Greenhouse Gas Reduction – Our Voluntary PFC Reduction Commitment

Global warming is one of the most challenging environmental issues as we enter the 21st century.
In 1997, at the 3rd conference of the parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Kyoto, many industrial nations committed themselves to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by a total of 5.2 percent between 2008 and 2012, as compared to the levels in 1990.
Even though the semiconductor industry is not the major source of greenhouse gas emissions, our industry is well aware of its responsibilities and is determined to make its voluntary contribution to reducing Per Fluorinated Compounds (PFC) emissions. PFCs are classified as greenhouse gases.
 
In Europe, the sincerity of the industry is reflected in its voluntary commitment to reducing PFC emissions by ten percent by the year 2010, compared with levels in 1995 (calculated in CO ₂ -equivalents). The common unit of CO ₂ - equivalents is used to compare the environmental effects of different greenhouse gases. Values are obtained by multiplying emissions of a given gas by the effect it has on the climate as compared to CO ₂. Assuming an annual growth rate in the semiconductor production market of 15 percent – as in the past decades – this would mean a reduction of 90 percent over the agreed period of time.
 

Emissions can be reduced by various measures. These include optimizing production processes, using alternative gases, reclamation, and waste air decontamination. Seen separately, the measures we take in individual fields may seem like small steps; taken together, they are our guarantee of achieving the ambitious goal we have voluntarily committed ourselves to.