From Fortune:



The semiconductor industry is under scrutiny for its sustainability. Due to the significance and increasing use of chips, emissions at every stage of their production cycle, from raw material extraction to transportation to production, to recycling, are substantial. The industry’s environmental impact includes water shortages in regions surrounding manufacturers and toxic waste sites in the Bay Area. Despite environmental impact, reserved care is advised due to economic and national security issues, as regulation may delay chip production and its associated economic and national security benefits. While chip manufacturing attributes only 0.1-0.2% of global emissions, it has a large economic impact and has engaged in self-regulation. Measures for more sustainable practices have benefited companies in terms of operational cost and customer satisfaction. Semiconductor supply chains have been refined for decades so that it’s crucial to be flexible and practical, especially as the industry undergoes global restructuring. Regulators should also be mindful that environmental compliance requirements don’t hinder supply chain safety and efficiency.

Prof. Rakesh Kumar, from the University of Illinois, suggests sustainable measures be pragmatic, show flexibility, and take cost, competitiveness, and national security considerations into account. The industry has seen self-regulation efforts in made significant energy and water savings, and has helped participants in meeting sustainability goals. All these make it imperative that sustainability measures be approached pragmatically, flexibly, and responsibly.



Read more: The green revolution runs on chips–but there is no good way to make the fragile semiconductors ecosystem sustainable in the short term