Eco Factory

Waste Reduction and Recycling
TEL is working to achieve zero emissions from its plants,
as a part of efforts to reduce environmental impact.

Stance on Waste Reduction and Recycling

Breakdown“Produce no waste. Recycle any waste that is produced. Prop-

Liquid waste accounts for about 70% of the total waste fromerly dispose of any waste that cannot be recycled.”—based on theseTEL, because the various chemicals used during product develop-

principles, TEL is working to minimize the waste generated by ourment and evaluation end up as waste. Non-liquid waste in FY 2003

business. With a worsening shortage of final disposal sites in Japanamounted to about 850 tons, which could be considered a small

and landfill costs on the rise, efforts to reduce waste not only help toamount of waste for a business of this size.

minimize environmental impact, but also lead to lower production
costs. We have a target of achieving zero waste emissions from all
TEL manufacturing plants in FY 2006. We are conducting a variety ofWaste Breakdown in FY 2003
Other:8%

Packing:2%
Wood:2%

efforts to reduce the environmental impact, including sorting and re-Metal:3%

covering waste, identifying recycling businesses that we can work

Paper:3%
Kitchen:3%

with, approving and monitoring waste management contractors,

Plastic:5%

Total 3,268t

checking regularly on the status of final disposal sites, and shifting toprocesses that do not generate waste.

Liquid:74%

Total Waste Output
The graph below shows the recycling rate of the entire TEL andthe amount of waste that went to final disposal. It reveals the resultsof our efforts to raise the recycling rate year-by-year and to use re-Tohoku Plant’s Efforts to Reduce Waste

sources effectively. By the in-house handling of liquid waste, which

Each TEL site has established and equipped a special subcommittee for waste reduction and is actively working on various measures. The graph below summarizes the waste volume and recycling
rates of the Tohoku plant. In FY 1997 a process evaluation facility
began operations, and the amount of waste liquids increased fromthe cleaning of wafers and quartz. Because of that, the plant started operating a process to handle waste liquid in FY 1999, and theamount of waste liquid declined. Later, as a result of more thoroughefforts to separate waste and to find businesses that recycle andhandle liquid waste, the plant was able to raise the recycling rate to96.4% in FY 2003, and reduce the amount of waste by more than
95% from the peak monthly average of 1.58 tons in FY 1997. An issue to be addressed in the future is the processing of plastics andother materials not yet being recycled.

we generate in large quantities, we have also been able to reduce
the environmental burden associated with the transportation ofwaste.
Since FY 2000, the total volume of waste has been calculated
as the total of waste from both office facilities and manufacturing
plants. Although the amount of waste generated varies with production levels and the status of factory operations, we are committed tocontinue working to reduce waste further.

Total Waste Output and Recycling Rate
Amount of waste (for incineration and landfill)(tons)(tons/month)
80

90% recycling (FY 2006 target)

77.4%
69.7%

Specially-controlled waste

Industrial waste (plastic, etc.)

Industrial waste (liquid)

General waste
Recycling rate
96.4%

7055.2%5049.7%34.7%

3004,772

3,189

3,179

3,657

3,938

3,268

9798

9900010203100(FY)TOKYO ELECTRON Environmental Sustainability Report 2003

4015.6%24.2%

2021.6%6.2%

095

1558.9%
46.4%

20
4,238

60

50.4%

4015.3%

(%)
10080

60

59.9%
40.9%

Tohoku Plant: Waste Output and Recycling Rate(%)

Recycling rate

9697989900

01020.003 (FY)

Recycling

Zero Emissions by 2006

To recycle efficiently it is important to separate waste carefully

In TEL, we call plants that have reduced waste emissions, pro-when it is initially discarded. Our facilities separate waste into be-

moted recycling, and achieved certain targets “zero emissions factor-

tween 24 and 29 categories, depending on its characteristics. Theies.” We have defined “zero emissions” to mean that waste emis-

major categories are paper, drink containers, scrap wood, glass,sions have been reduced to the greatest extent possi-

plastics, and metals. Through sustained efforts, the recycling rate ofble—specifically, to the extent that disposal by simple incineration

TEL overall has risen year by year, and in FY 2003 reached 77.4%.

and landfill amounts to less than 2% of total waste. We have set a

Our target for FY 2006 is to surpass 90%. Tokyo Electron America

goal of having all production sites in Japan achieve zero emissions by

has been able to recycle about 30 tons of waste in a year, because

the end of FY 2006, and are working to realize that goal.

of aggressive efforts to recycle materials such as paper, plastic,
glass, and batteries that arise from business activities.

Installation of Liquid Waste Treatment Equipmentin the Yamanashi Region
The smartest approach is to start first with the type of waste that
we emit in the largest quantities. But depending on the type of waste,
this may require some investment in new facilities.
Before FY 2003, most of the waste from Yamanashi region (Fujiiand Hosaka plants) consisted of liquid waste from wafer and quartz
cleaning. These have been treating low-concentration acids in-house,but because the existing facilities could not treat concentrated hydrofluoric acid, this treatment was subcontracted to an outside business.
After careful calculation of investment and subcontracting costs theplant installed equipment to treat hydrofluoric acid, and in-house
treatment began in May 2003.
According to our plans, the Yamanashi region will be able to reduce its amount of waste by over 60%. The investment is expected topay for itself in about two years, and it will also be possible to significantly reduce the environmental impact associated with the transporting of the waste that was previously being transferred off-site.

Improving Liquid Waste Treatment Capacityin the Yamanashi Region
Before installation
Acidic waste
Process
evaluationbuilding

Liquid waste
treatment building
Liquid waste
treatment system

Tank
Hydrofluoric
acid waste

Discharge

Contractor

After installation
Liquid waste
treatment building

Acidic waste
Process
evaluationbuilding

Hydrofluoricacid
Hydrofluoric treatment systemacid waste

Liquid waste
treatment system

Discharge

Breakdown of Yamanashi Region Waste in FY 2003
Other:10%
Plastic:3%
Cardboard:3%
Sludge:5%
Metal:6%

Newly installed hydrofluoric
acid treatment system

Total 5,994t

Hydrofluoric
acid:66%

Alkali waste:7%

Exterior view of the liquid
waste treatment buildingThis liquid waste can
now be treated in-house.

TOKYO ELECTRON Environmental Sustainability Report 2003

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