The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) has awarded NEC Electronics America, via its Roseville, California fab,
"Mid-Size Business Partner of the Year" due to its work in
preventative as well as in practice, waste recycling programs.
"The electronics industry as a whole
has become very environmentally aware, as all of the activity surrounding the
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and Restriction of Hazardous
Substances (RoHS) directives demonstrates, but we are also seeing a strong
drive toward developing and implementing effective environmental programs at
the local level," said Gabe Kim, vice president of manufacturing
operations and plant manager, NEC Electronics America. "Experience has
proven that these programs have a significant impact on communities as a whole,
and also on employee morale. We will continue to encourage our employees to
incorporate the company's environmental philosophy and commitment into their
everyday lives, to serve as an example for environmental awareness and
action."
In 2002 and 2003, the plant received a WasteWise
"Mid-Size Business Partner of the Year" and, in 2004, a
"Mid-Size Business Program Champion" award. This is the third
"Partner of the Year" award for NEC Electronics America, one of only
10 organizations to receive the award this year.
In 2003, NEC Electronics America established a committee to
develop standards for waste reduction in both the office and production areas
of its manufacturing facility. In 2004, the company saved more than $360,000 by
reusing its test wafers, which are composed of 99 percent silicon and are used
to verify process parameters in the production of semiconductors. Taking this
step eliminated the need to purchase approximately 36,000 new wafers and
prevented the need to use more than 4,000 pounds of virgin material.
The company recycled another 1,115 pounds of wafers and
also purchased new wafers containing 100-percent recycled content. Overall, NEC
Electronics America has demonstrated an impressive 78-percent waste diversion
rate. Other specific initiatives at the company's manufacturing facility
include the reuse of electronic equipment, furniture and other surplus items;
and replacement of standard-size trash cans with mini-size cans in office
cubicles to encourage recycling.
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