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Concern for the environment and sustainability is forefront on the priority list for TSMC, as it hosted its “2008 Green Forum – The Present and Future of Green Factories” recently. The company stressed the importance of information sharing in the industry to ensure ‘green’ awareness in all aspects of operations within the industry, with a particular emphasis on building fabs that encompass conscientious manufacturing and R&D practices.

TSMC invited input from organizations including China Steel, AU Optronics, National Cheng Kung University, National Taipei University of Technology, and the Architecture and Building Research Institute, Ministry of the Interior, to discuss green building topics. The TSMC 2008 Green Forum’s further purpose was to introduce the first Taiwan Corporate Sustainability Forum, a new event featuring a cross-industry discussions on environmental protection.

As an actively ‘green’ company, TSMC’s experience in this area include its receipt of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, as well as its application for Taiwan’s Ecology, Energy Saving, Waste Reduction, and Health (EEWH) certification for its Fab 14 Phase III facility. With its energy and power-conserving materials and equipment, the company managed to reduce energy consumption 20 percent below standards set by ASHRAE.

“Many enterprises, governments, and organizations have responded to the challenge of climate change by pro-actively conserving energy and reducing carbon emissions, and TSMC is no exception,” said TSMC’s Vice Chairman, Dr. F.C. Tseng. “We have always strived for comprehensive environmental protection, including green R&D, green manufacturing, and green supply chains. In addition, we are now building green fabs and have accumulated some practical experience. We hope that through this forum, we can work with partners in all sectors to help green buildings take root in Taiwan.”