Environmental Sustainability Policies
- Environmental Compliance: Obey the law and comply with environmental protection laws and related regulations.
- Dedicated Resource Management: Reduce waste and advocate better energy conservation, recycling, and reuse.
- Strengthen Pollution Prevention: Emphasize environmental protection through reduction of industrial waste, improved self-management, use of green materials, and a policy of continuous improvement.
- Promotion of Education and Training: Use environmental management education and training to enhance awareness of environmental responsibility and promote total participation in environmental improvement plans.
- Continuous Improvement Plan: Monitor environmental topics, balance demand and protection, and achieve environmental sustainability.
ISO 14001
Climate Change Risk Management
In recognition of the various chain reactions that climate change could bring, Realtek considers climate change to be one of the critical risks we face when seeking to maintain sustainable operations. Therefore, we refer to the four core elements of governance, strategy, risk management, and metrics & targets in the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosure (TCFD) framework. These form the backbone of how we identify the potential risks and opportunities created by climate change, and then in turn conduct comprehensive evaluations of potential impact to Realtek’s operations. We formulate climate change response measures with the aim of monitoring and controlling every impact, so that faster responses can be made.
Governance
- The competent authority for environmental and energy matters shall identify risks and opportunities and carry out responses for climate change related issues. Implementation status and results shall be reported to the CSR Center and published in the annual CSR Report.
- The Administration Department and Occupational Safety and Health Center are responsible for assessing energy, water resources, and waste. They shall plan and promote short-, mid-, and long-term actions, goals, and strategic methods.
- Issue ad hoc reports to executive managers on development planning and implementation measures relating to climate change, green energy, and energy saving topics.
Risk and Opportunity Analysis
Targets and Objectives
- Realtek has formulated a plan to carry out self-reported Greenhouse Gas (GHG) inventories. We inspect and evaluate all types of Scope 1 and Scope 2 emission sources at our Hsinchu Headquarters.
- Realtek recognizes the importance of finding a balance between economic development needs and environmental protection. We established plans and goals that support using green energy as well as saving both energy and water.
Tracking Energy Efficiency
Realtek is an IC design house in the upstream segment of the semiconductor industry. Most of the energy we consume is grid electricity, diesel for emergency generators, and petrol for company vehicles. We do not have heating equipment such as coal-fired or gas-fired boilers. Our production does not involve high energy consumption processes such as smelting or polymerization. In 2020, our total energy consumption was 161,335.51 GJ.
Realtek’s average energy consumption per unit of revenue is gradually decreasing. We lowered electricity consumption per million New Taiwan dollars of revenue from 982 kWh in 2016 to 575 kWh in 2020, representing a four-year decrease of 41.45%, clearly demonstrating our commitment to environmental protection and energy saving. In 2020, we introduced energy saving measures for our testing area equipment and IT machine rooms, and we changed to LED lights in our factory (replacement rate of 90%). We estimate that these measures achieved a 6.56% overall savings in electricity use.
Voluntary GHG Management
Sustainable ecological and environmental development is of great importance to Realtek. Since 2019, we have conducted voluntary audits and management of our Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. Going forward, we will use 2019 as the base year for understanding emissions trends. In 2020, GHG emissions at our Hsinchu Headquarters were 22,797.71 tonnes of CO2e, for a reduction of 120.1 tonnes compared to 2019. Almost all of the emissions (99.88%) were from purchased electricity. Other emissions came from stationary sources (diesel used in emergency generators), mobile sources (petrol used in company cars), and fugitive sources (refrigerants, septic tanks, and fire extinguishers). Realtek does not produce process emissions as we do not engage in production processes.
Comprehensive Measures to Conserve Water Resources
Realtek pays close attention to water resources, energy conservation, and environmental protection. Besides considering ways to recycle water, we seek more efficient water use practices. Methods we adopt include wastewater reuse, rainwater recovery, and AC condensate and cooling water recycling. By optimizing the benefits of available resources, we estimate that we will reduce annual water consumption by 5% in our offices and achieve our goal of reducing average water use per person by 1%.
Wastewater and Waste Management
Realtek is a fabless IC design house. We focus on the design and sale of IC chips with all manufacturing contracted to foundries. The only hazardous waste we dispose of are defective ICs that are found by internal testing after being made by contract foundries. Professional waste management companies handle the disposal. Realtek sites do not produce hazardous industrial waste, do not discharge process wastewater, and do not pose any risk of environmental impact from wastewater/effluent spills.
Reported Discharge of Domestic Wastewater
In 2020, we reported 97,872.8 tonnes of domestic wastewater discharge to the Hsinchu Science Park Administration. All industrial wastewater and domestic wastewater produced within the Hsinchu Science Park is collected by the sewage system and piped to the park’s wastewater treatment plant for processing before being discharged into the Keya River through a dedicated pipeline. The treated water quality exceeds the National Effluent Standards and does not impact the ecology of the Keya River. Realtek cooperates with environmental and energy-saving policies mandated by law and is grateful to local government agencies for their support and assistance.
Reported Disposal of Waste and Waste Management
Realtek carries out waste management in accordance with the ‘Waste Disposal Act’ of the EPA, Executive Yuan, and the management regulations of the Hsinchu Science Park. Tasks include monthly tracking and reporting of waste statistics.
We also visit the EPA’s Industrial Waste Report and Management System website each month to report waste-related statistics, including types of industrial waste, any presence of hazardous waste, disposal methods, and total weight. In 2020, we produced 26.57 tonnes of industrial waste, including (1) 5.64 tonnes of non-hazardous paper and mixed paper waste, (2) 6.27 tonnes of non-hazardous waste electronic parts and scraps, (3) 8.45 tonnes of general waste from business activities, and (4) 6.21 tonnes of mixed plastics.
Industrial Waste Sorted by Category and Disposal Method
Reducing Carbon Emissions Through Energy-Saving IC Design
Development of Green, Energy-Saving Products
Realtek has long been committed to the design and development of more environmentally friendly and energy-saving IC products. We aim to provide a wide range of total solutions, a large number of which are used in electronic end-products. It is our belief that by continuing to develop innovative ICs with better energy-efficiency, we can help to significantly reduce the carbon emissions worldwide.
Realtek incorporates environmental and energy-saving concepts into the product design process from the start of development for all types of IC products. We reduce unnecessary energy consumption according to use cases, enhance low power product design, and effectively reduce the energy consumption. We are fully committed to providing innovative, highly effective IC products that meet environmental protection expectations of customers around the world.
In 2020, Realtek again successfully developed many next generation products. Testing on various applications and power settings under controlled conditions and situations showed that these products reduced power consumption by 28% to 59% compared to the previous generation (note: due to the wide variance among various usage conditions, precise energy consumption reductions in joules are not given). In addition to power saving, the new products are lightweight, with size reductions of 29% to 77%. When used for long periods of time or to send large amounts of data, the significant power savings make the environmental benefits clear. End users appreciate a much better user experience.