TPCA Released Taiwan PCB Industry's Sustainable Carbon Reduction Strategy

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Taiwan Printed Circuit Association (TPCA) convened its 11th Member Conference and the Taiwan PCB Sustainable Carbon Reduction Strategy Press Conference at South Garden Hotels & Resorts in Taoyuan City. During the Conference, Taoyuan City Mayor San-cheng Chang, Ms. Pei-Li Chen, Deputy Director General, Industrial Development Bureau, Jwu-Sheng Hu, Senior Vice President, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Vice President Jen-Inn Chyi, National Central University, the Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association, and representatives from the government agencies, the industry, and universities met with more than 300 members and peers to witness the PCB industry's sustainability milestone. At the Press Conference, Chairman Maurice Lee unveiled the three major pillars of PCB low carbon transformation: Voluntary Energy Conservation, Renewable Energy, and Carbon Negative/Carbon Trade, and declared the Taiwan PCB industry's goal of reducing emissions by 30% by 2030 and achieving net-zero emission by 2050.

In response to global warming and extreme climate, each country's government has developed an essential objective of net-zero emissions. To help the industry thrive, TPCA kicked off an industry survey program in 2022 and established the "Taiwan PCB Sustainable Carbon Reduction Strategy" in nearly one year. TPCA's Chairman Lee shared this strategy at the conference and indicated that a net-zero emission path is planned in addition to the voluntary carbon survey and program analysis conducted by the Taiwan PCB industry. 2020 is selected as the base year, and based on the three principles Voluntary Energy Conservation, Renewable Energy, and Carbon Negative/Carbon Trade, we will gradually achieve the goal of reducing emissions by 30% by 2030 and attain net-zero emissions by 2050.

For the Taiwan PCB Sustainable Carbon Reduction Strategy, the industry will take thirty-nine (39) actions, achieve consensus, and provide 27 suggestions to the government. Critical plans will also be conducted this year. For example, the Low Carbon Building Alliance will start introduction of low-carbon equipment from the process hotspots (electroplating and factory facilities); in the Low Carbon Material R&D Platform, low-carbon materials are researched and developed for the copper clad laminate, resin, and dielectric materials. For waste resourcing, fiberglass resin, waste film scraps, and waste pads are selected for the pilot demonstration projects. Chairman Lee urged the industry to implement voluntary energy conversation, organization restructuring, as well as inventory mechanism, and set the reduction goal. We need every support to overcome many challenges. After the report is published, it is expected to facilitate cooperation and integrate resources to improve the carbon reduction effect of the overall industry chain.

Taoyuan City Mayor San-cheng Chang was invited to give a speech. Mayor Chang said that the Taoyuan City Government has issued the Taoyuan 2050 Net-Zero Emission Goal yesterday (29). Taoyuan is home to the Taiwan PCB industry, which is ranked No.1 in the world. 70% of the emissions in Taoyuan City come from the manufacturing industry. He appreciated that the PCB industry released the Sustainable Carbon Reduction Strategy first. The City Government will subsequently plan a low-carbon industry park. He hoped to achieve the metropolitan and industrial net-zero emission goal through industry-government cooperation.

Ms. Pei-Li Chen, Deputy Director General, Industrial Development Bureau said that the government allocated particular budgets after the pandemic to guide industrial intelligentization and low-carbon transformation. She hoped that the PCB industry could take advantage of this resource and that iconic companies could help smaller ones and guide the supply chain to stay competitive.

At the Conference, Du-Wen Sun, Senior Manager of TSMC, shared the "TSMC's Net-Zero Sustainability Roadmap" to let the PCB industry understand how an iconic company performs its transformation strategy and take specific actions; Yenhaw CHEN, Director of Research Division I at Taiwan Institute of Economic Research, shared the "Global Net-Zero Transformation and New Type Green Trading Trend" and indicated that the government of each country are work together more closely for governance, while the international brands actively perform the supply chain management. For both reasons, the PCB industry should be more practical in the low carbon transformation goal setting and implementation.

The Taiwan PCB Industry Transformation Strategy specifies the current situation of the Taiwan PCB GHG emissions, power consumption hotspots, and emission reduction path as well as goal. The Report marks the starting point of the Taiwan PCB Low Carbon Transformation. It is expected to unite the government, industry, and universities to fulfill our sustainability vision and help the Taiwan PCB industry stay competitive in terms of low carbon.