GHG Emissions, Industrial  -  June 1, 2021

UMC Commits to Net-Zero by 2050

United Microelectronics Corporation announced June 1 its commitment to being net-zero by 2050.

With this commitment, UMC has also joined the RE100 initiative, becoming the second semiconductor wafer foundry to do so. The company plans to use 100% renewable energy by 2050, with interim goals of 15% by 2025 and 30% by 2030.

UMC also plans to cut emissions by 20% and increase renewable energy use to 20% by 2030 in its supply chain by working with more than 500 suppliers to implement better energy practices. To reduce emissions in their own processes, UMC plans to develop advanced foundry process technologies to enhance productivity and increase energy efficiency.

“Climate change is the single biggest threat to our planet’s sustainability. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, we still make efforts to fight climate change, which is why we are able to unveil our pledge to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 just ahead of World Environment Day on June 5,” SC Chien, UMC co-president and chief sustainability officer, said in a statement. “As a global citizen, we are doing our part to build sustainable living for mankind.”

UMC first established a sustainability committee in 2008 and has implemented energy and resource reduction plans since 2010. In 2017 it introduced a program to promote energy reduction and recycling to supply chain partners, which 39 suppliers have since joined. It is estimated that this project has already reduced carbon emissions by 4 million tons.

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