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At Infineon, we recognize the importance of managing waste to reduce environmental impacts and advance the circular economy. Our primary focus is on minimizing waste generated across Infineon’s global operations. We adhere to the waste hierarchy, placing strong emphasis on avoiding and reducing waste. For waste that cannot be avoided, we prioritize material recovery through recycling. Where recycling is not feasible, waste is directed to incineration with thermal energy recovery, with the aim of minimizing landfill disposal. In all cases, we comply with applicable waste management regulations.

Infineon follows an approach aimed at leveraging and strengthening the positive environmental impacts of its business activities in waste management. This approach is embedded in our overarching CSR Policy, which defines the framework for responsible and sustainable corporate conduct.

Infineon’s waste management strategies and measures are also implemented through our ISO 14001 certified Infineon Integrated Management Program for Environment, Energy, Safety and Health (IMPRES).   In the area of waste management, IMPRES covers the identification and assessment of waste streams, the definition of reduction and reuse ambitions, the development of management programs and processes, and the assurance of legal compliance and continuous improvement. Additionally, as part of IMPRES, regular waste audits are conducted to identify opportunities for improving waste performance. 

The majority of Infineon’s waste originates from its manufacturing processes and includes a wide range of materials. Key waste streams generated across our operations are chemical and process residues, silicon sludges, municipal waste (household-like waste) and packaging waste.

Each of these waste categories is managed through practices that ensure compliance with local regulations and alignment with Infineon’s sustainability targets. For hazardous waste types – including concentrated acids, solvents, and silicon sludges – specialized external treatment processes are used in line with applicable regulations to neutralize harmful impacts, recover valuable by-products, and enable reuse of materials.

Non-hazardous waste streams, including municipal and packaging waste, are addressed through programs focused on waste reduction, recycling, reuse, and recovery with the aim of keeping materials out of landfills. By determining the composition of our waste streams and developing targeted management strategies, Infineon ensures that waste generation is minimized, resource value is preserved, and environmental impacts across our operations are reduced.

Our sustainable waste management strategy focuses on enhancing resource efficiency, fostering circular processes, and continuously reducing waste from our own operations. Waste that cannot be avoided is sorted at the point of origin. We make certain this waste is collected separately and subsequently processed by external specialists.

Infineon also implements sustainable practices within its own production operations. These actions reduce not only waste but also overall resource consumption. Examples include the reuse of wafer boxes, chemical recycling, and other innovative reprocessing methods, such as the following:

  • A reuse process for our hard plastic wafer transport boxes has been rolled out at all relevant frontend sites. The boxes are returned to suppliers for reuse.
  • We are increasing our efforts to reuse solvents in our frontend operations. In close collaboration with suppliers, solvents such as cyclopentanone (CPT) and propylene glycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA) are continually cleaned and reprocessed after use to enable reuse in production.

Under the IMPRES program, Infineon regularly evaluates its waste disposal service providers to ensure they comply with both internal policies and legal regulations and are authorized to handle the relevant waste categories. Each site conducts an annual audit of its waste management processes. Disposal service provider audits are also carried out at the site level, which may occur multiple times a year depending on the waste category. This process includes verifying valid certifications, ensuring compliance with safe handling, transport, and disposal practices, and assessing the traceability of waste along the entire disposal or recycling chain.

Additionally, we complement our waste reduction efforts with regular awareness campaigns, employee training, waste prevention and optimization initiatives, fostering a culture of sustainability and environmental responsibility within our organization. 

Have a look in our Sustainability Report.