Organised by SSIA
Sustainability has been a buzz word in recent years, and as it is a journey that does not have quick solutions, we have to start as early as possible.
As discussed during SSIA Summit 2022: Advancing Technologies for a Sustainable Future, sustainability towards Net Zero is one of key focus and an important initiative for the semiconductor industry, and there is much that can be learnt and done about it.
The Singapore Semiconductor Sustainability Committee was formed in February 2023, led by a team of industry leaders with the objective to drive sustainability goals towards Net Zero.
The Sustainability Committee has 2 key work streams:
- Designing a framework to create awareness about sustainability in the Semiconductor industry
-
- Key focuses are Energy, Emission, Water, and Waste management
-
- Establishing and benchmarking sustainability indexes across the industry in Singapore
-
- Help companies move towards a business model that embraces sustainability
-
In doing so will help companies, including SMEs, in their transformation journey to adopt sustainable solutions into their business. Once companies are aligned on their business needs to transform, SSIA can assist these companies with a platform like Semiconductor Business Connect for potential solution providers and collaborators to connect, collaborate and innovate for sustainability solutions for the semiconductor industry.
Ms Tan Geok Hong, Vice-President, Frontend Operations Strategic Program and Central PIE of Micron Technology, and SSIA Board Member shared, “Companies are recognizing the need to act on sustainability and commit aggressive long-term goals. Sustainability is a major challenge, and we are reaching a critical inflection point, one that matters beyond individual companies. To transform the entire value chain and eco-system, it is critical that industry players, policy makers and academia develop the solution collectively for our future.”
Many Semiconductor MNC companies have already started on the sustainability journey but may be at different stages of it, and there are common challenges with varied approaches to address them. For sure, it is no easy task, with no readily available solutions. The common approach is to explore innovative solutioning by collaboration, thinking out of the box and the potential need to explore beyond the electronics sector.
Mr Dan Steele, Senior Director, Global EHS and Security Operations of GlobalFoundries highlighted that “Sustainability must not be viewed only as a competitive economic advantage, but instead it should be viewed as fostering a company and industry’s longevity. As an example, segregating and repurposing waste sludge into the construction industry to enhance cement strength, reduces the impact to our landfill and helps the circular economy. Such sharing of learnings will help the whole industry in the sustainability goals.”
It is also important to bring SMEs along on the sustainability journey, as they are the suppliers and have great potential to be great solution providers.
“At bbp, being an innovator in the space of energy efficiency and digitalization, we have supported multiple semiconductor manufacturers to decarbonise by reducing their cooling systems’ energy usage at $0 upfront investment. Such “Pay as You Save” models could be deployed to other parts of the semiconductor value chain, enabling both SMEs and MNCs to reduce their Scope 2 emission at zero financial risk and minimum disruption to existing operations”, commented Mr Hoe Boon Chye, CEO of bbp.
“By now, it is obvious the semiconductor industry will transform for a greener future. SSIA members make that possible, in both the strategy, technology, and execution,” said Ms Dallal Slimani, Semiconductor Segment VP at Schneider Electric. “My company, for example, has the expertise and solutions for semiconductor players to reduce their energy use, replace their energy sources with clean alternatives, and engage their supplier value chain to chop down scope 3 emissions. In Singapore, one example is our Kickstarter Decarbonization Program, which helps SMEs chart a clear course to achieve their sustainability goals.”
Sustainability focuses on the long-term, for our future generations, leaving our people and planet better than it is today. Together, we hope to bring the Semiconductor eco-system on board the sustainability transformation journey and collectively collaborate and innovate towards a Greener Semiconductor industry.
Contributed by:
Julie Koh
Strategic Programs Director, SSIA
