GHG Emissions, Industrial  -  October 26, 2020

Hemlock Semiconductor cuts emissions intensity 5% since 2015

Hemlock Semiconductor Operations (HSC) announced Oct. 14 that it reduced greenhouse gas intensity by 5% in manufacturing during the past five years.

The polysilicon manufacturer recently released its 2020 Sustainability Report, in which it detailed that the company spent $23 million between 2015 and 2019 on cutting energy waste through investments in analytics and data science software to optimize energy use and with LED lighting retrofits.

By managing its power demand throughout the day, HSC managed to cut energy use and save approximately $300,000 a month. HSC also managed to reduce Scope 1 and emissions by nearly 200,000 tons of CO2 since 2015 

“There is a deeply held belief at Hemlock Semiconductor that our obligation to sustainability does not start and end with the production of polysilicon at our plant. We’re committed to working with our suppliers and customers as true partners to remove carbon emissions up and down the solar supply chain,” Mark Bassett, HSC Chairman and CEO, said in a statement. “We’re also proud of the ways we’ve engaged with our community and helped promote sustainability in the Great Lakes Bay Region. And internally at HSC, I am personally committed to keeping our focus on supporting a great culture in which all of our employees are coached and developed, recognized for their contributions and have fun together as part of a winning team.”