Semiconductor manufacturing is not considered a major contributor to global warming, but our operations do directly and indirectly emit greenhouse gases (GHGs). The three main contributors to our carbon footprint are emissions from purchased electricity, PerfluoroCarbons (PFCs) and heat-transfer fluids (HTFs).
11% decrease in normalized Scope 1 and 2 emissions from 2020.
We measure our carbon footprint according to the GHG Protocol: a set of internationally recognized standards for quantifying and reporting GHG emissions. We report on all three of the categories defined by the GHG Protocol: Scope 1 (direct emissions), Scope 2 (indirect emissions, owned) and Scope 3 (business travel and product transportation).
Semiconductor manufacturing is an electricity-intense process. As a result, Scope 2 emissions from electricity consumption represent the majority of our emissions.
In 2021, our normalized Scope 1 and 2 (market based) emissions decreased by 39% from a 2011 baseline.
In 2021, our absolute Scope 1 and 2 (market based) emissions decreased by 28% from a 2011 baseline.
The GHG Protocol defines Scope 1 emissions as direct emissions from company-owned and controlled resources, including stationary combustion (fuels, heating sources) and process emissions (from onsite manufacturing).
Our Scope 1 emissions include PFCs, HTFs, emissions from the consumption of fossil fuels and emissions of Kyoto gases, including Nitrous Oxide (N2O) and Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF6).
In 2021, the normalized Scope 1 emissions decreased by 43% from a 2011 baseline.
In 2021, the absolute Scope 1 emissions decreased by 34% from a 2011 baseline.
At present, there are no viable alternatives for the PFCs used to etch integrated circuitry onto silicon wafers and to clean the internal chambers of deposition equipment.
Both our normalized and absolute PFC emissions have decreased from a 2011 baseline. This reduction is significant because we produce increasingly complex products that involve many more manufacturing steps that use PFCs. Installing the most up-to-date abatement technology and upgrading existing process tools each year has resulted in continuous year-on-year reduction of PFC emissions.
Our normalized PFC emissions decreased by 61% from a 2011 baseline.
Our absolute PFC emissions decreased by 54% from a 2011 baseline.
HTFs are used in manufacturing processes and device testing to maintain a particular temperature. The majority of HTFs are used to test hermetically sealed radio frequency (RF) products while the remainder are used in manufacturing processes.
Our normalized HTF emissions decreased by 17% compared to 2013.
Our absolute HTF emissions decreased by 14% compared to 2013. This is significant progress because the demand for products that require HTFs for device manufacturing and testing has increased.
We use fossil fuel, in the form of natural gas, to heat and control humidity in our clean rooms. Our use of natural gas depends strongly on both the external temperature and internal production activity of the manufacturing facilities.
Our normalized fossil fuel emissions decreased by 20% from a 2011 baseline.
Our absolute fossil fuel emissions decreased by 5% from a 2011 baseline.
N2O is used at several points in our manufacturing process, including chemical vapor deposition of silicon dioxide and doped or undoped silicon oxynitride, diffusion, rapid thermal processing and chamber seasoning.
For several years now, we have been installing the most up-to-date abatement technology and upgrading existing process tools. As a result, we have seen a continuous year-on-year reduction in N2O emissions.
Our normalized N2O emissions decreased by 59% from a 2011 baseline.
Our absolute N2O emissions decreased by 53% from a 2011 baseline.
The GHG Protocol defines Scope 2 emissions as indirect emissions from the generation of purchased energy, supplied by a utility provider. We use market-based calculations for CO2, which represent actual emission data from energy providers.
We have decreased our Scope 2 emissions even though our current products are more complex and require additional manufacturing steps, meaning they require more electricity to manufacture and test.
In 2021, the normalized Scope 2 emissions decreased by 33% from a 2011 baseline.
In 2021, absolute emissions decreased by 22% from a 2011 baseline.
The GHG Protocol defines Scope 3 emissions as indirect emissions, not included in Scope 2, that occur in the value chain of the reporting company. Our Scope 3 emissions include business travel and product transport and are measured as CO2 equivalents (CO2e).
In 2021, Scope 3 emissions from business travel and product transport decreased by 75% from a baseline of 2011.
In 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, business travel essentially stopped for 2020 and 2021. Emissions from business travel amounted to 555 tons of CO2e in 2021 compared to 13,008 tons of CO2e in 2019.
In 2021, our CO2 emissions from product transportation were estimated at 11,561 tons CO2e (based on kilograms per kilometer). This includes transporting semi-finished products between factories and transporting fully finished products to warehouses and customers.
Product transportation emissions decreased by 51% from a 2011 baseline.
Our Non-Greenhouse Gas Emissions of atmospheric pollutants, which include nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), mostly come from our manufacturing process, but some come from our boilers and the use of chemicals, such as solvents in the photolithography process.
In 2021, NOx emissions decreased by 30% from a 2011 baseline. We did see an increase in our SOx and VOC emissions from an unprecedented winter storm in Austin, Texas, and the expansion of the Systems on Silicon Manufacturing Company (SSMC) wafer fab in Singapore. SOx increased by 228% and VOCs increased by 37% from a 2011 baseline.
Contact NXP’s EHS team at corpehs@nxp.com
Contact NXP’s Sustainability team at csr@nxp.com
Aligning NXP’s products, operations and engagements with the UN Sustainable Development Goals to combat global challenges related to economic, social and environmental sustainability.