| SUMCO
endorses the concepts of sustainable development and environmental
stewardship. The Environmental Management Systems at all
of SUMCO's United States manufacturing facilities are certified
under the International Standards Organization (ISO) 14001
program. This proactive approach to identifying, monitoring
and controlling environmental impacts is used worldwide by
many of the very best companies. We
believe that functioning under ISO's high standards, which
require us to take a constant, hard look at the way we do
business, reinforces our promise to our communities to be
a good neighbor and to our customers to make the best silicon
wafers possible.
SUMCO's facilities have embraced
a commitment to environmental stewardship with programs that
address: Resource conservation. Through
continuous improvements in our manufacturing processes, SUMCO
facilities have achieved remarkable efficiencies in water
and electricity consumption. Waste
reduction. Our facilities have aggressive programs to
reduce, reuse or recycle paper, cardboard, scrap metal, wood,
silicon, empty chemical drums, used oil, batteries, plastics
and spent fluorescent lights. In addition to keeping these
materials out of the waste stream, we have adopted a program
to make large customer shipments in returnable containers,
further reducing the global environmental impact of our operations.
Pollution prevention. Although our emissions
have always been well below the quantities allowed under
our operating permits, SUMCO manufacturing facilities have
successfully eliminated many chemicals from our processes
that could have posed risks to people or the environment.
Through aggressive substitution of chemical materials, improved
control of inventory and decreased consumption, we are committed
to operating with the highest degree of pollution prevention.
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