NEC Electronics America Manufacturing Facility Honored For Waste Reduction
This is the fourth consecutive year the EPA has selected NEC Electronics America's manufacturing facility for one of its prestigious WasteWise awards. 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.
WasteWise (http://www.epa.gov/wastewise) is a free, voluntary EPA program through which organizations can eliminate costly municipal solid waste to benefit both their bottom lines and the environment. This flexible program allows partners to design solid-waste reduction programs tailored to their individual needs.
"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 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.
NEC Electronics America's environmental management systems at the company's manufacturing facility in Roseville and headquarters in Santa Clara both have been certified for compliance with ISO 14001, an internationally accepted standard governing environmental management systems.
SOURCE: NEC Electronics America, Inc.