Freescale takes steps to further green vision

AUSTIN, USA: Freescale Semiconductor today announced the results of its Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) initiative that began in 2001 and released significant new goals for 2015.

The most significant results so far include the reduction of CO2 impacts by 42 percent, the saving of more than 40 million kilowatts of energy and the conservation of more than 170 million gallons of water.

Given that the average American family of four uses approximately 400 gallons of water every day (according to the U.S. EPA), the amount of water Freescale is saving could theoretically provide water for 425,000 American families for one day or 1,160 families for an entire year.

Freescale prides itself on the ongoing progress made towards the specific EHS goals set for 2010 and has agreed on a new set of goals for 2015, which include:

Achievement of a zero workplace injury and illness rate;
Recycling of 90 percent of waste generated;
Reduction of water usage by 50 percent; and,
Reducing the carbon footprint by 50 percent by 2015.

“We are continually striving to conserve more of the Earth’s natural resources through development of more sustainable products and manufacturing processes,” said Alex Pepe, senior vice president of Freescale’s Supply Chain organization.

“As an industry leader in reducing, reusing and recycling wastes, we are working hard to ensure that all aspects of our business are incorporating an emphasis on safety and the environment. We are committed to the implementation, maintenance and continuous improvement of our ongoing EHS goals, which can be seen in the accomplishments we’ve made since first putting these goals into place eight years ago.”

Before “going green” was a worldwide strategy followed by many large enterprises, Freescale was one of the first corporations in 2001 to take key internal steps to limit their carbon footprint by setting up the proactive 2010 EHS goals. Some examples of how Freescale employees work to integrate the EHS initiatives across the globe include:

Going GREEN (Austin, Texas) -- Greenhouse gas Reduction, Emissions Elimination and Natural resource conservation is a series of programs undertaken in Austin since 2005 to reduce emissions and waste and conserve natural resources.

Pollution Prevention (Chandler, Arizona) -- The Freescale Chandler facility modified one of its manufacturing processes with a nonorganic solvent cleaning material and reduced the usage of ethylene glycol by 295,374 pounds during 2008.

Bike to Work Day (Toulouse, France) -- In addition to cutting the carbon dioxide emissions usually emitted from cars, biking to work can also improve the health of the employee. Eighty employees participated in this program in Toulouse.

Freescale is a signatory of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Memorandums of Understanding and has been recognized recently in the Austin, Texas community for its commitment to the EHS goals.