The importance of reducing waste in our journey to create a more sustainable future
As the demand for semiconductors grows, strategic programs aimed at reducing waste from our operations and manufacturing processes are reinforcing our commitment to environmental stewardship
We live in a world of single-use materials and a proclivity for disposability. Globally, more than two billion metric tons of municipal solid waste are produced annually — a figure projected to increase by roughly 70% in the next 25 years.
Electronic waste (e-waste) — discarded electronic devices like phones or computers — is among the fastest-growing of these waste streams. It is estimated that some 62 million metric tons of e-waste was generated in 2022, with less than 25% formally recycled.
Addressing e-waste is typically focused on considering devices at the end of their lifecycle. Upstream waste management requires thinking about how semiconductors – the foundation of electronics – are manufactured, including how the chemicals used in their production can be recycled and reused.
While there may not be a quick fix to this complex problem, our company is committed to a comprehensive waste reduction strategy that thoughtfully considers every avenue of waste, from chemicals used in manufacturing to utensils used in on-site cafeterias — and leading by example in sustainable innovation.
Reducing landfill waste
We aim to divert 90% of materials used in our manufacturing processes and operations from landfills annually. However, achieving this target each year is no easy task; it requires a sophisticated network of highly skilled technical teams, precise tracking systems and close coordination among our facilities worldwide.
Delaney Dawson, an environmental specialist who focuses on global waste strategies at our company, oversees several components of this complex ecosystem. She outlines our long-standing hierarchy for waste management: first, we reuse, recycle and reclaim whenever possible; next, we utilize treatment technologies, energy recovery and incineration; and finally, land disposal is used as a last resort.
Environmental specialists Delaney (right) and Annabel (left) sort used wafer carriers for recycling
To maximize efficiency, Delaney notes that a dedicated recycle center for our North Texas sites handles materials such as standard recyclables — things you might find in your home bin like plastics and cardboard — as well as semiconductor-specific materials like the wafer carriers used to hold and transport wafers, cleanroom garments worn in our factory clean rooms, and metal/poly containers. “All of these recyclables are reused somehow in the stream they came from,” said Delaney.
Strategic partnerships with leading suppliers also help us maximize our recycling efforts and ensure optimal materials recovery. For instance, materials like spent sulfuric acid – a byproduct of semiconductor manufacturing – are put to work for water treatment applications; calcium fluoride sludge from wafer production finds new life in cement manufacturing; and batteries ranging from standard mixed batteries to large lithium cells are processed through specialized recycling facilities.
At the heart of these initiatives is a sophisticated system of measurement and verification. “Data is a pivotal indicator of waste management practices,” said Delaney. “It essentially tells the story of where improvements can be made, as well as where we’re currently excelling.” She adds the company keeps track of all of our sites worldwide to compare performance and identify best practices. “It’s quite common to see collaboration between sites in discussing new ideas on how to follow the hierarchy within waste operations.”
Materials from our manufacturing processes and operations are processed for reuse and recycling
Innovation in action
Creative solutions to waste management are taking shape across multiple fronts at our company, including:
Chemical surplus recycling
Delaney explains that the semiconductor manufacturing process involves very specific chemicals — which translates to distinct waste streams that require specialized handling. As such, we rely on purpose-built waste treatment and disposal facilities, as well as stringent controls and sophisticated tracking systems for both hazardous and non-hazardous materials.
One success story in this space involves oxide slurry recycling, where our company uses ultrafiltration to re-concentrate slurry after wafer fabrication use. This process alone has reduced purchased slurry by 60% and eliminated 2,000 one-way containers annually. Similarly, our phosphoric acid recycling program, which uses heat and filtration processes, has achieved an 85% reduction in purchased acid at participating facilities.
Annabel Buchanan, an environmental specialist who coordinates surplus chemical programs at our company, is in the trenches with this niche form of recycling every day. She explains that there is a thorough process for repurposing surplus chemicals — materials that can be used in an industrial process to make products or serve as substitutes for commercial products. “This practice is most common for chemicals that can be segregated and meet a certain product grade,” she said.
Metal drums are crushed and transported to a specialized recycling facility where they are melted down and repurposed for new applications
Annabel notes that safety considerations are an essential element of the program’s flow from start to finish. “Environmental specialists help coordinate logistics within their operations, ensure surplus chemicals are collected and stored properly and maintain all documentation necessary to demonstrate that there is a known market for the product,” she said. Annabel adds that our company takes diligence a step even further by screening end-users who buy surplus chemicals.
Global solution with local impact
Each of our facilities faces unique waste management challenges — and each has developed locally tailored solutions to meet them. In Lehi, Utah, for instance, we are turning material that would otherwise head to landfills into the components of valuable infrastructure. By removing concrete from a previous facility, crushing it, and repurposing it as a road base for contractor parking lots during new construction, the team has already diverted more than 10,000 tons of waste into reusable material – with expectations to double that amount.
Meanwhile, at our Bangalore site in India, the team is setting new standards for organic waste management. Nearly seven tons of organic waste are composted on-site monthly without additional chemicals, creating valuable material for internal gardens or employee use. The facility has also implemented innovative programs including dewatering food waste — achieving an 18% waste reduction and faster composting process.
On-site composting at our facility in Bangalore, India
Calculator recycling
Our commitment to recycling also extends to consumer products. TI calculators — a staple in classrooms from middle school through college — are designed for durability and longevity. But even the most reliable tools eventually reach the end of their lifecycle.
Our Education Technology business recognized this and developed a calculator take-back program that allows users to ship their retired devices back to TI for responsible recycling. The initiative has seen impressive results so far: In 2023 alone, it helped divert approximately 21,000 metric tons of e-waste from landfills.
Looking to the future
Lindsey Richmond, the director of environmental sustainability at our company, explains that the company’s waste and recycling goals are closely tied to our larger environmental sustainability commitments — like improving water reuse, expanding the use of renewable electricity and reducing emissions more generally. “Waste is a category of our Scope 3 emissions – or indirect emissions throughout our value chain. This includes the bigger picture of waste – emissions generated by the chemicals and materials we purchase, transportation of those to our sites and then the transportation of waste from our sites to their designated location,” said Lindsey.
Lindsey notes that the path forward includes both transformative changes and attention to detail. On the larger scale, we are exploring shifts in how materials are delivered and stored — moving from drums and bottles to larger totes and bulk chemical systems (you can think about this like switching from individual water bottles to a water storage tank). “This will reduce our waste footprint and emissions from transporting drums,” she said.
Our company is also aiming to work with suppliers on take-back programs for everything from empty chemical containers to shipping crates. Meanwhile, smaller but impactful projects are underway, such as updating waste bin signage in cafeterias to reflect changes in packaging materials. “Little things like that can add up to prevent recyclable or compostable rubbish from going to a landfill,” said Lindsey.
As we continue expanding our capabilities, including building new fabrication sites, our commitment to waste reduction remains steadfast. Looking forward, the focus is on continuous improvement and innovation. “We are continuing to work with our suppliers to brainstorm new initiatives and methods of waste disposal, keeping the hierarchy of waste reduction as the fundamental part of decision-making,” said Delaney.
Through this attention to both large-scale and small-scale opportunities, we are building on our long-standing commitment to reducing waste, continuing to reframe the mentality of disposability so common in our everyday lives, and charting a course for a more sustainable future in the semiconductor industry and beyond.