | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23,532 | 30,938 | 25,601 | 23,532 | 30,938 | 25,601 |
|---|
| Subtotal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23,532 | 30,938 | 25,678 | 23,532 | 30,938 | 25,678 |
|---|
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 51,110 | 57,674 | 42,253 | 51,110 | 57,674 | 42,253 |
|---|
| China | General | Reuse | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|---|
| Recycling | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5,189 | 6,890 | 6,510 | 5,191 | 6,890 | 6,510 |
|---|
| Others | 3,348 | 0 | 0 | 1,935 | 1,541 | 1,648 | 5,283 | 1,541 | 1,648 |
|---|
| Subtotal | 3,350 | 0 | 0 | 7,124 | 8,431 | 8,158 | 10,474 | 8,431 | 8,158 |
|---|
| Hazardous | Reuse | 0 | 0 | 0 | 390 | 326 | 145 | 390 | 326 | 70 |
|---|
| Recycling | 6,901 | 5,586 | 2,527 | 37,004 | 37,098 | 27,147 | 43,905 | 42,684 | 22,820 |
|---|
| Others | 9,316 | 676 | 0 | 727 | 788 | 4,520 | 10,043 | 1,464 | 4,520 |
|---|
| Subtotal | 16,217 | 6,262 | 2,527 | 38,121 | 38,211 | 31,812 | 54,338 | 44,473 | 34,339 |
|---|
| Total | 19,567 | 6,262 | 2,527 | 45,245 | 46,642 | 39,970 | 64,812 | 52,904 | 42,497 |
|---|
Note 1: The definition of Reuse is checking, cleaning, or repairing operations, by which products or components of products that have become waste are prepared to be put to use for the same purpose for which they were conceived. The definition of Recycling is reprocessing of products or components of products that have become waste, to make new materials. Others include resource recovery, electrolytic recovery, chemical replacement, and refining recovery.
Note 2: "Onsite" refers to activities within the Unimicron Facilities' report boundary, while "Offsite" pertains to activities entrusted to external suppliers.
Note 3: Waste separation follows "The Waste Disposal Act" in Taiwan and "Solid Waste Pollution Prevention and Control Law of the People’s Republic of China" in Mainland China. Hazardous waste in Mainland China corresponds to Hazardous Industrial Waste in Taiwan.
Waste Directed to Disposal(Unit: Tonnes)
| Region | Category | Sub-category | Waste Directed to Disposal |
|---|
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|
| Taiwan | General | Incineration (with energy recovery) | 1,196 | 1,097 | 1,835 |
|---|
| Incineration (without energy recovery) | 0.22 | 15 | 0 |
|---|
| Landfilling | 261 | 93 | 54 |
|---|
| Other Disposal Operations | 0 | 0 | 4 |
|---|
| Subtotal | 1,458 | 1,205 | 1,893 |
|---|
| Hazardous | Incineration (with energy recovery) | 2,077 | 2,653 | 1,900 |
|---|
| Incineration (without energy recovery) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|---|
| Landfilling | 1,656 | 1,790 | 908 |
|---|
| Other Disposal Operations | 188 | 137 | 494 |
|---|
| Subtotal | 3,921 | 4,580 | 3,302 |
|---|
| Total | 5,379 | 5,785 | 5,195 |
|---|
| China | General | Incineration (with energy recovery) | 0 | 0 | 379 |
|---|
| Incineration (without energy recovery) | 2,024 | 2,268 | 1,569 |
|---|
| Landfilling | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|---|
| Other Disposal Operations | 630 | 431 | 240 |
|---|
| Subtotal | 2,654 | 2,699 | 2,188 |
|---|
| Hazardous | Incineration (with energy recovery) | 0 | 0 | 338 |
|---|
| Incineration (without energy recovery) | 2,539 | 2,063 | 1,718 |
|---|
| Landfilling | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|---|
| Other Disposal Operations | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|---|
| Subtotal | 2,539 | 2,063 | 2,056 |
|---|
| Total | 5,193 | 4,762 | 4,244 |
|---|
Note 1: Other disposal operations are defined as solidification.
