Understanding the Environmental Impact of Products (LCA Calculation)

We calculate the environmental impact of our products and strive to take effective countermeasures

The Semiconductor & Storage Products Company Group calculates the impact of our products on the environment by LCA (life cycle assessment). We pursue best practices for all our devices in all phases of their lifecycles, from manufacturing to usage, and endeavor to achieve an effective reduction of their impact on the environment.

This chart shows LCA calculations converted to CO2 emissions.

The above chart illustrates our approximation of comparative environmental impact for the manufacturing and use of nine semiconductor product groups, as shown by our LCA calculations converted to CO₂ emissions.
The vertical axis shows the sum of CO₂ contained in raw materials and emitted during the production stage, including procurement. The horizontal axis shows the sum of the emissions in the usage stage, including disposal or recycling, taking into account average conditions of use and lifespan of the mounted devices.
For example, it is assumed in the chart that metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) will be used in power-supply adapters of personal computers, and high-intensity LEDs will be used for lights. Since the majority of CO₂ emissions caused by these products in these applications occurs during use, it is more effective to enhance the efficiency of product performance than to implement measures for reducing CO₂ emissions during the products' raw material or production stages.
Meanwhile, the chart assumes that memory cards will be used in digital cameras; in this application, these products are characterized by a comparatively high ratio of CO₂ emitted during their production, mainly caused by clean room requirements. For this product group, the highest returns can be expected by implementing enhanced energy conservation measures during their manufacturing process.
Overall energy saving can be achieved by promoting energy savings during the manufacturing stage through development of micro-fabrication technologies enabling us to fabricate many chips from one wafer and through the activities of the crossplatform energy saving projects.