Waste
Materials
Natural resources matter to us all
We are working to establish an operating system for business sites that is safe and sustainable for everyone. This includes managing our use of natural resources, recycling resources needed for product development or production processes, removing pollutants, and developing recycling technologies.
More recycling, less landfilling
We continue to advance the circular economy by discovering added value in waste and developing recycling technologies. Through this, up to 98% waste recycling rate was achieved in 2024.
We also ensure safe and responsible management of waste. At DS Division, we identify the characteristics of each type of waste, carefully select reliable partners and support their capacity building. Since 2021, we have taken our efforts further by working with professional consultants to regularly review and assess our waste management partners. These comprehensive evaluations cover multiple areas, from current waste treatment practices to regulatory compliance. We also offer advisory services to share best practices and help our partners enhance their expertise. As a result, the evaluation scores* of the waste treatment suppliers have shown continuous improvement.
Platinum Grade1)
Gold Grade1)
Efforts to preserve the natural environment
Production processes require water. They also can pollute the atmosphere. We need to work on two fronts: one, saving water, and two, developing technologies to reduce air and water pollutants.
We are reducing the amount of new water withdrawal by maximizing the reuse of water in production processes. Due to the expansion of semiconductor lines, the daily water withdrawal requirement at semiconductor business sites will more than double between 2022 and 2030. However, by increasing water reuse, we plan to reduce our water withdrawal down to 2021 levels.
Starting in 2040, we plan to apply innovative technologies that treat air and water pollutants from the semiconductor manufacturing process to natural state levels*, to minimize the impact on the environment.
Bar chart showing annual figures from 2021 to 2024 / 2021: 93,949 / 2022: 116,590 / 2023: 122,891 / 2024: 125,463 as displayed.
Addressing the cause
of pollutants through
resource management
Proactively identifying
and responding to
water risks by region
Efficiently managing
water resources
Collaborating for
sustainable water
resources
Engaging with local
community
Replenishing water back
to communities
How we brought back otters
to Samsung's semiconductor business sites
We don’t stop at ‘good enough’,
because we care about our
customers and employees’ health
and their environments.
We strive to minimize any potential adverse effects on the health of our customers, employees, or to the environment that may arise from products containing substances of concern or chemicals used at our manufacturing sites. We have established and stringently manage internal regulations that incorporate global environmental standards such as the EU Directive on the RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) and EU REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals), halogen-free requirements, and the U.S. TSCA (Toxic Substances Control Act). We will continue to monitor and systematically respond to new regulatory standards, such as authorized uses of PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances).
