Promoting Effective Use of Resources

Effective Use of Water Resources
Reduce Waste and Increase the Recycling Rate

Effective Use of Water Resources

With the aim of reducing the impact on the water cycle environment, including the ecosystem, we established the “Biodiversity Action Guidelines” in 2018 and are systematically promoting water resource management in our business activities. We recognize that the Lake Biwa-Yodo River system, where our six major business sites including our Head Office are located, is an extremely valuable water environment in terms of natural and social science, and we are working on maintaining the sustainable water ecosystem in cooperation with local governments and educational institutions and research institutes.

Metrics and Targets

● Water withdrawal
Reduce the intensity of annual water withdrawal per unit weight of product shipment at Group business sites by 5% by the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024 compared with the fiscal year ended March 31, 2019
Target for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024 : 246m³/metric tons
Results for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023 : 230m³/metric tons (reduction of 11.1% compared with the fiscal year ended March 31, 2019)

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・Detailed actual value on effective use of water resources can be found in Sustainability Data and the Sustainability Data Book 2023.
・To improve the reliability of the sustainability information we disclose, some of the environmental and social performance figures for the period from April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023 are assured by an independent third party in the Sustainability Data Book 2023.
Please refer to the Sustainability Data Book 2023 for details.

In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023, although total water withdrawal increased somewhat due in part to the establishment of a new factory, water withdrawal per unit weight of product shipment decreased by 11.1%, a level even better than our target, reflecting the high efficiency of our production systems on the front lines of development and manufacturing.

Preventing Pollution

Effective Use of Water Resources on the Use of Sold Products

As water-related problems ranging from droughts to water pollution emerge in various places, conserving precious water resources is becoming ever more important. For the SCREEN Group’s products, effectively utilizing water resources is becoming an important aspect of its semiconductor production equipment, especially cleaning equipment and coater/developers, which offer the ability to control the amount of water and chemicals consumed during operation. In its product design and development, the SCREEN Group is proactively working to reduce waste liquid and the amount of water and chemicals needed for operation. To further accelerate development aimed at reducing water resource related environmental impact, in addition to its stand-alone efforts, the Group is collaborating with other companies and organizations in the industry through joint development.

Reduce Waste and Increase the Recycling Rate

The SCREEN Group considers it important to effectively utilize limited resources and reduce environmental impact by promoting a variety of initiatives, including those to control resource consumption and to reuse and recycle resources. We will continue contributing to the realization of a sound material-cycle society by reducing waste during the production and disposal of products, enhancing the recycling rate, effectively utilizing resources and circulating them in a sustainable way.

Metrics and Targets

● Waste generated
Reduce the intensity of annual waste generated per unit weight of product shipment at Group business sites in Japan by 5% by the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024 compared with the fiscal year ended March 31, 2019
Target for the fiscal year ended March 31 : 188kg/metric tons
Results for the fiscal year ended March 31 : 172kg/metric tons (reduction of 13.0% compared with the fiscal year ended March 31, 2019)

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● Recycling rate
Achieve a recycling rate of 98% by the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024
Target for the fiscal year ended March 31 : 98%
Results for the fiscal year ended March 31 : 98.4%

We set targets to achieve a recycling rate of 98% and to reduce waste (per unit of shipment weight) at business sites in Japan by 5% compared with the fiscal year ended March 31, 2019 by the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023, we reduced per unit shipment weight by 13.0% compared with the base year by promoting initiatives to turn plastic waste into valuable material, surpassing our target. In addition, the recycling rate was 98.4%, achieving our target. Going forward, we aim to further reduce our environmental impact as we continue working hard to reduce waste and enhance our recycling rate.

・Detailed actual value on promoting effective use of resources can be found in Sustainability Data and the Sustainability Data Book 2023.

We strictly manage the way that our industrial waste is processed or disposed of. We periodically visit all the waste disposal contractors, from those collecting and transporting waste from our facilities to those performing final disposal, and confirm that they handle waste appropriately. If any deficiencies are found, we swiftly instruct the contractor to take corrective action and require proper waste disposal management.

Major initiatives
● Promoting waste sorting and the turning of plastic waste into valuable material
The SCREEN Group conducts thermal recycling to recover the waste heat generated during the incineration of waste plastic as industrial waste and use it as energy. In addition, to reduce GHG emissions from incineration and promote recycling it as plastic, we are strengthening sorting and expanding the sale of waste as valuable materials. The scope of these activities, which began at SPE Hikone Plant, has steadily expanded to include other businesses and bases within the Group, contributing to plastic waste reduction across the entire SCREEN Group. The amount of waste plastic recycled as valuable material increased significantly from around 34.7 metric tons in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022 to around 209.5 metric tons in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023.

● Resource conservation efforts
We are combining our traditional resource conservation efforts, such as minimizing the use of packaging sheets and bubble wrap by reviewing the way products are packed for transportation, with enhanced initiatives to reduce and recycle plastic and other waste.In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023, we reused 545 kg of cushioning materials at parts centers.