Note 2: Unimicron's direct disposal of waste was entrusted to external supplier for cleaning and disposal.
Waste Reduction
2023 Waste Reduction and Outcomes
| Region | Site | Strategies | Contents | Outcomes | Unit |
|---|
| Taiwan | Unimicron | Introduce the SRF treatment method to reduce waste incineration | Reduce incineration disposal | 717 | Tonnes/Month |
|---|
| Optimize the self-processing system for organic film strippers to decrease outsourced waste disposal | Reduce outsourcing processing | 960 | Tonnes/Year |
| Enhance the gold recycling system to boost precious metal recovery | Enhance gold recycling | 7.6 | Tonmes/Year |
| Continue implementing a low palladium recovery system to increase precious metal recovery | Increase palladium recycling | 2.4 | Tonmes/Year |
| Subtron Technology | Enhancing precious metal recovery: palladium resin recovery system optimization and diversion | Increase palladium recycling | 61 | g/Month |
|---|
| Use gold-plated wires to reduce waste nitric acid solution treatment | Reduce nitric acid consumption | 2.37 | Tonnes/Month |
| China | Unimicron Technology (Suzhou) | Use membrane slag drying equipment to lower the cost of outsourcing membrane slag disposal | Reduce outsourcing processing | 3.1 | Tonnes/Month |
|---|
| Use filter element drying equipment to reduce outsourcing costs for waste filter elements | Reduce outsourcing processing | 6.1 | Tonnes/Month |
| Apply three-way evaporation equipment to decrease outsourced disposal costs for high organic waste liquids | Reduce outsourcing processing | 540.8 | Tonnes/Month |
| Utilize nickel single-effect evaporation equipment to cut costs for outsourced nickel waste liquid disposal | Reduce outsourcing processing | 69.3 | Tonnes/Month |
| Construct electrolytic copper equipment for recycling copper tubes | Copper recycling | 4.1 | Tonnes/Month |
| Utilize gold electrolysis and gold resin equipment to recycle gold | Gold recycling | 740 | g/Month |
| Deploy palladium recovery equipment for recovering palladium from activated carbon and resin | Palladium recycling | 187 | g/Month |
| Deploy electrolytic silver equipment for recycling silver | Silver recycling | 922.5 | g/Month |
| Unimicron-FPC Technology (Kunshan) | Membrane sludge, initially designated for centralized recycling, has been redirected to line-side treatment | Reduce the disposal cost of membrane residue | 112 | Million/Year |
|---|
2024 Waste Reduction Strategies and Expected Outcomes
| Region | Site | Strategies | Expected Outcomes |
|---|
| Taiwan | Unimicron | Continue adopting waste treatment technologies to minimize solidified landfill waste | Reduce incineration and landfill disposal |
|---|
| Install membrane residue dehydration equipment to reduce outsourced treatment volume | Reduce outsourced processing of membrane residue |
| Subtron Technology | Enhance precious metal recovery by optimizing the palladium resin recovery system and implementing diversion | Increase palladium recycling |
|---|
| Use gold-plated wires to reduce waste nitric acid solution treatment | Lower nitric acid consumption |
| China | Unimicron-FPC Technology (Kunshan) | Introduce nickel reduction facilities to cut outsourced disposal costs | Reduce outsourcing |
|---|
| Unimicron Technology (Huangshi) | Install a new palladium electrolysis device on the NiPalladium gold line to reduce outsourced disposal costs |
|---|
2023 Unimicron Waste Reduction Program
Title：Zero Waste to Landfill Certification
Content：Conduct a comprehensive inventory of all plant wastes, modify landfill disposal methods, reduce landfill volumes, increase waste conversion rates, lower disposal costs, effectively reduce environmental pollution, and enhance corporate social responsibility.
UL2799 Gold Certification
99%
The waste conversion rate
reaches in 2023
UL2799
Gold Certification
Shanying I Plant obtained
