Semiconductor foundry company United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC), announced on November 9 at its annual supplier summit the launch of the Supply Chain Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory Initiative. Its goal is a 20% reduction in supply chain emissions by 2030. UMC said it will assist its 500 suppliers by providing tools and resources for measuring and managing emissions, to complete their GHG inventories.
UMC's press release said the external consultant team engaged by UMC will also help suppliers set reduction targets and systematically work towards their goals. UMC expects to invest approximately NT$100 million (US$3.1 million) in this program.
"UMC obtained validation of our climate goals by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) earlier this year, which speaks to our strong determination to execute our net zero by 2050 roadmap," said SC Chien, UMC's co-president and chief sustainability officer. "As part of our commitment, we must also tackle supply chain emissions together with our suppliers. It takes collective action to create meaningful impact in the global fight against climate change, and UMC is pleased to be able to share our resources and experience through this initiative in order to maximize our contribution to a more sustainable future."
Louis Hsieh, associate vice president of Operations Support, said, "Taking stock of emission sources is a crucial first step. Having a proactive reduction plan in place also improves corporate competitiveness as many major businesses today include GHG emissions as a component in their supplier evaluations."
From 2017 to 2020, UMC led a group of suppliers to reduce a total of 409,000 tons of CO2 equivalent through its Triple R League program. The initiative announced today builds on that same spirit of partnership for greater sustainability impact and will be bigger in scale and ambition, according to the press release.
More than 200 partners attended the summit, including GlobalWafers Co, Ltd., Photronics DNP Mask Corp. (PDMC), Merck, Applied Materials, Inc., and KLA Corporation. Suppliers will have access to a GHG inventory platform, which automatically calculates emissions based on its built-in database and methodology in line with global standards.
