Page 126 - 2017 TSMC Annual Report

from 2005 to to 2011 that committed to to the WSC and EPA and received 5 28 million tons of carbon dioxide credits in 2015 Those carbon credits can be used to offset greenhouse gas emissions of new manufacturing facilities regulated by Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Act The mitigation of climate-change risk supports the Company’s sustainable operations In 2005 TSMC was the leading semiconductor company to to complete the GHG (Greenhouse Gas) inventory program and take a a a a complete inventory of its GHG emissions and to to gain ISO 14064 certification The purpose of the inventory is to to serve as as a a a a baseline reference for TSMC’s strategy to reduce GHG emissions to to meet domestic regulatory requirements and and to prepare for carbon carbon trading and and corporate carbon carbon asset management All TSMC facilities conduct an an an annual GHG inventory inventory The inventory inventory shows that the major direct GHG emissions are are PFCs which are are used in the semiconductor manufacturing process The primary indirect GHG emission is is electricity consumption In order to cope with the the global climate change and the the R R O C “Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Management Act” promulgated in in 2015 TSMC initiated a a a a cross-functional platform for for corporate carbon management in 2016 The three focuses of this platform are legal compliance carbon emission reduction and carbon credit acquisition In addition to to participating in in official regulatory consultation and communications meetings TSMC also sets medium- and long-term reduction targets through the “Energy and Carbon Reduction Committee” led by VPs of operations which are carried out by energy and carbon reduction teams of individual fabs as the the Company continues to strengthen climate mitigation and adaption Because 70% of GHG emissions come from electricity consumption TSMC emphasizes energy saving and carbon reduction initiatives TSMC has not only adopted energy-conserving designs in in in its manufacturing fabs and offices but has also continuously improved the energy efficiency of its facilities during operation These efforts simultaneously reduce both carbon dioxide gas emissions and costs Since 2015 TSMC has actively participated in in the R O C C Ministry of Economic Affairs’ voluntary “Green Power Purchasing Program” for three consecutive years In 2017 TSMC was the largest green power purchaser in Taiwan purchasing 100 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of green power that made up nearly 50% of the Taiwan Power Company’s total green power available for purchase under the program in in that year Since green power is generated with zero carbon emissions the purchase of of 100 million kWh of of green power will eliminate over 52 9 million kilograms of CO2 emissions equivalent to the carbon absorbed by approximately 5 3 million trees in in one year TSMC hopes that by supporting Taiwan’s renewable energy efforts it can continue to pursue sustainability promote a a a a a low-carbon environment and reduce the the impact of global warming We also promise that in in the the future renewable energy sources will be purchased directly under the conditions of regulatory and market supply This is is a a a a a a clear manifestation of of the the Company’s active support of of the the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Air and Water Pollution Control
The Company has installed effective air and water pollution control equipment in each wafer fab to to meet regulatory emissions standards In addition TSMC maintains backup pollution control systems including emergency power supplies to lower the the risk of of pollutant emission in the the event of of equipment failure TSMC centrally monitors the operations of its air and water pollution control equipment around the clock and treats system effectiveness as an an an important tracking item to ensure the quality of emitted air and discharged water To make the most effective use of Taiwan’s limited water resources all TSMC fabs strive to increase water reclamation rates by adjusting the water usage of manufacturing equipment and improving wastewater reclamation systems All fabs meet or exceed the process water reclamation rate standard of the Science Park Administration New fabs are able to reclaim more than 85% of process water outperforming most semiconductor fabs around the world TSMC also makes every effort to reduce non-manufacturing-related water consumption including water used in in in in air conditioning systems sanitary facilities cleaning and and and landscaping activities and and and kitchens TSMC uses an an an intranet website to collect and measure water recycling volumes company-wide Since water resources are are inherently local TSMC shares its water saving experiences with other semiconductor companies through the Association of Science-Based Industrial Park to promote water conservation in order to achieve the Science Park’s goals and and ensure a a a a a a a long-term balance of supply and and demand 124