GlobalWafers has long been dedicated to green manufacturing and sustainable operations. This year, the company once again received the Bronze-level “National Enterprise Environmental Protection Award” from the Environmental Protection Administration under the Executive Yuan. It is the fifth consecutive year that GlobalWafers has made this distinction, which affirms the company’s ongoing efforts in environmental protection. The award represents the highest recognition in Taiwan for enterprises promoting environmental protection. Evaluation focuses on four key dimensions: environmental policy, energy and resource conservation, pollution prevention, and environmental participation. Among 125 participating companies this year, only 64 were selected, underscoring the difficulty of receiving this honor.
In energy saving and resource management, the Zhunan plant carried out 17 energy-saving projects in 2024, achieving annual electricity savings of 2.24 million kilowatt hours, equivalent to about 5% of total electricity use, and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 1,106 metric tons. This reduction is comparable to the annual carbon absorption of 2.9 Daan Forest Parks. Through initiatives such as replacing chiller units, optimizing hot-zone structures, applying variable frequency control, and advancing computer virtualization, the electricity intensity per unit product decreased by 15%. One project alone, replacing a high-efficiency chiller unit, saved 1.99 million kilowatt hours annually and reduced nearly 1,000 metric tons of carbon emissions. In daily operations, the company also actively promotes green office practices, including paperless workflows, LED lighting, double-sided printing, energy-efficient air conditioning, carpooling, and video conferencing.
In water resource management, the factory introduced reverse osmosis recycling systems, condensate recovery, and reuse of slurry from chemical mechanical polishing processes. These measures raised the overall water recycling rate to 77%, saving 55,588 m3 of water annually. This is equivalent to the yearly water consumption of about 760 four-person households. Resource circularity has also delivered results. By remelting silicon ingot head and tail scraps, reusing defective products, and collaborating with the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) to develop high-value recycling technologies for silicon carbide and diamond powder, the waste output intensity per unit product decreased by 35% compared to the previous year. The reuse rate reached 85%, reflecting tangible progress in advancing the circular economy.
In addition to process optimization, GlobalWafers has also contributed to pollution prevention and community engagement. At the Zhunan plant, the average suspended solids in effluent were only 15 mg/L, significantly lower than the park standard of 300 mg/L. The concentration of particulate matter in emissions was just 3 mg/Nm³, well below the standard of 100 mg/Nm³. The company continues to add acid gas pretreatment systems and upgrade sludge filter presses to further minimize environmental impact. Since 2019, GlobalWafers has adopted the coastline of Zhunan Township in Miaoli for five consecutive years, organizing beach cleanups with over 800 participants. The company has also supported the Wennei community in Zhunan in establishing an ecological monitoring and environmental education platform to protect the environment and promote biodiversity.
Through comprehensive actions in energy efficiency, water recycling, resource circularity, pollution prevention, and community engagement, GlobalWafers continues to deepen the results of green manufacturing. The company is moving forward toward higher efficiency, lower carbon emissions, and sustainable development.