Samsung Receives Zero Waste to Landfill Validations for All of its Semiconductor Manufacturing Sites

[btarunr]

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, today announced that it has received UL's Zero Waste to Landfill validation of Gold level and above for all of its global semiconductor operation sites. This signifies that Samsung's semiconductor sites in South Korea, US and China meet the requirement of more than 95-percent waste diversion through methods that do not involve thermal processing. In particular, the Samsung DSR building in Hwaseong, Korea, home to most of its local semiconductor R&D staff, is validated for Zero Waste to Landfill at the Platinum level for reaching 100-percent waste diversion.

"The Zero Waste to Landfill Gold validation is testament to the care and effort by our employees around the world to protect the environment," said Chanhoon Park, executive vice president of global infrastructure technology at Samsung Electronics. "Eco-friendly operations are now a must for any business and we will continue to ensure sustainable growth that is mindful of the environment that we live and operate in."



Starting with Samsung Austin Semiconductor's (Austin, USA) validation in January, the five semiconductor manufacturing sites in Korea (Giheung, Hwaseong, Pyeongtaek, Onyang and Cheonan) and two in China (Xi'an and Suzhou) have all received validation for Zero Waste to Landfill Gold level and above for their waste diversion initiatives as of June, 2020. These programs were designed to minimize the environmental footprint by shifting waste management methods from thermal processing or landfill disposals to recycling and reuse, enabled by innovation in manufacturing techniques and continued investment on existing systems, as well as robust employee awareness and waste reduction campaigns.

Reviewed and certified by third-party industry testing and certification organization, UL, the achievement is a milestone that affirms Samsung's commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainability. These efforts are visible not only with Samsung's high-performance energy-efficient products but also throughout its semiconductor manufacturing operations spanning across its global network of more than 60,000 employees worldwide.

"By pursuing zero waste to landfill validation, Samsung is demonstrating its commitment to reducing waste as a key sustainability initiative at the semiconductor sites," said Alberto Uggetti, vice president and general manager, environment and sustainability division at UL. "The Zero Waste to Landfill achievements at its semiconductor sites reflect its dedication to the environmental leadership and UL is pleased to validate its efforts."

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[R-T-B]

Um, okay?

Somehow this strikes me as a company bragging "I DIDN'T BREAK THE LAW THIS YEAR!"

Cool bro. Cool.

EDIT: Misread title. Thought it said "violations" not "validation" lol.

I need to learn not to skim. This is indeed a PR piece but at least it has more impact than my former reading.

 

[Scrizz]

Does diversion include shipping it off to other countries/continents?

 

[Vayra86]

"We're mass producing and its all environmentally friendly"

Who are we really kidding?

 

[Mamya3084]

I unload the containers for Samsung. When they move to biodegradable container packing material, then I'll believe it.

 

[Valantar]

waste diversion through methods that do not involve thermal processing

That means "burning trash", right? Gotta love those PR euphemisms.

Overall, while this is a good thing (landfills are a fundamentally idiotic idea), it's barely even a drop in the bucket. Next up: making all production fossil-free (including plastics); using only renewable energy sources for the entire production and distribution chain (no more crude oil-burning engines in your ships, sorry); phasing out toxic chemicals in production as much as possible and ensuring re-use of these to the highest degree possible, with safe processing of whatever can't be reused for their purposes; using recycled or reclaimed materials in all product lines and categories (this means taking things out of landfills); designing their products for maximum repairability and longevity with broad availability of necessary parts and tools; open-sourcing their software stacks so that they can be maintained after they stop issuing updates themselves; etc., etc.

 

[Caring1]

That means "burning trash", right? Gotta love those PR euphemisms.

I'm pretty sure they don't mean heat it up and eat it.

 

[Valantar]

I'm pretty sure they don't mean heat it up and eat it.

Nah, I'm reasonably sure they prefer depositing harmful chemicals into their workers through evaporation. This way the chemicals either end up in the sewage system or in graveyards, neither of which are landfills. Or should I say "personnel-based chemical deposition"?

 

[Houd.ini]

Nah, I'm reasonably sure they prefer depositing harmful chemicals into their workers through evaporation. This way the chemicals either end up in the sewage system or in graveyards, neither of which are landfills. Or should I say "personnel-based chemical deposition"?

How about «anachronistic bio-domiciles», or «sensa anima anachronistic bio-domiciles» if we go full retard.